Football

Johnny Manziel LOVES the fact The Rock just bought the XFL -- but don't expect to see the QB sign a contract anytime soon.

"I'm retired, dude," Manziel told TMZ Sports outside of Saddle Ranch in L.A. on Friday.

Manziel's only 27 years old -- and brought solid TV ratings to the CFL during his 2018/2019 comeback ... begging the question, would The Rock's XFL make a run at Johnny to try and boost interest?

"Listen, anything The Rock touches is gonna be gold as always," Manziel says ... "But, I think football is a little bit behind me."

"I'm just trying do to other things in life that make me happy. That's it."

To prove his point, Manziel fired up a cigarette -- and told us straight up, "There's more to life than just ball."

The former Heisman Trophy winner and 2015 1st-round NFL Draft pick is not completely closing the door on a comeback ... saying he still trains and works out -- but it's highly unlikely.

"You never say never, I'm still an athletic guy ... but at the end of the day, let's see where the rest of life takes me and we’ll go from there."

"Football for me is not at the forefront of my mind. It's just chillin’ and being one of the bros."

Manziel also talked about his beef with sports business reporter Darren Rovell ... and explained why it's a long-running issue "that'll get settled up one day."

Oh, and as for why Manziel is out in L.A. during a global pandemic without a mask?

"COVID doesn’t wanna see me at the end of the day," Manziel joked ... "dude, I do worse things on the weekend."

Sweatin' a fantasy football draft?? Kay Adams has you covered ... the NFL Network star tells TMZ Sports her guide to winning SERIOUS cash this season is simple!!!

First, Adams says WAIT on QBs ... a tough thing to do with Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes in the NFL -- but Adams says you can always find high-scoring guys later.

"You can get a guy like Drew Brees or even Tom Brady," the host of "Good Morning Football" says. "Aaron Rodgers is going in like the 7th round. Wait on quarterbacks!"

Next, Adams says focus in on running backs ... and if you get the chance to take Philadelphia Eagles star tailback Miles Sanders -- GRAB HIM!!!

"I wouldn't be surprised if Miles Sanders actually does out-perform Saquon Barkley," Adams says.

When it comes to who you should avoid ... Adams tells us she isn't exactly sold on Dallas Cowboys star WR Amari Cooper -- saying she's worried about injuries and potential targets in a crowded offense.

As for late in the draft -- Kay says Tom Brady's teammate, slot receiver Scott Miller, could sneakily help win leagues in 2020!!

"I heard today that Brady is calling him Scooter," Adams says. "And I'm like, that is some Edelman, Amendola stuff right there. He's going to be the kid moving the chains on the field."

Ex-New York Giants kicker Aldrick Rosas is fighting back in his hit-and-run case ... pleading NOT GUILTY to all charges, TMZ Sports has learned.

The 25-year-old is accused of slamming his black Chevrolet SUV into a pickup truck after exceeding speeds of 100 MPH in Chico, Calif. on June 15.

Cops say multiple witnesses saw the former Pro Bowler wreck the car and then flee the scene on foot.

Officers add, when they were finally able to detain Aldrick hours later, they say his hands, legs and bare feet were bloody.

Aldrick was eventually hit with three misdemeanors over the incident -- including reckless driving on a highway and hit-and-run -- but court records show he pleaded not guilty to all charges last week.

The case is obviously a big deal for Rosas ... he was cut by the Giants shortly after the arrest -- and has yet to land with another team despite being one of the league's better kickers.

We've reached out to Rosas' attorney for comment ... but so far, no word back yet.

Surprising move out of Dallas Cowboys camp ... the team just cut safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix -- and it's got everybody wondering, is an Earl Thomas signing next?!?!

Clinton-Dix inked a pretty big 1-year deal with the Cowboys this offseason, getting $2.25 MIL guaranteed ... with the expectation the former first-round pick would be a key player for the defense.

But, after just a month of practices ... the Cowboys decided to part ways with the guy on Thursday -- and it's left a GLARING hole on their roster that some believe Thomas could easily fill.

Remember, the Baltimore Ravens just fired Thomas a week ago after a training camp fight with a teammate ... and the Cowboys have been linked to him HEAVILY in the past.

But, Dallas has been coy about its interest in Thomas over the past few days ... with neither Jerry Jones nor head coach Mike McCarthy explicitly expressing a desire to sign the guy.

But, with the team down to just 3 somewhat proven commodities at the safety position ... Earl HAS to look appealing right about now to Dallas brass.

So, could Earl have a star on his helmet by the NFL's opening weekend next week???

It's now official ... Cam Newton is THE starter in New England!!!

The Pats announced the move in a team meeting Thursday ... finally crowning a successor to Tom Brady.

Of course, it's not exactly shocking -- even if Cam had to wait to sign with the team until June ... he's a former MVP and the rest of the Pats QB roster, well, isn't.

The Patriots also announced Newton is a 2020 team captain -- alongside RB James White, center David Andrews, safety Devin McCourty, corner Jason McCourty, linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley, DL Lawrence Guy and special teamer Matthew Slater.

Newton comes at pretty good value for the Pats now ... he's one of the lowest-paid starting QBs in the league -- slated to earn just $1.75 mil this season.

