Football

Mark Wahlberg is a damn prophet -- the actor's long-standing prediction that Baker Mayfield would be Tom Brady's successor actually came true on Wednesday ... with the quarterback signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency.

Wahlberg spoke highly of the former first-overall pick with TMZ Sports on three separate occasions dating back to June 2018 ... saying Bake was the guy to take over for TB12 when the 7-time Super Bowl champion decided to retire.

Of course, Mark's initial prophecy wasn't completely accurate -- he was hoping Mayfield would take the reins in a New England Patriots uniform ... but that was before Brady moved to the Buccaneers.

We're not gonna focus on that minor detail -- after all, who could have imagined back in 2018 Brady would ever wear another uniform?!

Mayfield -- who's become buddies with Wahlberg over the years -- is joining the Bucs on a 1-year deal worth up to $8.5 million ... and has a good shot at lining up under center for Tampa Bay when the season rolls around.

Was Darren Waller traded because his head coach Josh McDaniels wasn't invited to his wedding?!

Well, maybe. At the very least, McDaniels is anti-love.

Of course, 30-year-old Waller was traded to the New York Giants Tuesday, prompting Robert Griffin III to fire off a tweet.

"Darren Waller JUST GOT MARRIED to Kelsey Plum of the Las Vegas Aces and Josh McDaniels’ wedding present was to trade him to the New York Giants. McDaniels is NOT a romantic."

Plum saw RG3's tweet and responded ... "Prolly cause he wasn’t invited to the wedding lol"

FYI, Waller and Plum married just 11 days ago, and officially became Mr. and Mrs. following a beautiful ceremony on March 4.

Now, it's entirely possible Kelsey and Darren had a small/intimate wedding, and no one from the Raiders attended.

However, there are reports there was tension between Waller and McDaniels.

In fact, Waller -- who played four seasons with the Raiders -- was upset with McDaniels, according to Vic Tafur from The Athletic ... after the new coach leaked news of their private wedding to reporters at the NFL Combine.

Whatever the reason for trading an elite player, Plum says they're stoked to be coming to the Big Apple!

"Actually couldn't be better, we're so excited," Plum said on Instagram after the trade. "NY let's get it 💙."

Travis Kelce is weighing in on the NFL's greatest tight end debate ... telling TMZ Sports he's not worthy of the G.O.A.T. title.

Many have thrown Kelce's name into the debate lately -- including Giants star Darren Waller and Chiefs great Christian Okoye, who both told us #87 will go down as the best to ever play the position by the end of his career ... over legends like Tony Gonzalez, Rob Gronkowski and Antonio Gates.

So ... now that he's a two-time champion, what does Kelce think about being considered the tight end G.O.A.T.??

"Nah, there's a lot of great tight ends out there," Kelce said. "I can't just say I'm the best."

The Kansas City Chiefs superstar points out his set-up with Patrick Mahomes and a Super Bowl-winning team certainly helps his success ... adding, "I know I'm taking advantage of the situation, though."

Kelce already ranks among the top tight ends in receiving yards, catches and touchdowns through 10 seasons ... and shows no signs of slowing down. If he ends up #1 in all those categories by the time he retires, it'll be hard to argue he isn't the G.O.A.T., no matter what he thinks.

Speaking of being humble, we also talked to Kelce about the rave reviews he got after hosting "Saturday Night Live" last weekend ... and he downplays the high praise -- telling us he had a lot of fun, but isn't too sure about having enough talent to make it in acting.

Gisele Bündchen and her jiu-jitsu instructor are reunited in familiar territory -- her home in Costa Rica, and she's giving him a peek at what her ex, Tom Brady, might be missing.

Gisele showed off her perfectly toned abs Monday as she got in some exercise with Joaquim Valente ... venturing out on a walk with a couple of super cute pups. We know GB retired from modeling years ago, but those abs still scream supermodel.

Costa Rica's fast becoming a favorite destination for Gisele and Joaquim ... we saw them down there a couple months ago, when they were riding horses together through the jungle.

Of course, Gisele and Tom used to frequent CR when they were married ... for family trips and romantic getaways -- but now it seems Joaquim is enjoying Gisele's slice of paradise. We're referring to her property down there.

The trip to Costa Rica would seem to lend more credence to the thought Gisele and Joaquim are more than just friends or jiu-jitsu buddies ... but they're still not making anything official. Or unofficial, for that matter.

