Exclusive

Drew Brees earned his spot in the 2026 NFL Hall of Fame class ... and he tells TMZ Sports he believes it's only a matter of time before fellow quarterbacks Eli Manning and Philip Rivers join him in Canton.

We caught up with the New Orleans Saints legend at the Fanatics party during Super Bowl weekend ... fresh off the announcement he'll need fitted for a gold jacket.

Incredibly deserved, obviously ... but most of the chatter around the Hall this year was about Bill Belichick, a six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach, not making the cut ... and same for Manning, the only guy to beat Tom Brady twice in the Super Bowl, in his second year of eligibility.

"Varsity Blues" actor Eliel Swinton says he messaged his co-star James Van Der Beek before he died, telling TMZ Sports he had a gut feeling the actor's health was failing.

Swinton -- who acted alongside Van Der Beek in the 1999 hit football film -- told us he reached out to James a few weeks ago after noticing they hadn't communicated in some time, which concerned him given his cancer battle.

"I sent him a little note about maybe three weeks ago, maybe a month ago, on Instagram to him personally to say, 'Hey, man, I know you're sick. If I don't hear from you, it's okay. I'm here to help your family anyway I can with sports and stuff, but if I don't see you, brother, I will see you again upstairs. Love you,' and I didn't hear from him, so I realized it really got bad," Swinton said.

Blueface is cranking the heat way up ahead of his long-teased boxing showdown with Nick Young … promising nothing short of destruction when the gloves finally touch May 2 in Miami.

The rapper tells TMZ Sports he isn’t looking for a friendly exhibition with Swaggy P ... this is beef four years in the making.

“This ain’t basketball, man," Blueface said. "I’m finna dribble his f***ing head to the f***ing pavement. And then when he falls, I’m going to keep socking on him. I’ll take that DQ.”

Paul Bissonnette is taking a slap shot at the NHL’s grueling schedule ... saying the league might be pushing players too far -- and he’s got a plan to fix it.

Biz tells TMZ Sports he’s not holding his breath waiting for league bosses to agree ... but he’s still throwing the idea out there.

“I don’t think they’re going to listen to me," he told us before the Super Bowl at SI The Party. "We just talk for conversation, but I think it would be cool if they would consider in years where they’re doing best on best to just draw it back a little bit.”

Raising Cane's founder Todd Graves has made a fortune off chicken fingers ... so would he ever put his money toward owning an NFL team??

The businessman -- who is worth around $22 BILLION -- tells TMZ Sports it's certainly possible ... after all, he loves everything about the sport.

"For me, I love football -- I love the fanfare of it," Graves said at Travis and Jason Kelce's "New Heights" podcast party during Super Bowl week. "I love the fact that coaches and teams have to put together this amazing play calling, amazing teams, the athletes are incredible -- so I love all that."

Don Lemon thinks there may have been some shady dealings with the grand jury proceedings that led to his indictment ... and he's comparing his federal prosecution to something you might see in Russia, China, or Iran.

The former CNN anchor wants his legal team to get their paws on the transcripts from the grand jury proceedings in his case to see if the government misled jurors into charging him with federal crimes ... according to new legal docs obtained by TMZ.

Don seems to think there's a good chance the government may have misrepresented key issues to the grand jury to secure an indictment ... seeing as a magistrate and judge considered the evidence against him and declined charges before the grand jury finally indicted him.

Allison Holker has officially sold off her Los Angeles home ... and it went for a hefty $4,750,000.

The deal closed back in September ... nearly two years after she bought the stunning 6-bedroom, 7-bathroom Studio City property for $5 million, after selling the home she shared with Stephen “tWitch” Boss.

It also looks like Allison is fully turning the page ... we're told she sold the home to live full-time in Utah, suggesting her future is firmly tied to her new life with her fiancé Adam Edmunds ... who is CEO of a software company based in Utah.

TMZ just received a third email from the man who claims he knows the identity of Nancy Guthrie's kidnapper ... and he has upped his price.

The email says he's contacting TMZ because he doesn't trust law enforcement. He's essentially using TMZ as an intermediary, telling authorities -- you don't trust me, and I don't trust you.

He suggests the reward being doubled to $100,000 was a move designed "to discredit me."

