Football

Tiki Barber says Aaron Rodgers would likely struggle in New York if traded to the big city, but it's got little to do with football or the team's roster ... the Giants legend says AR couldn't handle the cold-blooded reporters!

Of course, Barber would know firsthand ... he spent 10 seasons with the G-Men in New York, where the pressure is incredibly high, and he received his fair share of criticism.

With talk of the Jets exploring the idea of trading for the future first-ballot Hall of Famer, Tiki isn't so sure it's a great idea.

"It just made me start to realize that if he is that sensitive, he gets upset that people, reporters, opinion makers, influencers, whoever, wanna talk about him, he is going to struggle in New York," Barber said on his show with Brandon Tierney on WFAN in NYC.

"I don't know if it's the right fit for him. I don't know if I want him in New York if this is going to be his reaction to things that don't matter."

Barber went on to say the Green Bay Packers quarterback brings the attention on himself, talking about isolation retreats and other things most people aren't accustomed to, and then gets upset when people talk about him.

"If Aaron Rodgers doesn't want people talking about him" Barber said, "He needs to stop talking!"

"We're gonna talk about it. you have to. It's our job to and for him to get offended by that, he's not gonna handle the intensity of the New York mediascape."

The New York Jets aren't the only organization interested in potentially bringing in the 4x MVP -- there are several other teams -- though, Rodgers has not even committed to playing the 2023 season.

Move over, Mel Kiper Jr. ... Taylor Lautner's now comin' in hot with the NFL draft advice -- telling TMZ Sports he wants his beloved Lions to go defense in the first round this year!!

We got the "Twilight" actor -- who's a MASSIVE Detroit fan -- out in L.A. on Wednesday ... and he made it clear, when Dan Campbell's guys get on the clock in April, he's hoping for some players who can scare the hell out of opposing offenses.

"Defense was lacking a little bit this year," the Grand Rapids, Mich. native said.

Lautner clearly knows his stuff (he has been, after all, a Lions supporter since he was a kid) -- Detroit had statistically one of the worst D's in the league in 2022 ... giving up the third-most points in the NFL, and the most yards.

The good news? The Lions have two first-round picks this year thanks to the Matthew Stafford trade with the Rams in 2021 -- and most mock drafts have them going with defenders at both picks.

In fact, in ESPN analyst Todd McShay's most recent mock on Wednesday, he had Detroit going with a Clemson pass rusher and a Georgia cornerback.

Travis Kelce just delivered an impassioned speech at the Chiefs celebration parade ... calling out all the team's doubters and telling fans, "let's run this s*** back."

The star TE hit the stage wearing an all-white outfit and a massive Bud Light chain around his neck ... as his squad celebrated their massive 38-35 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Kelce got emotional while talking to the crowd during the rally after the parade ... as he reflected on how some people predicted the Chiefs would take a step back with the changes they made to their roster.

"In all reality, this was the best season of my life," said Kelce, who finished the regular season with 110 receptions, 1,338 yards, and 12 touchdowns ... thanking the fans and his teammates for helping make it happen.

Patrick Mahomes spoke as well ... the two-time Super Bowl MVP took aim at people who thought Kansas City was "rebuilding" before the season started.

"I'mma be honest, I don't know what rebuilding means," 27-year-old Mahomes said. "In our rebuilding year, we're world champs!!"

"I just wanna let y'all know that this is just the beginning. We ain't done yet."

Chiefs LB Nick Bolton -- the man who recovered Jalen Hurts' fumble and returned it for a touchdown in the second quarter of the Super Bowl -- shared his thoughts in an interesting way as well.

The players ended the rally by dancing their asses off -- possibly trolling the Eagles by playing, "Just Wanna Rock," a Philly anthem throughout the playoffs.

Damar Hamlin is breaking his silence on his controversial Super Bowl jacket ... saying he never meant to offend anybody by wearing it -- and calling it simply "abstract art."

Hamlin rocked the coat -- which featured a crucifix with an altered Jesus head on it -- to the Chiefs vs. Eagles game at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. -- and a day later, Adrian Peterson ripped him for it.

The future Hall of Famer called it blasphemous and disrespectful. He said he later spoke to Hamlin to explain his opinion.

The 24-year-old Buffalo Bills safety finally opened up about the situation on his Twitter page Wednesday afternoon ... saying he had absolutely no intent to disrespect anybody with outfit choice.

"After talking with my parents I understand how my coat could have offended some people," Hamlin wrote.

"It was never my intentions to hurt or disrespect anyone, the coat is abstract art to me. It says Eternal which I am Eternally thankful to my Savior!"

He added, "My beliefs and Relationship with God is not tied to symbolic images."

