Minnesota Vikings

Donovan McNabb says he's "absolutely" a Hall of Fame player ... telling TMZ Sports his career yards AND touchdowns should make him a shoo-in for Canton.

"My numbers are better than Troy Aikman," the ex-Eagles superstar says.

McNabb joined the guys on the "TMZ Sports" TV show -- airing weeknights on FS1 -- and said he unequivocally expects to be wearing a gold jacket at some point in his future.

"I'm not hesitating on that. I am a Hall of Famer," McNabb says ... "My numbers speak for themselves."

Of course, D-Mac's been out of the league since 2011 ... which means he's been eligible for the Hall for the past few years -- but has been passed over every time.

When the guys asked Donovan why he thinks that is ... he says he often asks that question himself.

"When they look at my numbers, yeah, but then they always want to add other stuff into it. 'Was he an All-Pro? Was he this? How many Super Bowl opportunities?'"

"But, people don't realize how hard it is to get to the NFC Championship and to get there five times, and then make it to a Super Bowl? It's tough."

For the record, McNabb has 37,276 passing yards, 234 passing TDs and 117 career interceptions. Cowboys legend Aikman has 32,942 passing yards, 165 passing TDs and 141 career picks.

Good news for McNabb ... he says now that his old Eagles team officially has two Hall of Famers -- Brian Dawkins and Terrell Owens -- he thinks his HOF case will be taken more seriously now.

Anthony Barr says he has LOVED his time in Minnesota ... but the superstar LB admits his Vikings career might be over -- telling TMZ Sports, "My possibilities are open."

A.B.'s had a stellar past 5 seasons with the NFC North squad ... starting 71 games and earning 4 Pro Bowl selections.

But, Barr's set to be a free agent in a couple weeks ... and tells us he could actually see himself in another uniform next season.

"I love Minnesota, but I'm willing to play anywhere I find fit."

Anthony likely won't come cheap ... he's NFL.com's No. 11 available free agent this offseason -- and could net a deal somewhere in the $45 MILLION range!!!

Ex-Minnesota Vikings receiver Cayleb Jones just cut a deal in court in his domestic violence case -- but he's still facing serious jail time ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The 25-year-old was facing 3 pretty serious charges -- including felony theft by temporary control -- after he allegedly beat the crap out of his girlfriend at a Minnesota hotel back in August.

Officials say the 6'3", 209 pound WR roughed up his GF and when she tried to escape in an elevator to call 911 ... Jones intercepted her, stole her phone and fled before cops arrived.

Cayleb was in court Tuesday to face the charges ... but we're told he cut a deal -- and instead, only pled guilty to interference with an emergency call -- a gross misdemeanor.

In exchange, we're told his two other charges will be dismissed.

Cayleb -- who's already served 5 days of jail time -- still faces up to a year in jail and a $3,000 fine when he returns to court for his sentencing hearing in April. It's unlikely he'll be ordered to serve more jail time unless the judge really wants to throw the book at him.

It's been a rough year for the WR -- as we previously reported, Cayleb tried to restrain his brother, Buffalo Bills WR Zay Jones, after he allegedly tried to jump from a 30th story window in an L.A. building last spring.

You don't know football if you think Kirk Cousins ain't worth his $84 MILLION deal ... so says his teammate Laquon Treadwell who tells TMZ Sports the QB is "a baller."

Of course, Cousins had a pretty rough first season in Minnesota after inking a mega-contract ... losing a must-win game to the Bears that kept the Vikes outta the playoffs.

But, 23-year-old Treadwell -- the Vikes' 1st-round pick in the 2016 Draft -- says just because the first season didn't go according to plan doesn't mean the QB wasn't worth the money Minnesota paid him.

"That's a lie, man," Treadwell told us when we got him out at LAX this week ... "He a baller."

Cousins did throw for 4,298 yards and 30 TDs ... and Treadwell had his best season yet with the new QB -- and he tells us better years are coming.

"It's the first year. We was a little rusty, but we're going to bounce back. You know? We was learning each other. Chemistry."

When a team gives you a guaranteed 3-year, $84 MILLION contract, you better give them a win in the playoffs -- at least, that's how Greg Jennings feels about Kirk Cousins' big contract.

The ex-Vikings WR tells us it doesn't seem like the QB's contract has been worth it to Minnesota based on the team's 8-6-1 record ... but there's more to his deal than wins and losses.

Jennings says what Cousins brings to the team in terms of leadership and other off-the-field qualities is valuable ... but the bottom line, he needs to get to the playoffs and win!

The Vikings are playing the Chicago Bears this weekend -- and it's an essentially must-win game.

There's more ... Jennings (who also played with Aaron Rodgers on the Packers) explains why the QB must share part of the blame for Green Bay's terrible season.

Stefon Diggs won Son of the Year AND Brother of the Year awards in just a couple hours on Christmas ... 'cause the WR got his mom a new car and his bros diamond chains!!!