Gisele's camp's been claiming Joaquim tags along on family trips to train her and her kids ... but they do a lot of things without the kiddos that, at least, look couple-y.

Costa Rica seems to be Gisele and Joaquim's territory now. But, Tom's got his cats!!!

Nelson Thomas -- a star on MTV's "The Challenge" -- just revealed he is the man NFL player K.J. Osborn and three others helped pull from a fiery car crash earlier this month ... thanking the group for saving his life.

As we previously reported, the Minnesota Vikings receiver said he was in an Uber heading home after a workout in Austin, Texas on March 5 ... when he saw a car that had crashed and caught fire.

Osborn, his driver and two others rushed to assist ... and were able to pull the man away from the fiery scene.

As it turns out, it was Thomas who the group of heroes saved ... and he is giving each of them a shout-out.

"I want to thank [K.J.] for being on the scene and filming my rescue," Thomas said in a tweet ... adding he is "forever grateful" to the three others for getting him out of the car and "risking their own lives to save mine."

Thomas also shared pictures of his injuries from the hospital bed -- which appear to be cuts and burns on his ankle and arm -- and says he is feeling well and getting stronger, but has a ways to go before he gets back to 100%.

"Words can’t explain how grateful I am to be alive," Thomas said. "God is truly great and he has you in his hands no matter who you are."

Darren Waller is no longer a Raider ... and there's one guy who's crushed over the superstar tight end getting traded to the Giants -- with his now-former teammate Josh Jacobs tweeting his frustration over the move.

"S***s sad fr," the All-Pro running back said just minutes after the trade news broke ... which makes it pretty clear he did not approve of the transaction.

Waller was shipped to the Big Apple for the 100th overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft ... which means the G-Men essentially turned Kadarius Toney -- who was traded to the Chiefs last season -- into a top tight end talent and a 6th-round pick.

Jacobs isn't the only one pissed -- Raiders offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor also went to social media to give his reaction, saying, "Bro Wtf."

Waller, meanwhile, appears to be on his honeymoon with his new wife, Kelsey Plum ... so it might be a bit before we get his reaction to the move.

The video of Michael Irvin and his sexual misconduct accuser was finally released Tuesday ... and the footage shows the ex-NFL star had a fairly lengthy conversation with the woman -- touching her twice on the elbow -- before leaving.

Irvin's attorney, Levi McCathern, shared a copy of the Marriott vid at a news conference with reporters ... after obtaining the clip following a weekslong legal battle with the hotel chain over it.

In the video, which was captured at the Phoenix, Ariz. establishment on Feb. 5, you can see Irvin and the hotel employee initially began talking right at the entrance of the bar area, shaking hands -- before moving a few feet away into the lobby.

Irvin and the woman can be seen in the footage chatting for over a minute. Twice during their interaction, Irvin touches the woman's elbow. A short time later, the two shake hands, and then the woman walks away. The entire interaction seemed unremarkable.

Irvin can then be seen in the video appearing to slap himself on the cheek three times. He then walks over to take a selfie with a man that McCathern believes is an employee of the hotel. Following the picture, Irvin walks out of the camera's view.

In court documents filed last week, Marriott claims the woman said that during the conversation with Irvin, the former football player asked her "whether she knew anything about having a 'big Black man inside of [her].'"

After the video was shown, Irvin denied making any such comment -- saying, "I don't speak like that. I've never spoken like that. I totally deny saying that."

He added that their convo was simply about football and the TV shows that he's on.

"We used to say in football, 'The eye in the sky don't tell no lie,'" he said. "It's just the truth."

McCathern, meanwhile, said he believes the video shows Irvin's accuser was "happy as a lark" during their conversation. He speculated that another employee in the area may have been upset with her for communicating with Irvin while on the job.

"There's no doubt from watching this, this woman is not offended," McCathern said. "This is not a sexual assault. This isn't sexual harassment. This isn't sexual misconduct."

McCathern refiled his $100 million lawsuit against Marriott and others involved in the allegations against Irvin in Arizona on Tuesday morning ... after he said he wanted to make sure he was suing "the right people."

While the NFL is in a free agency frenzy, Cincinnati Bengals stars Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are steering clear of the chaos ... by enjoying a yacht party with a group of women in Miami!!

Joe Burrow's favorite targets hopped aboard a fancy boat in Florida on Monday ... and they had plenty of tequila to go around for their day in the sun.

