Football

Ohio State superstar Justin Fields is moving on from the Buckeyes -- the QB just announced he'll enter the NFL Draft ... and it begs the question, is New York his next destination?!

The Jets are slated to pick #2 overall in April's draft ... and some believe they could take Fields and move on from Sam Darnold.

Of course, Jets star Quinnen Williams told TMZ Sports this month that he would NOT go that route -- preferring Alabama's Devonta Smith instead.

If the Jets do pass, Fields doesn't figure to fall too far -- he's considered either the 2nd- or 3rd-best QB in the entire draft.

As for leaving OSU, Fields was emotional in making the announcement Monday ... thanking his coach, his teammates and Buckeye nation for embracing him after he transferred to the school from Georgia.

"To my teammates, I will miss you more than you know," Fields said in his lengthy goodbye note. "I hope I have made the same impact on you that you have made on me. The bonds formed these last two years will last a lifetime; in you, I will always have brothers."

Tom Brady beat a Brees and then scored with one later ... 'cause after the Buccaneers superstar bounced Drew Brees from the playoffs Sunday -- he threw a TD to the QB's son!

The cool moment all went down an hour or so after the Bucs beat the Saints in the Superdome in an NFC Divisional Round game ... with Brady and Brees having what appeared to be a pretty emotional talk.

Brady gave Brees (who had just finished likely the final game of his historic career) a handshake and a long hug ... and then suddenly Brees' son came up to the two.

The young Brees handed a ball to Tom -- and TB12 knew exactly what to do with it!!!

The Tampa Bay signal-caller fired a perfect strike into the corner of the endzone ... and the little Brees came down with a pretty impressive catch!

"That a boy!" Tom told the kid. "We could have used you tonight. Got to get that ball in the endzone!"

Brees' wife then gave Tom a hug ... and Brady provided some strong words of wisdom to Drew's other son -- "Be nice to your sister." Tom then bolted for the locker room.

Cleveland Browns linebacker Mack Wilson shoulda been booted from the game over his hit on Patrick Mahomes ... so says the superstar QB's mother, who called the play "trash football."

Mahomes suffered a concussion and was knocked out in the 3rd quarter of the Chiefs vs. Browns divisional round game on Sunday ... after Wilson brought down the QB on a run play.

Mahomes' mom, Randi, was FURIOUS over the play ... calling for Wilson to be ejected from the game.

"#51 Wilson that’s some trash football leading with helmet, pulling his head and pushing helmet," Randi tweeted Sunday. "why are you not thrown out!?? Come on NFL"

FWIW -- Wilson spoke out after the game ... saying he's NEVER been a dirty player, and wished Mahomes a speedy recovery.

"Never been a dirty player in my life," Wilson tweeted after the game. "I just try my best to play fast and make plays. Don’t try to insult me & keep the threats to yourself."

Forget Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields ... Jets star Quinnen Williams tells TMZ Sports his squad should PASS on a QB in April's NFL draft -- and take Devonta Smith instead!!!

"I'm wishin'!" Williams says. "I'm saying it right now, I'm wishin'!"

Of course, NY will likely have the option to take the star 'Bama wideout at #2 overall in just a few months ... though most pundits believe the team should take a QB and move on from Sam Darnold with the pick.

But, when we spoke with Williams after his former Alabama team won the National Championship last week, he told us he'd prefer to keep Sam and select this year's Heisman Trophy winner instead.

"Devonta Smith got that 'Bama in him," Williams says. "We need someone with that. Man, he's amazing."

The selection would be fairly historic ... wideouts almost NEVER go in the top two picks -- in fact, only two have been selected in the top two since 2000 (Calvin Johnson in 2007 and Charles Rogers in 2002).

According to Williams, though, this is the perfect time to make it happen again.

"Any team that gets him -- not even the Jets -- any team that gets him they'll be getting a dominant player," Williams says. "And, you can see that now."

We're pretty sure Williams ain't wrong here -- Smith was incredible for Alabama this season, catching 117 passes for 1,856 receiving yards and 23 receiving touchdowns.

"If we get him," Williams says, "he's going to be a dynamic attribute for Sam."

Marshall Faulk says he's straight-up "worried" about Trevor Lawrence's possible future under Urban Meyer in Jacksonville ... telling TMZ Sports he thinks the Jags' new coach sucks at developing pro QBs.

"Outside of Alex Smith," the NFL legend says, "this man hasn't developed a quarterback that's playing in the NFL right now."

Faulk added, "I'm worried for Trevor Lawrence."