The NFL player, who's still on the mend after going into cardiac arrest during a "Monday Night Football" game last month, then promised to learn from it all.

The Chiefs just held their second Super Bowl victory parade in four years ... and Patrick Mahomes put on a show for the massive crowd.

The big winners took the streets to celebrate another Lombardi trophy ... and some fans showed up as early as 6 AM to join in on the fun.

Mahomes was slugging beers throughout the parade route ... wiggling around to the music as he donned his customized WWE Championship belt and held a silver "MVP" ball.

Of course, his wife and biggest supporter, Brittany, was there to enjoy her second Super Bowl parade as well.

Travis Kelce had his mom, Donna, right by his side on top of his bus ... pumping up the crowd and having a blast.

Kelce also once again proved why he's got some of the best hands in NFL history ... snagging a Fireball shot from a fan and taking it to the head, much to the crowd's delight.

Frank Clark and Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo joined in on the fun ... hopping off the team's buses to shake hands with fans along the parade route.

Fans didn't just pack the streets to show their support for the team -- they also climbed up trees to get a better view of their beloved champs.

Mahomes clearly enjoyed himself ... almost slipping on the team bus as he addressed the crowd. Thankfully, Chiefs QB coach Matt Nagy was there to help the 2x-MVP. 😅

Former Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles was in the celebration spirit early on ... buying Kansas City fans beer at a local tavern before the parade started.

Seven-time Super Bowl champ, three-time MVP, 15-time Pro Bowler ... and now, cat daddy?!

Tom Brady has just officially added that last title to his resume this week ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned he's adopted two Siamese mix kittens!!

We're told the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers star got the kitties after he and his daughter, Vivian, fell in love with animals while volunteering at the Humane Society Of Tampa Bay this past season.

According to a spokesperson from the Humane Society, Brady and his daughter had been on the lookout for some new cats for the past few weeks ... and the perfect pair ultimately arrived right in time for Valentine's Day this week.

"Vivi wins again," Brady wrote in a video of the two cats playing around his house on Wednesday morning.

"This is what my mornings are like now," he added.

The future Hall of Famer also promised the Humane Society that the newest additions to the Brady household "are in good loving hands."

No word on the names of the cats yet ... but we're told the duo is just 10 weeks old -- and very adorable.

As we reported, Brady and his kids worked at the Tampa animal shelter all throughout his final NFL season -- alongside his former teammate Logan Ryan and his family.

Ryan's wife, Ashley, praised the ex-QB for the work earlier this month, writing, "It wasn’t about publicity, fundraising or recognition, it was about being a human being. It was about Tom taking the very thing his little girl loves the most and turning it into an opportunity to spend time together."

Stanley Wilson Jr. -- a former Detroit Lions cornerback and the son of ex-Bengals running back Stanley Wilson Sr. -- has died after collapsing at a mental hospital earlier this month ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Wilson Jr. had been in police custody following his vandalism arrest back in August ... but according to prosecutors, he was declared incompetent to stand trial and was transferred from county jail to the Metropolitan State Hospital in Los Angeles County on Feb. 1.

But, law enforcement sources tell us during intake at the medical facility -- which specializes in caring for those with mental health issues -- he collapsed and died.

Our sources say foul play is not suspected. Autopsy results are pending toxicology.

Wilson Jr. was just 40 years old.

The former defensive back was taken by the Lions in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft ... and went on to play three seasons for the team -- before suffering a career-ending Achilles injury prior to the beginning of the 2008 season.

After his NFL career had concluded, Wilson found himself in trouble with the law multiple times.

In 2016, he was charged with attempted burglary after he was shot in the abdomen after he allegedly attempted to break into a home in Portland while completely nude. Months later, in 2017, he was arrested after he was accused of walking around a Portland neighborhood while naked. He was arrested a third time in 2017 after another alleged attempted break-in.

In August, he was arrested once again for allegedly breaking into a home and then taking a bath in an outdoor fountain after ransacking the place.

Wilson Jr. played in 32 games in his pro football career, logging eight pass breakups, a forced fumble and 87 total tackles.

George Kittle's wife revealed on Tuesday she suffered a miscarriage last month ... calling it one of the hardest moments of her life -- and one where she felt like her soul had been ripped from her body.

Claire Kittle made the announcement in an emotional post for Valentine's Day -- saying she and George found out about the pregnancy on Christmas ... just three weeks before the Niners began their run in the playoffs.

Claire showed the couple -- as well as all of their immediate family members -- were stoked for the news ... but less than a month later, four days before George and S.F. played the Seahawks in the Wild Card round, she said a routine checkup at the doctor led to a terrifying discovery.

