Gronk believes Brady has mellowed with teammates in his later years

When Tom Brady steps onto an NFL field, he still appears to be the same ultra-competitive former sixth-round draft pick who willed himself into becoming possibly the greatest quarterback of all time.

But Brady's favorite target, Rob Gronkowski, says he's softened his approach with his teammates during training camp as the 40-year-old nears the end of his Hall of Fame career.

"I would say, probably back in the day, he was probably a little more on you if you didn't get it right, a little bit more in your face. But he's going on 41 now, I feel like he backed off on that a little bit, which is nice. He used to be mean to me," Gronkowski said lightheartedly after Wednesday's practice, according to ESPN's Mike Reiss. "Now he's not to these young guys anymore."

According to Gronk, though, Brady isn't showing his age.

"At age 41, there are coaches younger than him on the roster. And he looks younger than the coaches. Just the way he's moving, just (how) reliable he is at times, is just unbelievable and something to look up to."