Seth Wickersham of ESPN.com published an article Friday regarding New England and the power struggles between five-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady, head coach Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft.

Wickersham said Brady "is famously unhelpful toward his backups" and offered little in terms of advice to Jimmy Garoppolo. The Patriots traded Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers for a second-round pick, Belichick did not want to move the 26-year-old signal-caller but only did so after Kraft told him to in a meeting before the Nov. 1 trade deadline.

Despite the tension,  Belichick "has taken a longer view" by setting up interviews for his assistants, mending a relationship with the Colts because of the Brissett trade, becoming friends with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and even taking "pride" in Garoppolo's quick start in San Francisco.