New England Patriots

Barstool Sports president Dave Portnoy is coming to terms with the fact Tom Brady is no longer a New England Patriot ... and he's convinced this could be the end of the world as we know it.

Remember, El Pres told TMZ Sports less than a month ago ... "Anybody who says (Brady's) going anywhere is an idiot!!" ... and obviously, TB12's leaving.

We reconnected with Portnoy in wake of the news on Tuesday ... and despite the devastating news, the guy is actually taking it well.

"I wasn’t stunned," Dave tells us. "I thought he would come back to New England, because I think we offer him the best chance to win ... it’s sad, it’s the end of an era."

"This is the real world. We got corona running wild in the streets, things happen. So, Brady’s leaving the Patriots. Crazy times. .. the world may be ending."

Pres makes it clear he still LOVES Brady and isn't pissed he's leaving the Pats ... but believes TB12 just ain't a franchise QB anymore.

"If you’re a Patriots fan and you care about winning in the next 10 years, this is the right move … if you only care about the next 2, then you probably want Brady."

Portnoy says he believes in Bill Belichick and likes the Pats' chances of winning a title before TB12 (regardless of which team he chooses) ... but his love for Brady will live on.

As for Brady's replacement?? Portnoy's got a guy in mind -- and the dude once defeated TB12 at the highest level.

Robin Roberts is like the rest of the sports world today ... because the Tom Brady bombshell's hitting her like a ton of bricks.

We got the ABC host in New York City Tuesday morning and our camera guy broke the stunning news ... TB12 is taking his talents elsewhere after 20 seasons with Robert Kraft's team.

Ya gotta see Robin's instant reaction ... she can't even fathom Brady in another uniform, and she's looking around for some #FakeNews, but it's all too real for Pats fans.

As we reported ... Tom posted a lengthy message to Patriots Nation explaining it's finally time to leave, but not before cherishing all the good memories -- like 6 Super Bowl rings.

Brady's decision is a huge development that instantly changes the landscape in the NFL ... but Robin tells us why Tom's departure still doesn't overshadow the coronavirus pandemic.

Robin's gotta point ... NYC's a virtual ghost town. Even Jets fans can't flood the streets to revel in the Brady departure.

Tom Brady is making it official ... he's leaving the New England Patriots after 20 seasons (and 6 Super Bowl rings) and continuing his NFL career in another city.

TB12 posted a long thank you message to Patriots Nation on Tuesday morning explaining he will always cherish the memories ... but it's time to leave.

"I wanted to say thank you to all of the incredible fans and Patriots supporters. MA has been my home for twenty years," Brady wrote.

"It has truly been the happiest two decades I could have envisioned in my life and I have nothing but love and gratitude for my time in New England."

He continued, "The support has been overwhelming - I wish every player could experience it. My children were born and raised here and you always embraced this California kid as your own. I love your commitment and loyalty to your teams and winning for our city means more than you will ever know."

Rob Gronkowski is "deep in talks" to sign a contract with WWE -- and reportedly could make his first official appearance with the company later this month.

The 30-year-old ex-New England Patriots star has been talking about a career with the WWE for years -- but now that he's seemingly closed the door on an NFL comeback, it's becoming real.

In fact, ProWrestlingSheet's Ryan Satin appeared on FS1's "WWE Backstage" and cited multiple sources who say Gronk's very close to finalizing his deal.

Satin says if things move according to plan, Gronk is expected to appear on "Friday Night Smackdown" in New Orleans on March 20.

Gronk LOVES pro wrestling -- and the McMahon family. Just last month, he was pictured with Triple H during Super Bowl weekend in Miami.

And, don't forget when he famously jumped in the ring to help out his pal, Mojo Rawley, at Wrestlemania 33 in 2017 -- and looked like a natural.

In fact, Gronk even told us a short time after that bout he wanted a WWE match of his own with Rawley!!

If Rob does ultimately get into the sport full-time ... he'll have no shortage of rivals -- everyone from Becky Lynch to Lio Rush and Bobby Lashley have talked smack about the 30-year-old.

As for Gronk's ability to wrestle full-time despite having no real background in the WWE world ... Rawley told us last year, "All I know is whatever he does next, or what he's doing currently, he's gonna be the best at."

Gronk famously retired from the New England Patriots back in 2019 ... finishing his career with 3 Super Bowl rings and 79 total receiving touchdowns.

Chris Johnson says he's PUMPED about the possibility of Tom Brady bolting from New England for Tennessee ... telling TMZ Sports he's down to recruit the QB himself!!

"I might have to call him," CJ2K says. "If he wanna come, I might have to call him and say, 'Aye, we need to make this move!'"

