Tom Brady Almost Left the Patriots in 2018 Amid Rob Gronkowski Trade Rumors

The New England Patriots legend and six-time Super Bowl champ Tom Brady has consistently made headlines this offseason over questions about how he'll proceed in free agency, and the football world now wonders whether his time in Foxoborough is really over. But according to a new report, he almost left the team two years ago when the team considered moving Rob Gronkowski.

On "The Ryen Russillo Podcast," NBC Sports Boston's Tom Curran told the namesake host the story of how close Brady actually came to leaving the team in 2018, and why management had to change their plans in order to keep him.

Curran said that the Patriots we're debating trading Gronkowski because of a press conference he held for a Supercross motorcycle racing event in early 2018. Gronk's choice to attend that event rather than a team workout did not sit well with Bill Belichick and Co.

The Pats were open to trading Gronkowski because they were increasingly convinced that he didn't care sufficiently about his duties as a football player. But Brady asserted himself, warning that he himself wouldn't return to New England if Gronk was shipped out of town.

It turned out to be a smart decision to keep him, because in the 2018 season, Gronkowski was a key figure in the Patriots championship team that won ring No. 6 for Brady. He retired from football soon after.

All's well that ends well. But now, it it's Brady who's inching dangerously close to departing Foxborough. Perhaps Gronk can return the favor and convince the Pats to give TB12 every last dollar in order to keep him around for one last ride.