The tension between Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo had been brewing for a long time and a big decision was inevitable

• When the New England Patriots traded Jimmy Garoppolo this season, it was a resounding commitment to Tom Brady.
• Now, an ESPN report revealed that Bill Belichick wanted to see Garoppolo succeed Brady one day, but was ordered by management to trade Garoppolo.
• While Brady did not ask management to trade Garoppolo, it has been reported that he viewed Garoppolo as a threat and was not helpful in mentoring Garoppolo.
• Brady is now the Patriots' present and future, having won a power struggle that seemed to be simmering.

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When the New England Patriots traded Jimmy Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers this season, it signaled a resounding commitment to Tom Brady.

The situation with Brady and Garoppolo was untenable. Brady wanted to continue his career into his mid-40s, and Garoppolo, ready to become a starter but still sitting behind Brady, was set to hit free agency in 2018.

As the bombshell report on the Patriots' future from ESPN's Seth Wickersham revealed, there were other factors at play, namely simmering tension between Brady and Garoppolo, even if the two quarterbacks were genial to one another.

The report notes, as previous reports had, that Belichick thought Garoppolo could eventually succeed Brady. However, according to Wickersham, it became clear that Garoppolo would not accept a contract extension to remain the backup.

Wickersham reported that Brady had been talking to team owner Robert Kraft about continuing to play for the Patriots, and later, after a meeting between Belichick and Kraft, Kraft ordered Belichick to trade Garoppolo.

In some ways, this was a simmering situation that was always going to come to a head. The timelines of Garoppolo and Brady simply did not match. Garoppolo was ready to start and did not want to back up Brady any longer. Brady, however, was not declining, and even for the NFL's most ruthless organization, pushing out perhaps the greatest quarterback of all-time for a promising, but unproven backup would be too far. An awkward and tough decision was always going to come, and the Patriots chose Brady.

Brady viewed Garoppolo as a threat.

While it doesn't sound as if Brady asked management to move Garoppolo, what does seem apparent is he wanted the team to commit to his future. This shouldn't come as a surprise. As far back as 2015, it had been reported that Brady viewed Garoppolo as a threat.

In the build-up to Brady's four-game suspension for Deflategate, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said Brady was paranoid of any other quarterback taking snaps for the Patriots.

"If you talk to people close to Brady, one thing he has feared for a long time is anyone taking a snap instead of him," Rapoport said in 2015, adding, "He is going to see his future, the Patriots' future, potentially, in Jimmy Garoppolo play. And what if he's good? Then it makes a very interesting decision for the Patriots next offseason." Rapoport said it was a situation Brady hoped to push off for a while.

According to Wickersham, Brady and Garoppolo were friendly, but Brady is "famously unhelpful to his backups," neglecting to help Garoppolo with mechanics and foot work. Brady, it seemed, would not play a mentor role to his future replacement.

When Brady was suspended for the first four games of 2016, Belichick gave a very firm guarantee that Garoppolo would not replace Brady. However, according to Wickersham, during contract negotiations with Brady, Belichick had concerns about extending a 40-year-old quarterback, and his commitment to Brady wasn't exactly a ringing endorsement.

From Wickersham (emphasis ours): "Several times this past October, Brady met with Kraft to discuss playing longer. That same month, he also met with Belichick, who was skeptical of a long-term contract extension but was content to start Brady as long as he was the best quarterback."

When Garoppolo was traded, some were surprised that the famously strategic Belichick chose a 40-year-old quarterback over a 26-year-old potential star. As we're learning, it was not because of a change of heart from Belichick. Belichick did want Garoppolo to be the future, but pressure from management, plus an awkward timeline, forced his hand.

Wickersham reported that after Garoppolo was traded, people around the Patriots noticed a more jovial Brady. One source said Brady "won" when Garoppolo was traded.

Now Belichick's job is to find an eventual replacement for Brady. Wickersham reported that Belichick takes pride in Garoppolo's promising start in San Francisco, a sign he did believe that Garoppolo could succeed Brady.

Now, however, it is Brady's team. Power struggles are nothing new in sports, but as time has passed since the Garoppolo trade, it's becoming clear that one had been unfolding on the Patriots for a while.