A new ESPN article by Seth Wickersham suggests that the end may be coming for Tom Brady and Bill Belichick with the New England Patriots.

Wickersham's piece details discord between Brady and Belichick with owner Robert Kraft seeming to take the side of Brady.

The trio have won five Super Bowls together over nearly two decades, but frustrations have reportedly boiled over this season.

There have been disputes on Brady's trainer Alex Guerrero, the long-term plans at quarterback, Belichick's coaching style and over who will be the last man standing. Amongst those interviewed, there is a sense that this could be the last year together for this group.

The issues began when Brady's TB12 Method started to feel "like a cult" to some members of the Patriots with many suspicious of Guerrero.

"Tom changed," says a friend of Brady's. "That's where a lot of these problems started."

Some players felt pressure to work with Guerrero in order to earn the trust of Brady.

In 2013, Belichick had welcomed Guerrero into the New England fold, giving him free rein in the building and, sources with direct knowledge of the situation say, access to meetings in which medical records for Patriots players were discussed. 

Guerrero would often blame the trainers of the Patriots for injuries and Belichick quickly realized the invitation had been a mistake.

During a meeting in early September, Belichick explained to Brady that several younger players felt pressured to train at TB12. Brady said he wasn't aware of any pressure and the two exited the meeting without a resolution.

Belichick emailed Guerrero to let him know that while he was welcome to work with any players who sought out TB12, he was no longer permitted access to the sideline or all of the team headquarters because he wasn't an employee of the Patriots.

The email created additional problems and Guerrero was perceived as trying to turn players against Belichick.

Brady has often received criticism from Belichick in front of the team, which has set the tone for the franchise where no player receives special attention. But Brady is less fine with it this year. Brady has been hit a lot and battle nagging injuries while the Patriots' private evaluations are showing slippage in Brady's play even as he remains at an MVP level.

While Brady's body is slowing down despite the TB12 Method, he has become an advocate of positive thinking. Belichick's negativity has worn on Brady.