Football

NFL officials did NOT blow the critical interception call during overtime of the Bills vs. Broncos game -- it was called correctly, full stop -- according to Dean Blandino, the league's former head of officiating.

"The Cooks' play I thought, ultimately, they got it right," Blandino, FOX Sports rules analyst and former Vice President of Officiating (2013-2017) told TMZ Sports.

Dean explained why, saying ... "Cooks' is going to the ground. He's gotta hold onto the ball when he lands. I thought the ball came loose immediately, McMillian ended up with it."

Some Buffalo Bills players are NOT happy with head coach Sean McDermott getting fired after nine seasons ... including defensive tackle, Jordan Phillips, who called the decision "stupid" and "sickening."

The NFL world is reacting in real time to McDermott losing his job following the Bills' Divisional Round loss to the Denver Broncos ... but Phillips' comments were by far the most filtered.

"This s*** here is so stupid honestly sickening," Phillips said on Instagram. "The best coach I've ever been around."

The Miami Hurricanes are a win away from adding a sixth national championship to their trophy case ... and Jeremy Shockey -- who won one of them in 2001 -- spoke with TMZ Sports about what he'd tell the players ahead of the biggest night of their lives.

"Try to be like a horse with blinders," Shockey said. "The distractions are going to come, it's a big week."

The 45-year-old said the team has already weathered the storm of the season, noting the Hurricanes have played in three high-stakes playoff games to get to this point.

Marshall Faulk has one request for the Rams and Bears game -- the referees need to CHILL.

Yes, that's what the Super Bowl champ said to TMZ Sports before his former team, the Rams, face the Bears in freezing Chicago on Sunday for the NFL Divisional Round matchup.

"Here's what I hope for," Faulk started.

"I hope that the referees stay their ass out of the game. We don't need to see referees on TV as much. They've been too visible in these games. They're throwing too many flags, I know they wanna be seen, but they need to stay out of the game."

If Mike Tomlin's ready to put coaching behind him, Nate Burleson knows how to keep him busy in a different way ... telling TMZ Sports he's got all the "energy" for a TV job!

We caught up with the former NFL player-turned-analyst outside of CBS studios in New York City this week ... fresh off the news that Tomlin decided to part ways with the Steelers after 19 seasons.

Nearly two decades of coaching is a long run -- so we asked Nate if Tomlin should fully enjoy his time off ... or consider a TV gig while off the sidelines.

John Harbaugh's unemployment lasted just 11 days -- the Super Bowl-winning head coach is taking over the New York Giants.

The 63-year-old reportedly agreed to a five-year deal ... which will undoubtedly make him one of the highest-paid coaches in the NFL.

Harbaugh released a statement on the move ... saying, "It's the New York Football Giants."

The Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs are here ... and Pro Bowl quarterback Trent Green is breaking down each and every one of the games!

Green -- a Super Bowl champion -- joined Babcock to preview both Saturday and Sunday's matchups ... as the eight remaining teams battle for a chance to advance to the Conference Championship games.

The big weekend kicks off with the Bills travelling to Mile High for a tilt with the number one seed Broncos ... a game that Trent believes will come down to last year's Most Valuable Player.

"It's gonna be the quarterback play, and how they get it done. And how Denver's defense can try and slow down Josh Allen."

Saturday's second game will pit the 49ers against the Seahawks in Seattle.

It's a matchup that Green believes will come down to a few key points, including whether the Niners survive another big injury -- this time to star tight end George Kittle -- as well as the play of QB Sam Darnold and Seattle's feared defense.

Sam Beal -- the former NY Giants CB who's been missing for the last seven months -- was locked up in jail for unpaid child support five months before his disappearance ... TMZ Sports has learned.

We're learning more about the months leading up to the disappearance of Beal, who was reported missing in early August 2025 ... and the new info includes the former NFLer spending some time behind bars.

According to his missing persons file, the Western Michigan alum was locked up from September 2024 to February 2025 ... after Michigan hit him with two charges for allegedly failing to make child support payments in 2024.

Darren Waller believes he was the last person to interact with Mike McDaniel before he was fired ... revealing he was "at the scene of the crime!"

The Miami Dolphins tight end sat down with Johnny Manziel on his "Glory Daze" podcast ... where he spoke about the bizarre experience he had during his exit meeting with McDaniel.

He said the two were reflecting on the season and the future ... when all of a sudden, Stephen Ross, who owns the team, busted the door open.

