"Probably, you'll see our good friend, Logan Mankins, will be signed up soon, hopefully to be a Patriot for life," Kraft said Wednesday. "That couldn't have happened if we didn't do our planning before we went into the lockout."
Kraft's business plans have been on point since he purchased the Patriots, and he doesn't speak with that level of confidence unless he's sure of something. It was evident during last year's negotiations with Tom Brady, and it also happened with Vince Wilfork.
Take it even further to the NFL's labor negotiations and his vision for Gillette Stadium, The Hall at Patriot Place and the outdoor shopping mall — all of which he envisioned when he bought the team in 1994 — and it shows on particular theme. When Kraft wants the ink on the contract, it happens.
Kraft said the football operations department constructed a long-term plan to sign the team's core veterans, and Mankins was on that list of players. It's been in the works for years, and the process wasn't perfect along the way, but it sounds like it's nearing an end.
"If I have a vote, it will get done, but the other side has got to want it, too," Kraft said. "It's our desire, and it's always been our desire."