Of course, the Clemson superstar is not a Jaguar yet ... but damn-near everyone involved in the draft process believes Meyer will select the QB at #1 overall in the spring.

Faulk, though, says that could be a kiss of death for Lawrence's pro career ... pointing out Meyer's college QBs haven't had much success at all in the pros.

"He had some really good attempts with, I'm talking, top, four-star, five-star guys when he was at Ohio State and at Florida," Faulk says. "There's something to that."

Meyer's career list of notable starting college quarterbacks includes Alex Smith, Chris Leak, Tim Tebow, Braxton Miller, Cardale Jones, J.T. Barrett and Dwayne Haskins.

To Faulk's point, none of the above, aside from Smith, has done much of anything in the NFL.

"You put that together," Faulk tells us.

Faulk, though, thinks there's at least SOME chance Lawrence doesn't end up in Jacksonville -- the former Rams superstar says if he had the Jags' top pick, he'd pass on Lawrence and try to trade the selection for Deshaun Watson.

Pro Football Hall of Fame Finalist LeRoy Butler says there's a very good reason he belongs in Canton ... Deion Sanders and Rod Woodson are enshrined.

Prime, SA, and Woodson are members of the NFL's '90s All-Decade team -- along with Bruce Smith, Reggie White, Cortez Kennedy, John Randle, Junior Seau, Derrick Thomas, and Kevin Greene -- ALL who are members of the Hall.

Butler is the only guy on the All-Decade squad who isn't in Canton ... and he tells TMZ Sports that's a helluva reason to put him in.

"I really would love to be in the Hall of Fame this particular year, 2021. And, plus, it's a little embarrassing to be the only All-Decade member, 1st team, not in the Hall of Fame."

Butler says some of the other players have bigger names ... but when it comes to the football field, he contributed as much as the other HOF'ers.

"It's like 'generic' and 'brand.' You get Woodson, brand, put him in! Manning, brand. Generic, LeRoy Butler. But, I do the same thing as them. I'm just cheaper. I think they should put me in to say we close out the '90s to the 2000s. Done, start the new decade! So, I just pray."

BTW, there's a reason LeRoy made the All-Decade team ... he had a great, 12 season career in Green Bay. He made 1st team All-Pro 4 times, 4 Pro Bowls, and won a Super Bowl with Brett Favre and the Packers in 1997.

Butler also breaks down his foray into the liquor biz ... 'cause he just launched a new vodka, aptly named Leap Spirits.

Remember, Butler was the 1st player to Lambeau Leap back in 1993.

Enormous praise from Bills legend Cornelius Bennett -- the former Buffalo star tells TMZ Sports he believes Lamar Jackson is "the closest thing that I've seen" to Barry Sanders.

Yeah ... heads up, Bills defense!!!

Bennett delivered the massive compliment to Baltimore's QB this week ... just before Buffalo will have to try to stop him in its playoff matchup with the Ravens on Saturday.

But, good news for the Bills ... Bennett says he believes Buffalo CAN slow down Lamar -- if they just use the same tactics he used against Barry in his career.

"I see so many times that guys are taking the big shot at him and missing him," Bennett says of Jackson. "It's all right to arm tackle him and lay him down softly or whatever and not get the kill shot on him."

"Because as soon as you do," Bennett continued, "you're going to be gasping for air. I know that personally trying to tackle Barry Sanders."

As for Bennett's take on the Bills' QB ... the 55-year-old tells us he's been SUPER impressed with Josh Allen's progression this season -- saying the quarterback actually reminds him a bit of Jim Kelly!

"He's grown tremendously," Bennett says.

Sorry, Patriots fans ... Quinnen Williams says Bill Belichick is NOT the greatest football coach ever -- the Jets star tells TMZ Sports that honor now belongs to Nick Saban!!

The NFL defensive lineman made the bold claim shortly after the Alabama head coach won yet ANOTHER National Championship this week ... saying, "I think, in my head, I think he's the greatest coach of all time."

"Just because, man, like, his resume speaks for itself, man," Williams said.

Of course, Williams is biased -- the dude played for Saban for three years with the Tide from 2016-2018 -- but it's getting harder and harder to disagree.

Saban's victory over Ohio State last Monday gave him his SEVENTH college football championship -- the most in the history of the game.

The 69-year-old also has a staggering college coaching career record of 261-65-1 ... and has routinely put players in the NFL year after year after year.

"He has a list of hundreds of NFL players who are either starters or big-time superstars or big-time players under his belt," Williams says. "To do the things that he does, and to have a consistent dynasty and a consistent winning team that he has, it's unheard of."