Rumors of Tom possibly leaving the Pats for the Titans have been swirling this off-season ... especially because Brady's pal and former teammate, Mike Vrabel, coaches the team.

In fact, Vrabel and Brady were spotted FaceTiming each other just a few days ago during a college basketball game!!!

So, when we asked Chris about the possibility of Tom under center for his ex-Titans squad... he was jacked up about it!!

"Everybody knows Tom is the GOAT," Chris says. "If we can get Tom over there and play a couple years before he retires, you know I definitely wouldn't be against that."

As for what his pitch to Brady would be? Chris says it's simple ...

"It's a loving city, man. It's a great place to be. Great fan base -- the fan base is incredible. Just to be able to bring a Super Bowl there to that city, it would mean a lot. It would be something great."

Wanna live in Tom Brady's $40 MILLION mansion!? Too bad, you probably can't afford it ... but now, you can take a peek around the inside!

Tom and Gisele whipped up a video tour of their 12,000-square-foot estate in Brookline, Massachusetts ... in hopes the footage will entice buyers to bite on the $39.5 mil asking price.

The Bradys famously built the home (which sits on 5 acres of land) in 2015 -- and it's INSANE!!!

5 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms, 20 parking spaces, 5 fireplaces, pool, personal gym, rec room, outdoor organic herb/vegetable garden ... and it sits on the 9th hole of a fancy country club golf course!

In the video tour, posted by Tom's real estate agent, Beth Dickerson, you can also see some of the cool photos, art and game-worn helmets Tom has displayed around the home.

Bottom line ... this place is sick. Buy it if you can.

Oh, and one more question ... where do you think Tom will move next?

Brady's pal, Dana White, is trying to recruit him to the Las Vegas Raiders -- insisting TB12 could live in L.A. and commute to work.

Julian Edelman says he's been speaking with a Rabbi every week -- but he's not just praying for Tom Brady to stay in New England, he's about to get Bar Mitzvah'd!

The Patriots WR has previously described himself as "kind of Jewish" -- his father is Jewish but religion wasn't a big part of his upbringing.

But, the 33-year-old has started going to temple and leaning into his Jewish roots -- even telling L.A. Magazine's Allen Salkin, "I speak with a Rabbi every Friday."

“I converted pretty much. I’m going to have a Bar Mitzvah here soon," Edelman said.

FYI, a Bar Mitzvah is an important Jewish ceremony where a child formally becomes an adult in the eyes of the religion and is allowed to participate in Jewish rituals like reading from the Torah.

Most people have a Bar Mitzvah around the age of 13 -- but hey, better late than never right?!

Can you imagine the Bar Mitzvah party Edelman will throw? And what's he gonna do with the Bar Mitzvah money? Here's an idea ... give it to Tom in hopes he'll stay!

Mazel tov!

Here's Tom Brady getting recruited HARD to sign with the Las Vegas Raiders during a phone call with his good friend and business partner, Dana White ... and the video is epic!!!

White and Brady are pretty good friends -- and Tom is a minority owner of the UFC (which is based in Vegas) -- and when they spoke on the phone Wednesday, Dana livestreamed the whole convo on IG!!

And the hard sell was ON!!!!

"Now listen, the question everybody wants to know," Dana said to Tom ... "I'm a Boston guy through and through, I want you to go with the Patriots. But, let me make my last pitch, Las Vegas would LOVE to have you here with the Raiders!"

"The stadium -- the facility is incredible. The training facility that they have outside of Vegas is unbelievable. It's a 45-minute flight from L.A. Your kids and your family could live there and you could fly back and forth. We want you to come to the Raiders!"

Of course, Brady ain't exactly gone from New England yet -- but White made it clear, he'd love to be neighbors with the guy in Nevada if he is done as a Patriot.

So, did the recruiting efforts work? Tom wouldn't say ... telling White, "I know it's been a lot of patience for me. And, obviously being where I've been for 20 years, it's been an amazing experience and I don't know what the future holds right now."

"I'm just trying to be patient through this process. It's my first time going through it. And, in the meantime, I'm going to spend a lot of time with my family over the next 10-to-12 days and we've got a little vacation planned which I'm looking forward to."

Wonder what Derek Carr is thinking right about now ...

Tom Brady's coming back for another year with the Patriots -- or so says Julian Edelman, even though Tommy's face tells a much different story.

The two Pats stars were at the Syracuse-UNC basketball Saturday and while sitting next to Jimmy Fallon ... JE started (jokingly?) telling someone below them that TB was definitely coming back. You can read his lips pretty clearly, but read Tom's darting eyes more so.

