This whole thing started last spring when they offered him a one year contract off of stellar performances.
Brady put his house up for sale in summer. He expected a longer commitment and felt slighted by it.
Should have never come to this, they should have committed to him for more than a year, because you can bet he's going to retire when he's no longer a top 10 QB in this league.
This year just reinforced what happened last spring, with no replacements from Gronk and at WR, the injuries to the WRs and offensive line, and Brady had a season long elbow injury.
Now, when you see them losing top players like Jamie Collins and Van Noy, and not signing anyone, the writing is on the wall for both. I see the Patriots rebuilding. I would not be shocked if they traded Stephon Gilmore if they could get a top 15 pick for him.