Fooch's Update: According to Matt Maiocco, the 49ers and Boone's representatives have not spoken or exchanged proposals since the opening of training camp.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have announced that they agreed to a trade with the New England Patriots that will send Logan Mankins to the Bucs, and TE Tim Wright and a draft pick to the Patriots. Mankins is entering his tenth year in the NFL, and while he is nearing the end of his career, he is an upgrade for the Bucs. It sounds like Marcus Cannon will take over Mankins old guard role with the Patriots.
The trade would seem to remove the Bucs from any potential Alex Boone trade. The rumors have quieted down on that front, likely in part because the 49ers have made it know they want significant compensation in exchange for Boone. There has been some chatter among the media that the 49ers do not want to deal Boone for anything less than truly significant draft picks because that could be viewed as giving in on this. It could potentially lead to other players demanding trades or holding out until they get dealt and get a new deal.
Initially I figured the 49ers would eventually trade Boone. However, in light of some of this chatter, and Joe Looney's improvement the last couple weeks, I'm starting to think a deal won't happen. The 49ers might very well decide they're in position to wait out Boone. They don't have to pay him his base salary, and they can get back signing bonus money. They could be stuck not getting any compensation for Boone, but if this is what they want to do to prove a point, it does not exactly hurt them.
This game of chicken continues....