Denver Broncos star Von Miller -- the MVP of Super Bowl 50 -- is under criminal investigation in Colorado ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

Details of the allegations against the future Hall of Famer are unclear ... a spokesperson for the Parker Police Dept. in Parker, Colo. tells us, "The case is currently under investigation so no information can be released at this time."

"If the investigation determines a crime has occurred, charges will be submitted to the DA's office for their review."

The spokesperson added there is no ballpark timeframe for the conclusion of the probe ... explaining the allegations just came in "recently."

Miller -- who sat out this season after suffering a tendon injury in his lower leg in September -- is still considered one of the most feared defenders in the NFL.

The 31-year-old has piled up 106 career sacks in just 135 games ... and has vowed to come back stronger from his injury in 2021.

Miller would be subject to league discipline if he's found to have violated the NFL's Personal Conduct Policy.

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

Story developing ...

The NY Jets made history with their head coaching hire Thursday night ... they inked a deal with Robert Saleh, reportedly making him the NFL's 1st-ever Muslim head coach.

According to Muslim civil rights advocacy group CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations) ... no other Muslim had been given the role in the league's history prior to Saleh's hiring.

"We welcome this development as another sign of the increasing inclusion and recognition of American Muslims in our diverse society," CAIR spokesperson Ibrahim Hooper said.

41-year-old Saleh -- who was born in Michigan but has family roots in Lebanon -- has been a straight-up hell of a coach since he was promoted to defensive coordinator in San Francisco.

In fact, many NFL pundits have already praised the Jets for the hire ... saying what Saleh did with the 49ers the past four seasons makes him a safe bet to succeed in New York.

Saleh's 49ers' defensive groups have been consistently some of the best in the NFL ... and stars like Richard Sherman praised him after the Jets made the hiring official this week.

"The @nyjets got a great one!" Sherman said on Twitter. "Congrats to them!"

The Washington Football Team may have come up short against the Buccaneers, but superstar Chase Young still got a "W" ... courtesy of his brand new diamond chain!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the 2020 #2 overall pick loves his new NFL home so much, he decided to pay tribute with his newest piece of jewelry.

We're told Young hit up Gabriel The Jeweler -- go-to guy for huge names like Odell Beckham, Antonio Brown and more -- for the job ... and the finished product is a one-of-a-kind replica of the WFT's "W" logo in diamond form!!

Gabriel tells us the piece is made of 30 carats of emerald-shaped VVS diamonds ... and another 9 carats of round VVS diamonds.

No word on how much dough the rookie dropped on the piece, but we're told it's valued at $85k.

FWIW -- Young's rookie deal is worth $35 million ... so yeah, the dude can definitely treat himself.

Not a bad way to cap off a stellar first season, rook!!

It's official ... Urban Meyer will be back in a headset on a football sideline!!!

The Jacksonville Jaguars just announced the college football coaching legend will be their next head coach -- hiring the 56-year-old on Thursday just two years after he stepped away from his role as Ohio State's head man.

"This is a great day for Jacksonville and Jaguars fans everywhere," team owner Shad Khan said in a statement. "Urban Meyer is who we want and need, a leader, winner and champion who demands excellence and produces results."

"While Urban already enjoys a legacy in the game of football that few will ever match, his passion for the opportunity in front of him here in Jacksonville is powerful and unmistakable."

"I am proud to name Urban Meyer the new head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars."

Of course, this is unchartered territory for Meyer ... the guy has spent every year of his coaching career in the college ranks -- so it'll be a new world for Meyer in the NFL.

But, there's no doubt he's set up to succeed in Jacksonville ... the team has the #1 overall pick, so Meyer is expected to be able to begin his career with Clemson superstar QB Trevor Lawrence under center.

Add that to cornerstone pieces like RB James Robinson and receivers D.J. Chark and Laviska Shenault -- and, suddenly, the Jags look like they've got a real shot to be a contender under Meyer.

Urban has famously won wherever he's been at ... earning National Championships at both Florida and Ohio State -- while also hoisting other big bowl game trophies at his other stops.

Unclear if Meyer will also have general manager duties to go along with his head coaching role in Jacksonville ... but either way, rejoice Jags fans.

Odell Beckham may not be suiting up this weekend, but he's still backing his boys in Orange and Brown ... saying he expects the Cleveland Browns to pull off the HUGE upset and beat the K.C. Chiefs!!

Baker Mayfield and Co. are set to face off against the defending Super Bowl champions in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs on Sunday ... a game that heavily favors the Chiefs.

There's been a LOT of smack talk surrounding the matchup -- from K.C. receiver Sammy Watkins claiming the Browns aren't a real threat to Steelers rookie Chase Claypool saying they'll get "clapped" against Patrick Mahomes' squad.