Higgins' Clemson teammate/Arizona Cardinals linebacker Isaiah Simmons and several female companions joined the Bengals stars for the trip ... and everything seemed pretty chill as they sat around and talked.

Of course, Chase is still in the middle of his rookie deal ... so he's not sweating all the deals being made left and right as the NFL's free agency period kicks off.

Higgins, on the other hand, is entering the final year of his current contract ... and the Bengals are hoping to lock him in long-term.

Safe to say he's not worried about his status ... sitting with a bottle of what appears to be Casamigos in front of him as he enjoys some R&R.

The teammates that party on yachts together ... win together??

Michael Irvin is refiling his $100 million lawsuit against Marriott ... moving the matter to Arizona after receiving new details in the case, TMZ Sports has learned.

Our sources tell us ... after Marriott turned over the names of Irvin's accuser and others involved in the allegations against the former Dallas Cowboys star, Irvin's legal team filed a notice of dismissal for the case in Texas -- with the plan of refiling it in Arizona, the state where the alleged incident happened.

We're told Irvin's attorney, Levi McCathern, is set to have a news conference regarding the developments later Tuesday.

Irvin has been accused of sexually harassing a hotel worker on Feb. 5 while in Phoenix to help cover the Chiefs vs. Eagles Super Bowl.

According to court documents filed last week, a woman claims Irvin stopped her near the hotel's bar, told her she was attractive ... and then asked her "whether she knew anything about having a 'big Black man inside of [her].'" In the docs, the woman said when others intervened after they noticed her being uncomfortable with the 57-year-old, "Irvin then stated that he would come back to find her sometime that week when she was working."

According to the documents, the woman reported the interaction to her coworkers and management the next day. The NFL was soon made aware of the allegations, and Irvin was removed from his role as an analyst for the league's network a short time later.

For his part, Irvin has adamantly denied any wrongdoing in the case ... calling the whole situation "sickening."

"This takes me back to a time where a white woman would accuse a Black man of something and they would take a bunch of guys that were above the law, run in the barn, put a rope around his foot and drag him through the mud and hang him by the tree," he said.

McCathern, meanwhile, said footage released to him by Marriott showed the encounter between Irvin and his accuser was completely innocuous.

"She never acts upset," McCathern said of the woman's apparent demeanor on the video. "She doesn't act like there's any problems at all."

Peyton Manning's giving his top 10 list -- but it's got nothing to do with quarterbacks, or even football -- the Hall of Famer's revealing the greatest business minds in history, as the legendary signal-caller sees it.

The list is part of an episode from Manning's new History channel show, History’s Greatest of All Time with Peyton Manning ... where the 46-year-old 2x Super Bowl champ was asked to name his top 10 "titans."

"How does someone get to be known as a titan of their industry? To start from nothing and go all in on pocket aces before the dealer even lays down. Whatever there failed, these men and women share one thing. They risked a lot to change the world," Peyton said.

"First up, someone who has built an empire on showing that upscale casual living is a good thing. Kicking off our countdown, the woman who taught us how to fold a fitted sheet."

10) Martha Stewart
9) Ted Turner
8) Oprah Winfrey
7) JP Morgan
6) Jeff Bezos
5) Andrew Carnegie
4) John D. Rockefeller
3) Walt Disney
2) Henry Ford
1) Steve Jobs

As you can see, the list features a mix of not only present, but also past titans of industry ... from banking to automotive magnates, to the creator of the iPhone.

Speaking of the mobile phone that forever changed the world, Jobs -- who passed away in 2011 -- earned the top spot on Peyton's list.

Jason Kelce's back with the Eagles ... and he celebrated his return in the most Kelce way possible -- by rippin' a massive shot with Philadelphia's general manager!!

The All-Pro -- and noted party animal -- made it known on Monday morning he was coming back for his 13th NFL season  ... saying in a statement, "I ain’t f***ing done yet!"

A short time later, he revealed how he informed Howie Roseman of his decision ... and, yes, it featured plenty of booze.

Roseman, after giving the 35-year-old a big hug, poured Philly's center a shot cup of mezcal before giving himself one too ... and then the guys threw it back no problem.

Of course, the liquor-infused party is certainly warranted -- Kelce is one of the best offensive linemen in Eagles history ... and there appeared to be a very strong chance he was done playing football following Philly's loss to Kansas City in the Super Bowl.

But, in his announcement Monday, Kelce said conversations with his wife and "many other friends and family" led him to his comeback.

