Full quote, from Balestrieri’s notes this past Sunday:

Could the Patriots pull the rug out from Mayo after convincing him to remain? You betcha. If they did it to Tom Brady, they can do it to Mayo. A few years ago, I reported here that the Patriots had a three-year deal to keep Brady in New England. And that it was the Krafts, NOT Belichick, who pulled the deal, opting to go year-to-year.

I had spoken to a friend of the Bradys, who revealed this information. Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston confirmed this and added that Robert Kraft made Belichick break the news to Brady.