OBJ -- who's been out since October with a torn ACL -- has entered the chat ... saying folks shouldn't be shocked if the Browns come away with the dub and advance to the AFC title game.

"Don’t be surprised this weekend when they win," Odell tweeted Thursday. "just throwin it out there now."

It may come off as a flaming hot take, but the short-handed (and head coach-less) Browns were able to get their first playoff win since 1994 at Pittsburgh last week ... so really, anything can happen.

Even future Hall of Famer Joe Thomas is expecting big things from his team on Sunday ... saying Cleveland will win and eventually advance to a Super Bowl appearance.

Law enforcement officials arrested longtime Seattle Seahawks employee Aaron Miyasato on Tuesday after they claim he was found in possession of child pornography.

According to jail records, 41-year-old Miyasato, who had been working as the Hawks' security manager, was booked at 11:07 a.m. Tuesday on three charges of possessing and dealing child porn.

According to legal documents, obtained by KING 5, authorities claim they confiscated around 25,000 images of child porn during a raid at Miyasato's home.

According to the report, they also "confiscated videos of children as young as the age of one being sexually exploited in extremely graphic ways."

Miyasato had reportedly been employed by the Seahawks since 2011 ... and recently took the team's security manager position back in 2018.

Seahawks officials, though, said in a statement Wednesday that Miyasato is no longer an employee with the team after his arrest.

"We are aware of the situation and in accordance with the NFL personal conduct policy, we have notified the league of his arrest," the Seahawks said. "This individual is no longer employed by our organization."

Dick Vermeil says Deshaun Watson is WAY out of line for feuding with the Texans ... the coaching legend tells TMZ Sports he thinks the Houston star is being a big baby for quarreling with the team's brass over hiring decisions.

"I think they change his diapers, OK?" Vermeil says of how the Texans should handle the situation going forward with Watson.

"Nowhere in his contract does it say that he's involved in making the decisions of who coaches or who leads the organization."

The 84-year-old Vermeil continued, "He's a great NFL football player and always has been a great kid, but I think he just shuts his mouth and becomes a better football player and lead the football team and let the leaders of the organization lead him."

You'll recall ... Watson has reportedly had big beef with the Texans for the past few days -- with several outlets claiming the 25-year-old is upset over his lack of input in the hiring of new GM Nick Caserio.

Watson is also reportedly angry that he hasn't had much say in who the team is interviewing for its vacant head coaching role -- and the relationship has gotten so icy, some have predicted a trade could eventually go down.

Vermeil, though, thinks Watson will eventually stand down from strong-arming Texans' execs ... telling us, "I just don't see him playing any place else."

"And, I see him calming down and maturing a little bit and go be a good football player and earn the money they're paying him."

Of course, several prominent former Texans, including Andre Johnson, disagree ... with the ex-wideout saying earlier this week he believes Watson should stand his ground in the clash with the team.

By the way, if you're wondering what Vermeil has been up to since he stepped away from coaching ... the former Super Bowl champ tells us he's got a wine biz that's thriving in the pandemic.

Houston, the Texans have a SERIOUS problem ... team legend Andre Johnson is now ripping the org. -- calling the franchise "pathetic" amid all of the drama with star QB Deshaun Watson.

The retired Houston wideout -- who's the only member of the organization's Ring of Honor -- sounded off on the Texans in a tweet Tuesday ... telling Watson to not back down from his demands from ownership.

"If I’m @deshaunwatson I will stand my ground," Johnson said. "The Texans organization is known for wasting players careers."

Johnson then went on to slam Jack Easterby, the team's executive vice president of football operations who's been with the Texans since 2019.

"Since Jack Easterby has walk into the building nothing good has happened in/for the organization and for some reason someone can’t seem to see what’s going on. Pathetic!!!"

If you missed it, Watson is reportedly VERY upset with the Texans' brass over his lack of say in the team's hiring process of its new GM and head coach this offseason.

In fact, the relationship has reportedly gotten so icy ... some have wondered if it could lead to a trade demand from Houston's brightest star.

Seems Johnson would be OK with it all if it got to that point ... clearly siding with Watson in the dispute.

And, that ain't all of the issues for Houston, 'cause former Texans superstar Deandre Hopkins also weighed in on the saga on social media Tuesday -- saying people should take Johnson seriously!!

"When Dre speak listen," Hopkins said.

Unclear exactly what Watson and co. truly need to see from Texans ownership to smooth things out ... but what is very apparent is something needs fixing in Houston ASAP.