A sitdown with Pats president Jonathan Kraft

By Tom E. Curran
CSNNE.com

I sat down last week with Patriots President Jonathan Kraft for an extended interview that we call "The Conversation."

Relaxed, thoughtful and candid, Kraft went deep on a variety of topics. Some were football-related. Some weren't.  Please hit the link and take a few minutes to see Kraft speaking openly about things that matter here in New England and around the NFL.

A few highlights.

On Robert Kraft and their relationship . . .

"At the end of the day in the NFL, I think the principal owner's role over time . . . with most successful teams is one where the owners face and personality are known and it becomes part of the club. That's part of the deal . . . Someone might know my name but [they may not] know my face and I like it that way, My dad, along with my wife is my best friend and has been since I was a little boy."

On the complexity of getting a deal done with Tom Brady . . .

"Thinking through what the rules of the road are going to be and how to structure something so that each side feels like the end result will treat them fairly within the construct of where the agreement ends up is the complicated part of dealing with it. So you work hard trying to figure it out . . . people on both sides are trying to work on it and make it happen"

On Logan Mankins' assertion he's been lied to . . .

"Robert [Kraft]'s never spoken to Logan about his contract. Ever . . . I can tell you, I've never spoken to Logan about his contract . . . Logan, in my opinion, seriously misspoke when he said that about Robert because Robert has not spoken with Logan about his contract."

On whether Mankins' comments would be addressed . . .

"Sometimes when credibility is called into question you have to address it, but Logan's not here, Logan's not under contract right now."

Are the Patriots cheap?

"I don't think so. If you look at the cash spending in the league since we came into the league 16 years ago I believe we're in the top eight teams in total cash spending over that time. And during that time we built a stadium privately, paid for road improvements privately did all that without personal seat licences. I think when it comes to some of those player contracts, it's great for television, it's great for the newspapers. They are stories that attract viewers and readers and its easy to couch it in, 'Are they going to pay him or are they not going to pay him?' " 

On whether it's frustrating to be a team under the microscope . . .

"We're so lucky that that's the case. I remember where football was irrelevant here. It means football really matters and people care. And that's all we wanted to do."

Tom E. Curran can be reached at tcurran@comcastsportsnet.com. Follow Tom on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tomecurran