The Vikings superstar started his Santa impression Tuesday with a Mercedes ... delivering it to his mom on the holiday in a fashion she'll never forget.

"You get 1 mom... here’s something for the lady that put up with all my craziness. Merry Christmas everyone," Diggs wrote.

But, his bag of toys didn't end there ... the dude also had diamond shovels (get it, Diggs??) made by Al the Jeweler for his brothers!!!

It's a huge Christmas haul for the Diggs fam ... but don't worry -- we got a feeling this is a trend that'll continue for years -- Stefon just signed a 5-year, $72-MILLION deal!!

Tom Brady couldn't help but laugh his ass off at seeing Bill Belichick cuss out Minnesota's star wide receiver on Sunday ... saying, "That was pretty funny."

During the Pats win over the Vikings ... Adam Thielen flipped out at Belichick for challenging a close spot in the 4th quarter -- to which The Hoodie replied, "Shut the f*ck up!"

Brady couldn't help but chuckle at the whole scene ... telling WEEI's "Mut & Callahan" show, "I’ve been on the other end of that a few times in my career."

"Pretty funny. … It’s competitive out there. It’s very feisty and everyone’s emotions are on their sleeves. You say something and there is just an emotional reaction. That was pretty funny.”

Of course ... Tom and Bill can laugh all they want now -- they ended up rollin' the Vikings and look poised to catch the Kareem Hunt-less Chiefs for the top seed in the AFC.

As for Minnesota -- their season's on the verge of crumbling ... but at least Thielen still looks like he's gonna be an All-Pro at the end of the year.

Ex-NFL star Jared Allen says his new career as a pro curler -- the ice sport -- is NOT a joke ... and it all began after making a stupid bet with some buddies.

After Allen retired from football in 2016, the future Hall of Famer still had a burning desire to play sports -- so he tried to be a pro golfer, but quickly realized he's no Tiger Woods.

That's when he made a bet with a friend that he could become an Olympian -- and after watching the movie "Eddie the Eagle" ... he got serious about finding the right sport for him.

First, it was badminton ... Allen tells TMZ Sports he called up his good buddy and fellow NFL alum Marc Bulger, but they decided the sport was too tough on their bodies.

That's when they moved on to curling -- which is basically shuffleboard on ice -- and decided that was the place where they'd strike!

Since that day, Allen recruited a few other NFL friends including Pro Bowl linebacker Keith Bulluck and Pro Bowl tackle Michael Roos ... and they started a curling team.

Now, they're REALLY competing against other elite curling teams and Jared says they're dead serious about making it to the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

In fact, Jared says they've hired a sweeping coach and train on the ice at least 2 hours a week.

"You have to sweep a lot," Allen says ... "I've been known for my cardio, sweeping is frickin' tough!"

So, what's the hardest part of the game for Jared?

"You're really not supposed to talk trash ... so that's gonna be hard for me."

Cool candid moment between Kirk Cousins and Teddy Bridgewater on Sunday -- when the new Vikings QB told the old Vikings QB how they REALLY feel about him in Minnesota these days.

Teddy and the Saints were in Minnesota to play Kirk and the Vikings -- but after the game, Cousins tracked down Bridgewater and told him what the Vikings execs have been saying behind his back.

"Everyone here speaks really highly of you," Kirk said to Teddy ... "You left a good mark on the organization."

Yeah, they love him!

Of course, Bridgewater -- the Vikings' 2014 1st-round pick -- WAS the future of Minnesota ... before a gnarly knee injury nearly ended his football career in 2016.

Teddy fought to get back onto the field ... but wasn't able to start a game for Minnesota after the 2015 season and moved on to the Jets this offseason.

Bridgewater is now Drew Brees' backup after the Saints traded for him in the preseason ... and if you're listening to Cousins -- everyone in purple and gold couldn't be happier for him.

TMZ Sports has obtained footage of Everson Griffen moments after he jumped out of an ambulance on his way to a mental health evaluation ... and you can hear cops talking football to Griffen in an effort to calm him down.

It all went down on Sept. 22 after cops had been called on the Minnesota Vikings star following a string of bizarre and troubling behavior in the Minnesota area.

As we previously reported, Griffen allegedly threatened to shoot somebody at a hotel, wandered into a teammate's yard and forced a stranger to drive him around town against his will.

Cops ultimately got Griffen to agree to take an ambulance to a nearby hospital to be evaluated -- but he jumped out during the ride fearing someone was trying to harm him.

When cops approach Griffen, you can hear him saying, "I jumped out because I was scared for my life."

Griffen then explains that someone in the ambulance was "digging in his pocket pulling out something. He was digging in his pocket pulling out something and I called him. They had gloves on there’s something in here and they tried to get me. I’m not crazy."