Newton has said repeatedly this summer he's on a mission to prove he's still elite after several injury-plagued down seasons ... even saying back in July he's "about to motherf***in' ROAR!"

Seems he's already got the stamp of approval from his top wideout ... 'cause just a few days ago, Julian Edelman said the two were like Batman and Superman now.

Mikal Smith -- son of ex-NFL head coach Lovie Smith -- was arrested in Arizona this week after officials say he's been pimping, TMZ Sports has learned.

The 43-year-old -- who served as an assistant coach under his father with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Bucs -- was booked on Thursday for a slew of disturbing charges.

Officials tell TMZ Sports ... Smith is facing everything from pandering (another word for pimping) along with receiving earnings from a prostitute and sex trafficking.

He's also facing charges of money laundering and conspiracy.

The details surrounding the case are unclear -- we're working on it.

Mikal was a former college football player at the University of Arizona back in the day before getting into coaching.

He worked as an assistant coach with the Chicago Bears when his father was the head guy over there ... and later followed Lovie to the Tampa Bay Bucs, where he worked with defensive backs.

Mikal also coached at Trinity International University before working at the NFL level.

Josh Gordon will have a home if/when he returns to the NFL -- the embattled wide receiver just inked a 1-year deal to return to the Seattle Seahawks, his agent announced Thursday.

The 29-year-old has been in and out of the league ever since his rookie season with the Cleveland Browns in 2012 ... battling a number of off-field issues and suspensions.

Gordon was most recently booted from the league while a member of the 'Hawks in December 2019 ... over a violation of the NFL's drug policy for a 5th time.

JG's lawyer later spoke out about his relapse, saying it was sparked by his brother's tragic death last season. The attorney claims Gordon has gotten back on the right path.

Gordon has been training non-stop in Seattle after filing for reinstatement back in June ... and it seems he will get yet another shot in the league after signing a 1-year deal to re-join his former team.

The deal is reportedly worth around $1 million, according to Ian Rapoport.

Georgia Bulldogs QB Jamie Newman -- one of the top-ranked QBs in the country -- is opting out of the 2020 college football season ... just 3 weeks before the season opener.

6'4", 230-pound Newman -- a graduate transfer from Wake Forest -- was touted as a Heisman Trophy candidate going into the 2020 season after balling out at WF over the past 2 seasons.

In 2019, he threw for 2,868 yards, 26 TDs and 11 INTs -- while rushing for 574 yards and 6 TDs.

But, with all the drama surrounding COVID, Newman announced Wednesday on social media that he's opting out ... without ever taking a single snap for the Bulldogs.

"With much prayer and discussion with my family I would like to announce that due to the uncertainties of this year amid a global pandemic I will officially opt-out of this football season to prepare for the upcoming 2021 NFL Draft."

Don't worry ... Newman will be fine and so will Georgia -- which has a pretty solid backup plan.

Ex-USC quarterback JT Daniels transferred to Georgia back in May and was granted permission to play in the 2020 season.

So, the presumed plan is plug in Daniels -- who can flat-out ball.

NFL legend Jerome Bettis says Alvin Kamara should ABSOLUTELY hold out from Saints camp to get a contract extension ... saying the N.O. RB needs to get paid before it's too late.

Kamara had reportedly sat out a few days of camp already this summer over his unhappiness with his contract ... but he returned to practice this week even though he's yet to get a new deal.

Bettis, speaking on the "In My Bag" podcast Wednesday, says he believes that's a mistake ... adding Kamara should hold out to try to get the money he deserves ASAP!!!

"I think Alvin Kamara has put enough work in with that organization for them to know what he's capable of," Bettis says.

"So, I think definitely he needs to hold out because a running back only has a certain amount of carries in his body and once those carries get to that number, that's it."

25-year-old Kamara is still playing out his rookie contract ... which is scheduled to pay him just $2.1 million this season -- which is over $15 MILLION less than what top RBs like Christian McCaffrey and Ezekiel Elliott are set to make in 2020.

Kamara -- who piled up 1,330 total yards and 6 touchdowns last season despite injuries -- is reportedly seeking a new contract worth right around Zeke and McCaffrey's -- and Bettis clearly thinks the RB's worth that.

And, Bettis is advising Kamara to sit out to get it ... because he says if Kamara's not careful, the dude's big workload could begin to hurt him.

"It's not about years, it's about carries," Bettis says, "I think he has to be very conscious of that. And, yeah, if I was him, I probably would [hold out]."

Longtime Pittsburgh Steelers broadcaster Bill Hillgrove has been hit with a 2-game suspension over a wild DUI incident back in June.

The 80-year-old -- who's been calling Steelers games for 27 seasons -- allegedly crashed his Honda CR-V into a grocery store in Murrysville, PA around 5 PM on June 15.

Officials say Hillgrove smashed through 2 windows in the process -- but still went inside the store, got prescription medication and then returned to the vehicle, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Officials say Hillgrove left the scene and returned to his home -- where cops say he admitted to having "a couple of beers."

Officials say Hillgrove agreed to a breathalyzer and allegedly blew a whopping .16 -- twice the legal limit.

