Rob Gronkowski expresses concern for Patriots' downfall post-Tom Brady era - "They're not clicking"

Rob Gronkowski may be more familiar with how Tom Brady works than anyone else. They have remained close friends for years, including during their NFL careers with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While Brady has won seven Super Bowl rings, Gronkowski has four.

Three of their championship seasons as a duo came with the Patriots during a two-decade run of complete dominance under head coach Bill Belichick. They never once had a losing record in any season during that time and were always a threat when the playoffs would arrive.

Since Tom Brady departed, the Patriots have struggled to find success despite Belichick remaining the head coach. Gronkowski has apparently taken notice of the massive difference in the overall landscape of the team without their legendary quarterback. He spoke about it during a recent "Up & Adams" episode.

Host Kay Adams asked him:

"Did you get a feeling when Brady left, that this will never be what it is, did you have that conscious feeling?"

Gronkowski responded:

"Yes, 100%. I've definitely had that conscious feeling throughout my time there, and it has proven itself as well. He was the ring leader in that organization, no doubt about it. It just fit the mold for everyone else to fall in place, and with time, I saw that it was going to trickle down and not work anymore."

"Tom Brady always fought his way out of it when the times were tough. Now you just watch them, it's like things are getting tough, like they're just accepting it. It's like, 'Oh, it's all right, we're gonna lose. We don't have that good of a team.' It's weird, Tom would have never accepted that. Now, people are throwing each other under the bus. They're not clicking."

While it's almost unfair to compare anyone's success to Brady's, as he's the consensus greatest player in NFL history, the Patriots just haven't been the same team without him. They missed out on the playoffs last year and are in legitimate danger of finishing this season with the worst record in the league.

Mac Jones is certainly no Tom Brady, but the Patriots will likely have a chance to select a new quarterback toward the top of the 2024 NFL Draft. Maybe they will have better luck as they continue their challenging search to replace the GOAT.

How many TDs did Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady link up for?

Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady

Rob Gronkowski caught a massive 105 total touchdowns from Tom Brady during their future Hall of Fame careers. This puts them among the greatest pass-catching tandems in NFL history. Of the total, 93 came during the regular season, with 12 occurring in playoff games.

Their total tandem touchdowns are the second-most by any duo in NFL history. They trail on Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison, who linked up for a record 114 total touchdowns.