Kraft is bridging past and present

Before the Patriots’ 7-6 exhibition loss to the Cincinnati Bengals last Thursday, Kraft and the team welcomed two new members into the Hall of Fame, posthumously inducting running back Jim Nance and team founder Billy Sullivan. Then they welcomed Brady back to Gillette Stadium.

Even if Brady’s career ended tomorrow, the quarterback’s enshrinement in the team’s Hall of Fame is certain.

“I hope I’m around,’’ Kraft told the Globe. “It’s got to be at least five years after he retires. I hope he plays for a long time right here. That’s our dream on that one.’’

To make that dream a reality, the Patriots will have to broach contract discussions with Brady. The 32-year-old quarterback, who will carry a salary-cap charge of $14.627 million this season, has a contract that expires after 2010. Giants quarterback Eli Manning recently signed an extension that will pay him $106.7 million over the next seven seasons.

“That’s part of the responsibility of running the team,’’ said Kraft. “I hope we’re smart enough to do that. We want to just keep him in good health and the whole team, too. We have a pretty special team.’’

Kraft has turned the Patriots, who are in their 50th season as a franchise, into perennial Super Bowl contenders, but he hasn’t turned his back on the team’s sometimes ignominious history.

Instead, the season ticket-holder-turned-steward has embraced it.

The Patriots have a 173-91 record since Kraft bought them in 1994, best in the NFL. They’ve won three Super Bowls and five conference championships, but Kraft’s greatest victory may be making the team’s past accessible through the Hall at Patriot Place.

“For me, it’s a great thrill,’’ Kraft said. “I pinch myself and say here I was a fan sitting in the stands and then we could create this. I saw all the players who ever played for this team, and being able to create a home that they can call theirs and the fans can recall them, so someone who never saw Jim Nance can come here and see the film . . .

“We’re from New England, and New England is about tradition, family, and roots and this is our roots and history. So, for me to be able to honor it, it’s sort of like honoring your parents.’’

Patriots fans vote for the players enshrined in the Hall, but it was Kraft’s decision to honor franchise founder Sullivan, who in 1959 was awarded the eighth and final charter American Football League franchise.

It was also a magnanimous gesture, considering that when Kraft (and former partner Steve Karp) bought the old Foxborough (then Sullivan) Stadium out of bankruptcy court in 1988, he beat out a group that Sullivan was a part of, along with Victor Kiam and Fran Murray.

“In the end, he had the resolve to do what he had to do to get this thing started, so I respect that,’’ said Kraft. “I think we’re similar people. Our families are very important to each of us. We both love the game of football, and we both love the fans and want to do what is in their interest and have a lot of fun. I think he recognized that this is something that is important and I thank him for getting it started.’’

As Kraft enters his 16th season as owner, there could be more Patriots history in the making. The owner not only values the leadership of his quarterback, but also that of the football and business sides of the franchise, which are quarterbacked by coach Bill Belichick and team president Jonathan Kraft.

“I have a good team,’’ said Kraft. “My son Jonathan has been by my side helping me execute everything we’ve done here. I have I think the best coach in the game today, maybe the best ever, and we have a lot of great players here.

“Hopefully, we have a fun season and good things happen. Every season is unique. You never know what’s going to happen.’’

Christopher L. Gasper can be reached at cgasper@globe.com.