Rob Gronkowski reveals real trigger behind Tom Brady and Bill Belichick's breakup despite six Super Bowl wins together

Tom Brady and Bill Belichick formed arguably the greatest quarterback-coach duo in NFL history. The tandem led the New England Patriots to six Super Bowls in their 20 seasons together, spearheading the organization's lengthy dynasty.

Despite all their success, Brady and Belichick ultimately grew apart, which raised tensions. Tensions within the team led to Brady's decision to leave New England for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020, which resulted in the all-time leading passer winning his seventh Super Bowl.

On Tuesday's episode of "Bussin' With the Boys" with Taylor Lewan and Will Compton, Rob Gronkowski shared the reasons behind Brady's departure from Belichick and the Patriots.

"I really can't speak for Tom or Bill about their relationship, but from what I observed, Tom was growing older and wanted to freelance more," Gronkowski said (1:29:52). "He didn't need to be treated like a rookie anymore, but that dynamic was still present. He didn't need to be treated like a rookie. I think tension started building between them over that dynamic."

Gronkowski added that Brady and Belichick "refused to bend the knee," resulting in the split over differing views of coaching structure. Four years after Brady's departure, New England and Belichick parted ways, earning just one playoff berth without the seven-time Super Bowl champ.

Bill Belichick saved Tom Brady's relationship with Antonio Brown with $5,000 worth of milk

After getting traded from the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Oakland Raiders in 2019, Antonio Brown was cut and left searching for a new team. He ultimately landed with the New England Patriots alongside Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. Brown suited up in one game for New England in 2019 before he was released ahead of the playoffs.

Alhough he and Brady reunited in Tampa Bay, the reunion could've been spoiled — pun intended — if not for Bill Belichick. During his stint with the Pats, Brown was living with Brady in the quarterback's Foxborough home. In an appearance on "The Pivot" podcast on Saturday, Belichick explained how $5,000 worth of milk salvaged Brady and Brown's relationship.

"To make a long story short, it kinda got mixed up and ended up in the mail room for too long," Belichick said. "The milk went bad. Sometimes you just gotta do the right thing, and I didn't want to ruin the relationship between Brown and Brady over this spoiled milk. So we spent $5,000 to replace the milk."

Belichick's gesture was intended to keep the peace between the quarterback-receiver tandem, which ultimately played a role in Brady and Brown helping lead the Buccaneers to the 2020 Super Bowl.