Tom Brady and Jerod Mayo were two of five New England Patriots captains for the 2011 season, the team announced on Thursday. Logan Mankins, Vince Wilfork, Devin McCourty and Matthew Slater round out the group of team captains.

Brady, Wilfork, Mankins and Mayo all make sense, leaving McCourty and Slater as the surprise picks. McCourty came on strong in his rookie season with the team, recording seven interceptions and 60 tackles (13 assists) in 16 games.

Slater, a third-year veteran, was named the special teams captain. In three seasons in New England, Slater has returned 22 kicks for 424 (19.3 yards/return) in 43 career games.

For more New England Patriots coverage, visit our team page and blog, Pats Pulpit.

Read More: Logan Mankins (G – NEP), New England Patriots

Logan Mankins is now a very rich man (well, he was very rich compared to most of us before, but now just by NFL standards). Mankins’ six-year contract extension with the New England Patriots is worth $51 million.

Mankins will earn base salaries of $1.5 million in 2011; $3 million in 2012; $6 million in 2013; $6.5 million in 2014; $7 million in 2015 and $7 million in 2016, according to the source. (via Mike Reiss, ESPN Boston)

The deal makes Mankins the highest paid guard in the NFL. So far, Mankins has lived up to the hype, providing exceptional protection for Tom Brady ever since he was drafted No. 32 overall in the 2005 NFL Draft.

Mankins was barred from participating in Patriots’ practice until August 4 due to the new CBA, and his status for Thursday night’s preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars is currently unknown.

For more New England Patriots coverage, visit our team page and blog, Pats Pulpit.

Read More: Logan Mankins (G – NEP), New England Patriots

Logan Mankins isn’t going anywhere for a long time. Mankins has reportedly signed a six-year deal to remain with the New England Patriots on Wednesday afternoon, according to a report from Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Earlier in the day, Patriots owner Robert Kraft had hinted that the team was close to resigning Mankins and that he hoped to have Mankins retire as a Patriot. This extension is not a foregone conclusion, as Mankins held out for half of the season last year, and at was ultimately not expected to resign with the team.

Mankins has played with the Patriots since he was drafted No. 32 overall in the 2005 NFL Draft.

For more New England Patriots coverage, visit our team page and blog, Pats Pulpit.

Read More: Logan Mankins (G – NEP), New England Patriots

Logan Mankins has already signed his one-year franchise tender worth $10 million for the 2011 season, and according to Pats owner Robert Kraft, the team is close to signing Mankins to a long-term deal.

“I hope that after locking up our core veterans and bringing in these seasons veterans as I call them, and probably you’ll see our good friend Logan Mankins will be signed up soon hopefully to be a Patriot for life,” Kraft said. (via WEEI)

Kraft, who also spoke about his late wife Myra Kraft, expressed his strong desire to bring Mankins back.

“If I have a vote it will get done,” Kraft said. “The other side’s got to want it too, but it’s our desire — it’s always been our desire — but… you can’t sign everyone you want, so you need to plan, and I think we did our planning knowing the kind of environment we were coming into, and we tried to position ourselves so we had our core veterans and we could continue to sign the people we want to sign. We very much — we think that Logan is among the best there is at his position. We drafted him and we want him. “

For more New England Patriots coverage, visit our team page and blog, Pats Pulpit.

The Boston Herald reported the New England Patriots will put the franchise tag on Pro Bowl guard Logan Mankins, who sat out seven games last season in a contract dispute with the team. Mankins has gone on record as saying he wouldn’t be happy about receiving the tag.

Guard is one of the lesser-paid positions in the NFL, and Mankins would make about $10.51 million in 2011 as a franchise player, which is the average of the top five salaries at his position last season. In an interview at the Pro Bowl a couple of weeks ago, Mankins said he was pessimistic about his chances of getting a long-term deal with the Patriots.

The New England Patriots are reportedly set to place their franchise tag on Pro Bowl guard Logan Mankins.

“I wouldn’t be happy about (being franchised), if that’s what they chose to do, to be dealt that kind of hand,’’ Mankins told The Herald at the Pro Bowl. “But we’ll see what happens. I would never say the door is totally shut. But the way it’s looking right now, I don’t see them trying to keep me, unless it’s with the franchise tag.”

The period to apply the franchise tag period opened on Thursday and ends on Feb. 24. With the collective bargaining agreement coming to an end March 3, nobody is sure whether a franchise tag will have the same stipulations in a new CBA.

Last week, Patriots owner Robert Kraft said the team is intent on keeping Mankins. “Logan Mankins is one of the best players on the team,” Kraft said. “I think there has been a little misunderstanding about some things that have been written. I just personally want to say I hope he’s with us for a long term, and we’re going to try to do whatever we have to do to make sure that happens.”