"The nurse giving my ultra sound went silent for awhile and I asked 'I’m still early there's probably nothing to see yet right?'" Claire said. "She responded with 'I see a pregnancy here it's just not in the correct place, it’s ectopic."

"I felt my soul leave my body," she added.

Claire went into surgery hours later ... and lost the pregnancy.

"The point of sharing this is not for pity but to acknowledge something extremely personal, hard & emotional that has taken place in our life," she wrote in her social media post, which included multiple loving pictures of her and George.

"To simply talk about it because I felt alone when I got the news, I never knew anyone else who had an ectopic pregnancy before. So here's my direct line to you, i've had one, you're not alone. It sucks, It's hard, be strong."

The All-Pro tight end's wife said she leaned on George and family members in the coming days and weeks to get through the difficult time.

George, meanwhile, played in all three of the Niners' playoff games while dealing with the heavy heart -- catching 10 passes ... as S.F. fell just short of making the Super Bowl.

Damar Hamlin's incredible road to recovery now includes some new ink ... TMZ Sports has learned the Bills defensive back just got a space-themed hand tattoo to remind him of the healing journey he's currently on.

Hamlin hit up artist Andres Ortega out at Onder Ink in Arizona just a couple days before the Super Bowl to get the piece done ... and it came out amazing.

It covers the entirety of the back of his left hand and wrist -- and features an astronaut hitting a yoga pose in the middle of the Milky Way Galaxy.

Ortega, who tattoos all kinds of professional athletes including Bengals star wideout Tee Higgins, tells us Hamlin wanted the tat to show how he's been mending since he went into cardiac arrest during a "Monday Night Football" game on Jan. 2.

Ortega added that Hamlin was also looking to show how he's been finding peace in the weeks following the medical emergency.

JuJu Smith-Schuster clearly doesn't care that Tuesday is supposed to be about love ... 'cause the Chiefs receiver just savagely trolled Eagles corner James Bradberry on Valentine's Day with a ruthless card.

The K.C. star posted the V-Day-themed image on his Twitter page just minutes ago ... poking fun at the Philly DB for the game-changing holding penalty he was called for at the end of Super Bowl LVII.

The pic featured an image of a smiling Bradberry ... and the comment on the card read, "I'll hold you when it matters the most."

JuJu, who was the one on the receiving end of the now-infamous Bradberry call, obviously thought it was hilarious, because he added in the caption on the card, "Happy Valentine’s Day, everybody."

Social media users howled at it all -- particularly Chiefs ones -- but Bradberry's teammate, Darius Slay, wasn't exactly laughing ... tweeting at the Chiefs wideout, "Come on naw bra...doing too much!!"

For his part, Bradberry has taken accountability for the penalty ... saying after the game he did grab Smith-Schuster and was hoping the refs wouldn't call it.

The gifts keep on coming for Damar Hamlin ... the Buffalo Bills safety just received a diamond-encrusted pendant of his No. 3 jersey number with a red heart, and it's pretty sweet!

TMZ Sports has learned the 24-year-old went to the famed Rafaello and Co. jewelry store in Midtown Manhattan to grab the new bling from Gabriel Jacobs.

The #3 pendant's dope ... it's made of 14k white gold and packed with 3 carats of diamonds.

You can tell Hamlin loved it by his reaction! As a token of his appreciation, Hamlin signed a Bills jersey and gifted it to Gabriel.

Remember, Jacobs gifted the entire Bills team, as well as Damar's family, custom #3 pendants last month ... and he told us he planned to make one for Hamlin, too.

At the time, Von Miller showed off the 14k gold piece on his Instagram.

Of course, Hamlin's been receiving a ton of love since his medical emergency during 'Monday Night Football' on Jan 2. Hundreds of thousands of people (240K+) from across the world donated a total of $9 million.

Hamlin told us he plans to "change the world" with the money that was donated to his Chasing M's foundation.

Some hot mics picked up the conversations Travis and Jason Kelce had with their mom following Sunday night's Super Bowl ... and before you hear it all in the clip, ya better have some Kleenex nearby -- 'cause it's super emotional.

Both the Chiefs star tight end and the Eagles star offensive lineman shared embraces with Donna Kelce in the minutes after K.C. had beaten Philly, 38-35, in SB LVII -- and newly released video on Tuesday showed Travis was absolutely full of joy ... while Jason was completely heartbroken.

In the first half of the footage, you can see an elated Travis give his mom a huge hug ... before he told her, "You had the week of your life, I had the year of my life. How 'bout this, huh?!"

Donna seemed to be crying during the interaction.

