What was clear to me at the time is that they didn't trade Garoppolo when they could have, at the end of the 2016 season, after he'd looked capable of running an NFL offense for a game and a half. Instead, they traded him at the last minute for much less than they could have expected before the 2017 draft.
The guess I had at the time was that Belichick thought he had some kind of agreement with Brady that he would bow out at the top with a Super Bowl triumph and a giant F-you to Goodell and Deflategate, but that Brady changed his mind after the 28-3 triumph. Perhaps Brady had wanted to go on all along and Belichick was trying to get him out against his will.
Whatever it was, it was a sorry ending to a great partnership -- the more so because, once Garoppolo had been traded, Belichick didn't go all in drafting quarterbacks so the Pats were left with nothing better than the shell of Cam Newton. The Guerrero stuff seems to have been a piece of petulance on BB's part to get his own back on Brady.
There was no need to trade the backup, and they were never going more than the 2nd they got for him. I don't understand this thinking. You believe they could've traded him for a #1? Based on what?
This is the first time I ever heard anyone write anything about an agreement with Brady. It actually makes no sense to me. We do know from Lynch that he called Belichick in that time frame and that Belichick laughed at the idea of trading Brady.
Two good reasons Belichick didn't draft another QB is because Kraft seemed to throw a fit at preparing the team for another QB and Brady also was adamant about getting more support, which lead to things like trading for Mo Sanu, etc. You really think Belichick was going to relive the whole experience after Kraft believed a study showing QBs in decline was evidence that Belichick wanted to get rid of Brady? Kraft's reaction to Belichick's post-Brady preparations is hard to fathom.
Lastly, how do you blame the Guerrero stuff on Belichick's petulance. Even noted Belichick hater Amendola said that the move undermined the coaches. Guerrero was advising players to ignore the coaches. Brady was practically crying in the Dynasty when he was talking about the banning of Guerrero. It was the only real time Brady showed a lot of emotion in the entire documentary.
That was telling.
1. We had an outside advising players to avoid the coaches.
2. The outsider was banned by the HC, a move that even disgruntled players understood as proper.
3. The guy who was banned happened to be Brady's best friend.
4. Kraft went over Belichick's head and reinstalled Guerrero not caring at all how it would undermine the coaches.
5. When asked about this, Brady gets visibly angry during the documentary.
This tells me a lot about what was going on behind the scenes.