Griffen mentioned that he plays for the Vikings -- and cops began talking football with him. That's when everything starts to cool down.

Ultimately, cops got Griffen to agree to get back in the ambulance and they took him to the hospital without further incident.

The war at the Coliseum wasn't just on the field Thursday night -- a bunch of fans got into a brawl in the stands ... with one guy getting tossed over several rows of bleachers!!

The standoff began just before the end of the 1st half ... a Rams fan got into it with several Vikings fans.

You can see the Rams fan smack a female Vikings fan in the face ... and then it gets crazy.

Punches are thrown, a beer gets tossed, a woman gets her hair pulled (hard!) and then the Rams fan grabs a dude ... and FLINGS HIM OVER 4 ROWS OF BLEACHERS!

The video is nuts -- and the guy who was tossed is lucky he wasn't seriously injured. In fact, he got up and continued to scream at the dude who chucked him.

We're told security responded and removed several of the combatants from the stadium. Unclear if any arrests were made.

Everson Griffen says he's "focused on resolving personal issues" after being hospitalized for a mental health evaluation this week ... but has vowed to return to the field.

As we previously reported ... the Minnesota Vikings star was involved in a series of bizarre incidents -- including at the team hotel on Saturday -- which ended in the All-Pro being transported to a hospital for a mental health exam.

At the time, team staffers feared he could hurt himself or others.

Griffen broke his silence Thursday on social media ... apologizing for the incident and promising to address his issues.

This past week's events have raised many questions and I want to apologize to everyone who was impacted," Griffen says. "I am currently focused on resolving personal issues with which I have been dealing for a long time."

"Once I have had time to address those issues, I hope to share my story with everyone."

"I am extremely grateful for the support I have received from my family, the Vikings organization, my teammates and our tremendous fan base."

Griffen also apologized for missing the team's Thursday Night Football match-up with the Rams ... but Vikes head coach Mike Zimmer made it clear he wants to make sure Griffen is okay getting back on the field.

Andre Reed LOVES Josh Allen -- telling TMZ Sports he's fired up over the Buffalo Bills QB's victory over the Vikings ... and thinks this could be the start of something special.

It's high praise for the rookie -- since Reed isn't just a legend in Buffalo, he's an NFL Hall of Famer, one of the best to ever do it.

Reed told us he was super impressed with Allen's play during the 27-6 win over Minnesota ... especially since the Bills were 17-point underdogs going into the game.

So, how can Allen keep the momentum going next week against Green Bay and prove the massive upset wasn't just a fluke?

Talk about return on investment ... a judge has ordered Vikings WR Kendall Wright to pay nearly $400,000 to a company that sells stock in professional athletes.

As we previously reported ... Fantex, Inc. -- a business that makes deals with athletes to sell "shares" to fans who believe the athletes are destined for big paydays -- sued Kendall back in January.

They claimed after they signed a deal with Wright in 2015 that offered him $3.125 mil for 10% of his future earnings ... he didn't pay up.

A judge signed off on an order this week in which the wideout will have to pay Fantex $386,055.83 ($349,157.22 in damages and $36,898.61 in attorney fees).

Richie Incognito says Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer is straight-up lying about the NFL lineman's claim that he was talking with the team about a job this offseason ... and it's getting nasty.

It all started when Richie appeared on "TMZ Sports" last week and he told us he'd been speaking with multiple teams about a possible contract ... including Minnesota.

"I'm still in great shape, just waiting on that call. I've had calls from Minnesota, Seattle ... I really just don't want to go to training camp, so we'll see."

Zimmer was asked about Incognito's comments during a press conference on Tuesday -- and straight-up said Incognito was wrong.

"No interest and totally false," Zimmer said ... "Tweet that."

Incognito -- needless to say -- was furious over Zimmer's comments and tweeted, "Mike Zimmer is a F**KING LIAR!!"

Incognito claims he had been talking with Vikings line coach Tony Sparano all summer long and posted screen shots of text conversations. Sparano passed away a few weeks ago.

The screenshots show Incognito was interested in a job -- but they don't show Tony ever made a direct offer. Incognito claims they "spoke weekly this off-season" and believes Tony was seriously interested.

Anthony Barr -- the Vikings star who put the hit on Aaron Rodgers that broke his collarbone in 2017 -- doesn't believe he'll have a target on his back when he faces Green Bay in Week 2.

In fact, Barr tells TMZ Sports ... it's "just another game."

Yeah, right.

As we previously reported, Barr received violent hate mail after the hit -- with one Packers fan warning him, "Your payback in coming. Piece of s***."

So, when we saw the linebacker at LAX, we asked if he was worried Packers players would REALLY try to get that "payback."

"I'm not too worried about it," Barr told us ... "It's football man. It's another game."

Barr told the NFL Network he didn't try to hurt Rodgers on the play -- saying, "It's unfortunate that it happened."