Later, though, Jason's hug with Mom had a far more somber tone -- with Jason appearing to be full of tears.

"It was so fun watching you all week," Jason said while choking up. "Go celebrate with Trav."

Both guys talked about the Kelce Bowl with reporters after the game ... and each said it was a super unique situation. Travis called it a "weird feeling" to win over Jason -- while Jason said he ultimately told Travis, "'F*** you, congratulations.'"

Tom Brady won't join the chorus of people knockin' Aaron Rodgers' "darkness retreat" while he mulls over his football future ... saying we could all benefit from putting our phones down and enjoying some peace and quiet.

Brady defended Rodgers on his Let's Go! podcast with Jim Gray ... after the 4x NFL MVP and SB champ announced he'd be spending four days by himself as he mulls retirement.

"Everyone has their different processes they go through," Brady said, adding ... "I think we all need to get away from the TV a little bit more. I think we all need a little more nature and a little more silence and a little more peace."

"Everybody has their unique way to process the season."

Rodgers addressed criticism over the retreat, writing "be curious, not judgemental" on social media.

Of course, Rodgers is coming off a disappointing season by his standards ... his team missed the playoffs after dropping a must-win home game to the Lions at Lambeau Field in Week 18.

Brady said although Rodgers and the Packers struggled this season ... he doesn't want to see Aaron walk away from the sport because, simply put, the league is better with him.

"I hope he doesn't retire because like I said, I think the league needs good quarterbacks and he’s one of the greats," Brady said. "So if he retires it’ll be a sad day for the league. He’s an incredible player."

Not a single Kansas City Chief was included in the 100-plus million people who caught Rihanna's halftime show on Sunday ... with Patrick Mahomes revealing Monday that Andy Reid threatened to bench anyone who left the locker room for it.

The K.C. star quarterback told Jimmy Kimmel on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" that his head coach was dead serious in his chat with the team about it all, too.

"Coach Reid told us, he said, 'If you go out to watch the performance, just keep walking,'" Mahomes said, "'because you're not playing the rest of the game.'"

Of course, players ditching halftime adjustment talks to watch the big Super Bowl show is not unprecedented -- just last year, Bengals star kicker Evan McPherson was spotted watching Dr. Dre, Snoop and Eminem do their thing instead of being at his locker with his team. One of his coaches later panned him for it.

Doesn't seem anyone went against Reid's wishes this year -- no Chiefs player was spotted as Rihanna sang hit after hit after hit on the middle of the field -- but Mahomes said he had at least been told it was a good show.

Blockbuster Video's making people be kind and rewind once again -- the company ran a new ad on Super Bowl Sunday that resulted in a massive spike in sales, and it didn't cost 'em an arm and a leg.

Sandi Harding, General Manager of the last remaining Blockbuster in Bend, OR, tells TMZ ... on Monday morning they saw twice the number of online merch orders than all of last week combined -- which she directly credits to their Sunday night ad.

While "Blockbuster" may be a recognizable brand, the video store operates just like a mom-and-pop, and the majority of their sales are driven from merch -- stuff like trucker hats and sweatpants.

The surge in sales is huge for the biz ... we're told it's a slow time of year for the store, as summer's when they rely on tourists to check out their store and buy merch. Customers can still rent DVDs like old times -- but they're obviously not selling like the good ol' days.

For those who missed it, the retro ad kept things funny while promoting the store -- joking the last Blockbuster will survive even an apocalypse.

The average cost for a 30-second spot on the Super Bowl broadcast on Fox was about $7 million this year -- so, wisely, Blockbuster opted instead to drop its ad on social media during halftime. Sandi says they had a slim production budget and got help from an NYC ad agency that donated time and resources to make it happen.

Move over Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning ... according to Ryan Clark, Patrick Mahomes has now passed the legendary QBs on the all-time ranking list -- rising up to No. 3 overall.

Clark made the bold statement to TMZ Sports right after Mahomes and the Chiefs beat the Eagles, 38-35, in the Super Bowl at State Farm Stadium in Glendale ... saying the big win has now put Mahomes ahead of guys like John Elway, Dan Marino, Manning and Rodgers.

The only two still ahead of him? Per the former Pittsburgh Steelers Pro Bowler, it's just Tom Brady and Joe Montana.

While it's an eyebrow-raising claim, it's one that maybe even Manning might agree with -- 'cause just a day before Mahomes won his second Super Bowl, the former Colts QB told us the Chiefs star had already done enough to be considered a Hall of Famer.

The stats are super impressive -- two SB titles, two SB MVP awards, two regular season MVP awards, and five Pro Bowls -- especially when you consider he's just 27 years old and has only been a full-time starter for five years.