Bill Belichick discusses uncertain futures of Patriots icons Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski

Roughly two months removed from a Super Bowl loss, the future for the Patriots is oddly unclear as Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski inch closer to retirement.

Brady added fuel to his retirement fire during the final episode of his “Tom vs. Time” documentary on Facebook.

“It’s a big commitment, laying here three days after the game and getting my Achilles worked on and my thumb,” Brady said. “You go, ‘What are we doing this for?’ You know? ‘What are we doing this for, who are we doing this for, why are we doing this?’ You gotta have answers to those questions.

And they have to be with a lot of conviction. You know, when you lose your conviction then you probably should be doing something else.”

Bill Belichick, speaking at the NFL’s Annual Meeting in Orlando, Fla., on Sunday, said he’ll rely on face-to-face conversation with Brady when it comes to dealing with his future.

“So, I’ve had direct conversations with Tom many times over a long period of time,” Belichick said, via NBC Sports Boston. “I’ll rely on those conversations I have with him directly rather than something else. Tom and I have always had a good line of communication, we’ve always been able to talk directly with each other. I don’t see that changing. I’ll rely on those instead of … anything else.”

As for Gronkowski, New England’s dominant tight end, talks of early retirement to pursue an entertainment career have muddied his outlook for 2018. His non-committal tone following the Super Bowl and a cryptic tweet last month have Patriots fans concerned.

Rob Gronkowski was asked about his playing future following Super Bowl LII and he did not deny retirement rumors. pic.twitter.com/7tl72uCNlq
— NESN (@NESN) February 5, 2018

Belichick did nothing to ease those concerns Sunday as he scurried around the question when asked about Gronkowski and his status for the upcoming season.

“I’m not going to speak for anybody else,” Belichick told reporters (via NBC Sports Boston). “Conversations I’ve had with the players — and I’ve had a lot of them — I’m gonna keep those private between myself and the player. I’ll respect that coach-to-player conversation. I don’t want to speak for anybody else.”

Team owner Robert Kraft, however, told reporters Monday that Gronkowski at Patriots facilities in recent weeks.

Robert Kraft notes that he saw TE Rob Gronkowski in the facility within the last couple of weeks. Gronkowski had said after the Super Bowl that he was still weighing his future. pic.twitter.com/rp5W9QWCDv
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) March 26, 2018

It may be unknown whether the end of an era is near in New England, but one thing is still certain — Belichick will keep all indications in-house as long as possible