Former Univ. of Alabama running back Ahmaad Galloway -- who played for Tide from 1999 to 2002 -- died from an accidental overdose ... officials tell TMZ Sports.

The Office of the Medical Examiner in St. Louis said Friday the ex-football player died from a lethal combination of fentanyl, ethanol and xylazine.

He was just 42 years old.

As we reported, Galloway was found dead in his home on Jan. 9 ... after he failed to show up for his gig as an eighth grade teacher at Compton-Drew Middle School in St. Louis.

The school's principal, Susan Reid, said at the time he showed no signs of trouble leading up to his death ... and had just attended a students' basketball game days prior to his passing.

In his three years at 'Bama, Galloway rushed for 1,830 yards and 17 touchdowns. He went on to be picked by the Denver Broncos in the seventh round of the 2003 NFL Draft -- but never logged an official stat in his pro career.

Travis Kelce is a total natural with a future in acting if he wants it ... so says comedian Jeff Dye, who tells TMZ Sports he was blown away by the Kanas City Chiefs superstar's performance on "Saturday Night Live."

TK made his big debut at Studio 8H last weekend ... and many were impressed with how comfortable he looked on stage as he delivered his lines.

Dye admits he gave a bit of an eye roll when Kelce was announced as the show's host -- because in his opinion, athletes usually aren't funny -- but the tight end turned him into a believer.

"He reminded me of Phil Hartman, that's how good I'd say he was," Dye says. "Not being sarcastic, it was very Phil Hartman-esque."

It goes without saying it's a massive compliment from Dye -- Hartman is a comedy legend ... and spent eight seasons on the sketch show from 1986-94.

We also talked to Dye about who else from the sports world could make the transition over to acting ... and there's one two-time Super Bowl champ he thinks would thrive in entertainment.

The first overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft now belongs to the Panthers ... Chicago just traded the selection to Carolina for star wideout D.J. Moore -- and a boatload of other picks.

ESPN's Adam Schefter just broke the news ... reporting the swap between the two teams went down on Friday afternoon.

The Bears, according to Schefter, will get Moore and the Panthers' first-round pick (No. 9) this year, their second pick (No. 61) this year, their first-round pick next year ... AND a second rounder in 2025.

Moore reacted to the news on Twitter -- posting two shocked emojis.

The deal now likely means a quarterback prospect will be headed to the Panthers -- though it's unclear which one.

Alabama's Bryce Young and Ohio State's C.J. Stroud are the favorites -- but Florida's Anthony Richardson is also in the mix for the top spot.

Jay Cutler is putting his house on the market with a hefty price tag, but it comes with some sentimental value -- it's the same one he and Kristin Cavallari once called home.

The listing shows Jay's Tennessee pad is up for sale for a whopping $11M ... the 10,697-square-foot house sits on over 45 acres of land, and comes with a gym, sauna, and a new pool house.

According to real estate records, Jay and Kristin bought the home in 2018 for $4.2M ... they later bought the surrounding 35 acres for an additional $1.2M. Sources tell us this house was left to Jay in their divorce and where he has lived since -- unclear why he is unloading it.

Kristin and Jay also extensively filmed their reality show "Very Cavallari" while living at the home during its 3 seasons.

As we reported, it was a tumultuous breakup between the 2 ... with Kristin filing docs in 2020, claiming the former Bears quarterback was withholding money from her as a way of stopping her from buying her own home. Jay said they already had multiple pads, so buying a new one didn't make sense.

They also sold one of their other homes in Nashville the same year -- unloading the property for $3.7M.

Russell Wilson and Ciara spent time inside a prison last week -- singing and dancing with over 300 inmates -- and the trip was so emotional ... Ciara actually appeared to be moved to tears.

The Denver Broncos star and the "Level Up" singer headed out to Everglades Correctional Institution in Florida to help lead a prayer with incarcerated men ... and you can see in video of their visit, the couple immersed themselves fully with the inmates right away.

Wilson read the group a bible verse ... before Ciara sang to the crowd. God Behind Bars, the org. that helped facilitate the trip, said it was all very powerful.

"The voices of the incarcerated were so loud, it felt like it could be heard by the entire prison," org. officials said in a social media post. "In a place so easily filled with so much division, there was a moment where Incarcerated men put their arms around each other and prayed for those struggling with anxiety and depression."

Wilson also shared his own video from the visit, showing him singing along loudly with inmates -- some of whom are serving life sentences -- to a popular gospel song.