Patriots G Mankins reportedly will sign his franchise tender

New England Patriots guard Logan Mankins will sign his franchise tag tender and report to training camp this week, The Boston Globe reported, citing ESPN.

Mankins, one of the 10 plaintiffs in the Brady et al v. the National Football League et al lawsuit, held out for the first seven games of the 2010 season after refusing to sign a restricted free-agent tender by the June deadline. He returned in early November and started the final nine games, making the Pro Bowl in the process.

Mankins' franchise tag will cost the Patriots more than $10 million, increasing the possibility the team will try to negotiate a long-term contract to provide it some salary cap relief and Mankins some security.

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HBO's 'Hard Knocks' reportedly won't air this season

HBO's popular "Hard Knocks" series apparently has joined the Hall of Fame Game as a casualty of the NFL lockout.

The seventh season of the show has been canceled, according to Sports Illustrated.

"No 'Hard Knocks' this year. I repeat: No 'Hard Knocks,' " SI's Peter King reported Saturday on Twitter.

HBO spokesman Ray Stallone recently told the Sporting News: "We are monitoring (lockout) developments and remain hopeful of presenting a new season of 'Hard Knocks.' Beyond that we are not going to speculate."

New York Jets coach Rex Ryan garnered much attention last season with his profane candor on the show, but teams appeared reluctant to appear on it this season even before labor negotiations stalled. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions said no to HBO, while several others teams, including the Jets, Chicago Bears and Denver Broncos, said they would do the same if asked.

The show debuted in 2001 with the Baltimore Ravens and has been shown intermittently since.

The NFL announced Thursday that it had canceled the Aug. 7 Hall of Fame Game between the Bears and St. Louis Rams in Canton, Ohio.

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'Skins, longtime Packer Jenkins reportedly eyeing each other

The Washington Redskins will have multiple roster holes to fill once the NFL lockout ends and free agency begins, but they already might have a willing partner to help overhaul their defensive line.

There is mutual interest between the Redskins and defensive end Cullen Jenkins, The Washington Post reported Wednesday, citing a person familiar with the situation.

Jenkins, who will become an unrestricted free agent after the lockout is lifted, is coming off a strong seventh season with the Green Bay Packers. He compiled seven sacks in just 11 games, eight of them starts.

Washington certainly could use help along its defensive line as it moves past the Albert Haynesworth era. The Redskins were one of the NFL's worst defensive teams a season ago, finishing 31st overall in total yards allowed per game. They used the draft to begin the re-tooling process of the line, selecting Clemson defensive end Jarvis Jenkins in the second round and West Virginia nose tackle Chris Neild in the seventh.

Jenkins, the younger brother of three-time All-Pro nose tackle Kris Jenkins, will be 30 when the new season is scheduled to begin in September. He has spent his entire career with the Packers since they signed the undrafted player out of Central Michigan in 2003.

NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora also has mentioned in recent NFL.com chats that Jenkins would be a good fit for the Redskins.

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49ers reportedly told to stop talking about their free agents

No more talk about quarterback Alex Smith, or any of your other free agents, please.

That is the message the league has sent to the San Francisco 49ers and new coach Jim Harbaugh, The Santa Rosa Press Democrat reported Tuesday.

Harbaugh has stated several times, including two weeks ago on "NFL Total Access," that he would like the 49ers to re-sign Smith. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft has struggled with injuries and inconsistency during his first six pro seasons with the team.

Harbaugh speculated after April's draft -- when San Francisco selected quarterback Colin Kaepernick in the second round -- that he thought Smith would return.

"I think he's going to come back to the team," Harbaugh said on April 30. "He has not signed a contract."

Harbaugh changed his strategy during an interview with the newspaper last week.

"I'm not answering any questions about Alex Smith," Harbaugh said. "The league has mandated we do not talk about him. The NFL has mandated that we don't talk about players who are not under contract -- who are free agents who haven't signed. We've been sent a memo saying we can't talk about it."

A 49ers spokesman told the newspaper that the league had contacted them. However, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told The Press Democrat he was not aware of the contact between the league and the 49ers.

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