Lou Diamond Phillips is sharing Tim Robinson's secret sauce ... he says the reason "The Chair Company" is a hit is because it's so relatable.

We got Tim's costar on the HBO series at LAX and our photog asked him why folks are going nuts over Tim's latest offering.

Lou says pretty much everyone can relate to being on hold for hours on end trying to get some customer service ... and he says that's the reason 'Chair Company' is now in the national zeitgeist.

Mike Tyson vs. Floyd Mayweather still doesn't have a date, but don't get it twisted ... Iron Mike says the fight is still goin' down!

"Yeah, it's happening," Tyson told Babcock on Friday, reiterating ... "S***, yeah, it's happening!"

Of course, TMZ Sports broke the news in September 2024, that the two historic boxers would be meeting in the squared circle ... after years of not exactly having a warm and fuzzy relationship.

Mike says he wasn't going to pass up the chance to put hands on Floyd.

Huda Mustafa is showing love to her ride-or-dies who stood by her when things got messy ... thanking fans for sticking with her through last year's racial slur controversy.

TMZ caught up with the "Love Island" star Thursday at the Runway 7 fashion show at Sony Hall in NYC, where she made it clear she hasn’t forgotten the support she received after the backlash involving her and boyfriend Louis Russell’s livestream.

You'll remember, Huda apologized at the time after laughing when a caller used the N-word -- explaining she was caught off guard. And it's clear the whole ordeal turned into a major learning moment for her, telling us she's grateful fans rode with her through the highs and lows.

New video's surfaced in the search for Nancy Guthrie's kidnappers ... a man in Tucson with a goatee, who creepily approached a doorbell camera one week before Nancy was taken, and TMZ has learned cops are giving it a hard look.

The video was originally posted January 23 on Ring's Neighbors app, and it shows the guy intentionally backing up to the front door of a home about 6.5 miles from where Savannah Guthrie's mother lives.

The man clearly didn't want to be seen, but the camera still got a good shot of him as he rang the doorbell around 5 AM. The homeowner who posted the vid says the would-be intruder fled when their dogs started barking.

"90 Day Fiancé" star Elizabeth Castravet’s father, Chuck Potthast, died from blunt force injuries after falling in a bathtub, TMZ has learned.

TMZ has obtained docs from the Hillsborough County, Florida Medical Examiner ... and Chuck’s cause of death in November was listed as blunt impact injuries to the face and neck, including facial lacerations and a fractured C6 vertebra. The report also notes positional asphyxia as a factor.

The medical examiner listed chronic alcohol use, liver cirrhosis, and acute alcohol intoxication as contributing causes ... meaning he had consumed a significant amount of alcohol before the fall.

Kandi Burruss’ estranged husband, Todd Tucker, is firing back at her claim he’s living rent-free in her guest home ... saying she's the one who kicked him out of the main house without notice, TMZ has learned.

Todd filed court docs responding to Kandi’s claim he was essentially squatting in the guest home at her Atlanta property.

In his filing, Todd admitted he was living in the guest house ... but he said it was because Kandi "unilaterally removed" him from the main home by directing her family members to relocate his stuff without his consent, and without court intervention.

Todd said he did not voluntarily leave the home ... but did not fight Kandi about it, in order to “preserve peace and stability.”

Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith says some rappers absolutely warrant induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ... even if not everyone -- or every rock star -- agrees.

We got Chad at LAX and our photog asked him if rap music belongs in the HOF ... and Chad wasted no time giving his answer.

Gene Simmons feels otherwise ... the KISS rocker slammed the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on a recent episode of the "LegendsNLeaders" podcast, saying ... "Hip-hop does not belong in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, nor does opera, symphony orchestras ... it's called the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame."

Looks like Jeremiah Brown’s "Love Island" luck didn’t follow him back to the mainland ... 'cause he tells us his Valentine’s Day is shaping up to be a total dud.

We caught up with Jeremiah in Hollywood Wednesday, and he admits the so-called day of love isn’t looking too loving -- and he’ll likely just be kicking it with the boys instead.

Catch the full clip, because Jeremiah breaks down where his dating life actually stands ... and bottom line, he’s ready to feel those butterflies again.