Tom Brady met with Robert Kraft this past October on multiple occasions to discuss playing longer. Brady also met with Bill Belichick that same month. Belichick was skeptical of a long-term extension but was comfortable starting Brady for as long as he was the Patriots' best quarterback.

Belichick always insisted privately he wouldn't move on from Brady unless he could convince the coaching staff of it.

The meeting ended in a "little blowup," according to a source. 

The Patriots offered Garoppolo a four-year extension that would pay $17 million to $18 million annually and would increase when he succeeded Brady. Garoppolo and Don Yee rejected the offers out of hand. Because Garoppolo and Brady are both represented Yee, there could be no promises about the timing of the succession. 

Two weeks before the Nov. 1 trading deadline, Belichick met with Kraft to discuss the quarterback situation. According to staffers, the meeting ran long, lasting half the day and pushing back Belichick's other meetings. 

The meeting ended with a clear mandate for Belichick to trade Garoppolo and find the best quarterback in the draft and develop him to replace Brady.

Belichick was furious and demoralized, according to friends. 

A source tells Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio that Belichick was not explicitly told to trade Garoppolo.

Belichick called Kyle Shanahan, who he believed Garoppolo would excel under. Staffers of the Patriots were stunned and confused when Belichick traded Garoppolo for a second round pick.

Brady seemed liberated and was hugged by Kraft when he saw him that week. Some players noticed a few days later that Brady seemed especially excited since his long-term status with the Patriots was again secure.

"He won," a Patriots staffer says.

Kraft, Brady and Belichick were scheduled to meet in late December to clear the air but that never happened and probably won't until after the season.

"Bill's done a phenomenal job of holding the building together," one Patriots official says.