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DANA POINT, Calif. (MCT) — New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft wouldn't say Tuesday whether the team has serious interest in trying to work out a trade for Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers.

"We never negotiate in the papers," Kraft told the Observer at the NFL owners' meetings. "We like to try to execute and not talk about it. So we don't talk about it.

"Sometimes there are agents or teams (who talk about it). Our name is constantly in the news, so we don't react to it."

However, Patriots coach Bill Belichick, the only NFL head coach not attending the annual meetings, talked extensively about Peppers on a Boston radio station last week.

While New England may be interested in Peppers, the team might not be willing — or able — to give Peppers the lucrative contract it would take to sign him and/or provide the Panthers the compensation they would require to agree to a trade.

The Panthers placed their franchise tag on Peppers before he could have become an unrestricted free agent.

Team officials have consistently said they want to keep Peppers. It's likely the team would entertain a trade only if the compensation approached the package Minnesota gave Kansas City last year for defensive end Jared Allen — a first-round draft pick and two third-round selections. The Patriots are in position to match or even better that deal. They have six of the top 100 picks in next month's draft — a first-rounder, three seconds and two thirds.

However, the Patriots also are said to be preserving salary cap room for contract extensions they hope to negotiate with three key starters heading into their final year of their contracts — nose tackle Vince Wilfork, defensive end Richard Seymour and guard Logan Mankins.