Hillgrove later told police the car "just got away from me."

He was charged with driving under the influence and he's due in court to be arraigned in October.

Tony Gonzalez is predicting BIG THINGS for Tom Brady's squad in 2020 -- telling TMZ Sports he's already got 'em pegged as early Super Bowl contenders!

Of course, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are pretty loaded on offense -- with TB12 at the helm and stars like Rob Gronkowski, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin catching passes.

"I think that whole team is gonna be AWESOME," Tony told us on his way out of Erewhon market in L.A. ... "They're gonna be real good."

The "NFL on FOX" star clearly believes the guys in "Tompa" have insane potential -- and he's super geeked to do the pregame breakdown for their season opener against Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints on Sept. 13.

By the way, props to Tony for putting on his mask on the way out of the market ... NO ONE WANTS COVID TO RUIN FOOTBALL!!!!!

Jimmy Garoppolo is hands-down better than Dak Prescott ... so says Jerry Rice -- who claims if the Cowboys star QB was in the 49ers' offense, he wouldn't be nearly as good as Garoppolo!!

The NFL's G.O.A.T. wide receiver made the bold statement on 95.7 The Game on Tuesday ... saying straight-up he'd take Jimmy G over Dak if he were running an offense.

"I'm just going to call it," Rice said. "That's just my opinion. That's my opinion and I could be wrong."

Of course, a whole bunch of people in the NFL would disagree ... Dak's already made 2 Pro Bowls in 4 seasons while Garoppolo has been to none in 6.

Prescott also threw for 4,902 yards and 30 TDs in 2019 ... while Garoppolo managed to pile up just 3,978 passing yards and 27 TDs.

But, Jerry -- who's SUPER connected in San Francisco -- says he's heard all about how good Jimmy's been in practice in Niners camp this summer ... and he's now all Team Jimmy in the debate.

"I think right now that with Jimmy G," Rice said, "he's a better quarterback than Dak Prescott."

Ya won't hear about Ezekiel Elliott and his teammates pulling a Mike Clevinger this season ... 'cause the Dallas Cowboys superstar says his team will not risk getting COVID by doing "anything dumb."

Of course, 25-year-old Zeke was one of many NFLers who actually tested positive for coronavirus this past offseason ... and now that he's back to 100%, he says he's making sure his guys will be conscious of their decisions off the field.

"You don't wanna miss games because you got COVID," Zeke said to reporters on Monday. "So, I mean we all are here to play football. We're not gonna do anything dumb to jeopardize that."

Remember, the NFL will function similar to MLB ... which dealt with multiple COVID outbreaks and some COVID rule-breaking drama when then-Cleveland Indian Clevinger and teammate Zach Plesac broke protocol to party with bros.

Since there won't be a bubble system like the NBA, Zeke says it's on the players to keep each other from making bad decisions.

"So, I mean just staying safe and it's really not about you, it's about the guy next to you. You don't wanna get that guy sick. You don't wanna have him going home to his family and get it. It's more of a accountability thing. Just keeping each other accountable."

If you wanna live like a 2-time Super Bowl MVP, here's your chance -- Eli Manning put his New Jersey mansion on the market for $5.25 million!!!

Of course, the retired NY Giants signal-caller no longer has to commute to MetLife Stadium for work, so he's parting ways with his 9,000-square-foot home ... and the crib is NICE!!!

The mansion was built in 1904 and renovated by Manning in 2015 -- and it comes with 6 bedrooms, 5 full baths and 4 half baths, 8 fireplaces, a huge marbled-out gourmet kitchen and a home gym.

The crib sits on 1.1. acres with an in-ground pool in the backyard -- and you better believe it's got a heated pool for those cold NJ winters.

Oh, and inside the pool house is a GOLF SIMULATOR for you to work on that swing. The place also has a huge wine cellar that can hold up to 750 bottles ... so you'll basically have your own Top Golf location!!

The property -- listed by Hallee Dangler of Prominent Properties SIR -- hit the market recently and can be yours for $5.25 million.

Washington NFL players will now be reminded of Sean Taylor every time they drive into work ... 'cause the team says it's renaming a street after the legendary safety right near its practice facility.

The team announced the planned honor on Tuesday ... saying the street will be formally renamed to "Sean Taylor Road" at some point prior to its 1st game against the Philadelphia Eagles later this month.

The team also says it'll rename a road near its franchise headquarters after legendary head coach Joe Gibbs ... with owner Dan Snyder saying the two moves are all part of major efforts to rebrand the org.

"The renaming of these streets along with all of the changes being made to our stadium are just part of our long-term goal of improving every element of the Washington Football Team, both off and on the field,” Snyder said.

Taylor -- a 1st round pick in the 2004 NFL Draft -- was shot and killed during a home invasion in 2007.

Before his death, Taylor was building a reputation as one of the best defensive players in the league ... making the Pro Bowl in 2 out of his 3 seasons. He's also been added to the Washington Ring of Fame.

Taylor is still revered by nearly EVERY player that plays the safety position ... in fact, when team star Landon Collins signed with Wash. in 2019, he famously wanted to wear Taylor's number to honor him.