Tom Brady struggled at times during his final NFL season, but don't point the finger at Father Time ... 'cause the TB12 admits his divorce from Gisele Bündchen weighed heavily on his ability to play.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion opened up about the public split during his appearance on "The Herd" on Thursday, as Colin and Tom discussed whether this was Aaron Rodgers' final season.

Brady acknowledged his own 2022 campaign -- his final season and first-ever losing year -- was difficult ... especially after Bündchen's divorce filing became public.

"My last season was tough," Brady said.

Adam "Pacman" Jones has revealed the biggest condition for Deion Sanders to make the jump to the NFL -- no coaching against his kid, or it's a hard pass.

TMZ Sports caught up with the former NFL star outside Paramount on Wednesday ... and asked whether Coach Prime might throw his hat into the ongoing coaching carousel.

It wouldn’t surprise Pacman to see Deion back in the NFL ... but "it would have to be Cleveland" with his son, Shedeur, despite nine NFL head coach jobs opening this cycle.

Lil Wayne is waving the white flag to call a truce with Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams ... while eating a little crow in the process.

The rap icon -- a diehard Green Bay Packers fan -- took to X to publicly squash any lingering beef with the Chicago signal-caller after Williams rallied the Bears to a fourth-quarter comeback playoff win on Saturday over their rivals.

Wayne had dissed Williams in the aftermath of the game ... but he admitted there was no hate, just pain.

The Mike Tomlin era in Pittsburgh has come to an end -- the Super Bowl-winning head coach has informed the Steelers he is stepping down as head coach.

Team President Art Rooney II confirmed the news minutes ago, saying Tomlin shared his decision in a meeting earlier on Tuesday.

"Obviously, I am extremely grateful to Mike for all the hard work, dedication, and success we have shared over the last 19 years," Rooney said. "It is hard for me to put into words the level of respect and appreciation I have for coach Tomlin."

George Kittle is usually the guy smiling through contact ... but even the NFL’s toughest tight end is admitting this one stings.

The San Francisco 49ers’ All-Pro team captain tore his right Achilles on Sunday, ending his season during the team’s 23-19 victory to dethrone the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in the playoffs.

Kittle later took to Instagram with a raw, emotional post of him and his wife, Claire, in the locker room, straight-up telling fans "football sucks sometimes."

Not exactly the rah-rah cliché you'd expect, but Kittle didn’t stop there.

The Pro Bowler made it clear he’s far from broken ... saying he loves the game, his teammates and is overwhelmed by the love pouring in.

"Heartbroken but have felt so much love and support from everyone reaching out," Kittle wrote. "I’ll be good. Thank you. We aren’t done yet!"

The grueling injury often takes about nine months to fully recover from -- placing the 32-year-old’s NFL future in jeopardy as he enters his 10th season.

Teammates such as Christian McCaffrey, Ricky Pearsall, Eddy Pineiro and Demarcus Robinson were among the flood of comments offering support to Kittle, who also seemingly confirmed reports of the bottle of Patrón delivered to the locker room after he was carted off.

Kittle said, "You know you’re in a special place" when team owner Jed York is the first person to meet you in the locker room. York was reportedly the one who sent the bottle.

Aaron Rodgers went to bat for his coach, Mike Tomlin, after the Pittsburgh Steelers' season ended in the Wild Card Round on Monday ... calling it an "absolute joke" to think the guy could get fired.

Rodgers met with the media following the Steelers' 30-6 loss to the Houston Texans, and despite it being Steel City's seventh playoff loss in a row, he can't wrap his head around the chatter Tomlin's tenure might be over.

"The way that the league is covered now, the way there is snap decisions and the validity given to the Twitter experts and all the experts on TV now who make it seem like they know what the hell they are talking about, to me that's an absolute joke," Rodgers said.

Sam Beal -- a former NFL Draft selection by the New York Giants in 2018 -- has been missing for the last seven months ... and now his sister has gone to social media to plead for the public's help.

"We've done everything we could on our end to piece things together and at this point we're in desperate need of support on all ends," Beal's sister, Essence Zhane, said. "I'm not here to answer a bunch of why's and how's I just need this to land in the right direction to gain some form of answers or closure."

According to his profile on the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, the 29-year-old was last seen in July 2025 after dropping his girlfriend off at her house. He was supposed to use her car to drive to work, but instead, allegedly made his way to Virginia Beach.