He's got this forced, awkward grin on -- which to us says, "Hahaha, shut up, dude, 'cause you know I'm definitely not." ORRR, it could be, "Bruh, you're not supposed to say that out loud. Simmer down, Jules!" Watch to the end too ... Tom mouths something back.

The whole thing is a little cringe-worthy, TBH -- very Larry David-esque.

Now, here's the truth ... we still don't know what Tom's gonna do, but what we do know -- he's taking meetings with other teams and seems to seriously be considering bailing. He'd probably make a lot more money elsewhere, and an irreparable rift seems to have formed between him and Belichick.

Stay, go ... the people at the game didn't appear to care all that much, 'cause both Tom and Julian got booed when their mugs showed up on the jumbotron, even though Jimmy got a lot of love.

Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy says he's not worried ONE BIT about reports Tom Brady is looking to bail on NE ... saying, "There's a ZERO percent chance he's leaving!"

Of course, El Pres is a DIEHARD Patriots fan -- everybody knows that -- but he also knows Tom and a bunch of other important people in the Patriots organization. Dude's plugged in.

So, when we saw Portnoy on the streets of NYC we had to ask if he had any inside info on the Brady drama.

"Listen! Tom Brady is not going anywhere," Portnoy says ... "Anybody who says he's going anywhere is an idiot!!"

He added, "The Patriots offer [Brady] the best chance to win the Super Bowl. They're offering him the most money or close to it. He just wants to feel wanted which I don't blame him!"

"Mark my words, there's a ZERO-POINT-ZERO-POINT-ZERO percent chance he's leaving New England. Zero! it may be less than zero!"

And here ... we ... go!!!!

Tom Brady might really be on his way outta Foxborough ... 'cause his agents have been busy meeting with potential suitors while in Indy for the NFL Combine, this according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Talks of TB12 leaving the Patriots intensified on Thursday ... with ESPN's Jeff Darlington going as far as to say he'd be very surprised if the 6-time champ returned to New England.

Now, the NFL Network is naming names ... with Rapoport saying the Colts, Raiders and Chargers have met with Brady's longtime agents, Don Yee and Carter Chow, about their superstar client.

In fact, TMZ Sports spoke with Brady's old teammate, Willie McGinest, who also believed the 42-year-old QB could either retire or end up elsewhere ... so don't be shocked if it actually happens.

As for Brady ... he's probably gonna troll the hell outta everybody until he makes his decision -- whether it be Hulu ads or triggering comments on Keenan Allen's IG posts.

Take a deep breath, Pats fans ... and remember the man brought you 6 rings.

Also, if you think Pats owner Robert Kraft is simply going to let Tom walk out the door without making a solid effort to re-sign him, you clearly didn't watch our shaky, hard-to-hear 12-second BOMBSHELL clip from a few weeks ago.

Originally Published -- 1:12 PM PT

"His game is as good as it's ever been."

That's Brett Favre saying he hasn't seen ANY decline in Tom Brady at 42 years old ... telling TMZ Sports TB12's teammates deserve most of the blame for his down year.

"I saw a quarterback still able to do what he normally does but the cast around him was not up to par," Favre says ...

"How many times did we see Tom frustrated this year because guys were not on the same page?"

Tom posted a near career-low 88.0 QB rating this past season ... and his Pats didn't make a deep postseason run for the first time in YEARS.

But, Favre tells us a TB12 decline wasn't the reason for that at all ... saying he believes Tom still consistently showed the same tools that made him the game's G.O.A.T.

"I didn't see any decline in his arm strength," Favre says.

Still, Favre acknowledges Brady might be moving on from the Pats after this season ... and as someone who famously left Green Bay toward the end of his career, he spoke with us about what Tom's mindset could be heading into this offseason.

So, we saw Bill Belichick leaving Prime 112 in Miami over the weekend with his girlfriend, Linda Holliday ... and when we asked about Tom Brady's future, SHE CRACKED UP!

Obviously Bill ain't about to spill the tea on his QB in the middle of the street -- and everyone knows it -- but Linda's reaction to our photog's effort made us laugh.

"You know he's not gonna answer," Linda told us while fighting through the laughter. She was super nice and ultimately correct -- but hey ... she warned us!

Belichick and Holliday were leaving a night out with Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia, who spent years working under Belichick as part of the Patriots coaching staff.

The two are still super close.

As for Tom Brady, the 42-year-old made a commercial for Hulu claiming he's "not going anywhere" -- but many believe there's a very real chance he leaves the Patriots.

So, where could he end up?

There are reports the Las Vegas Raiders are making a serious push to get TB12 -- and there are rumblings the Tennessee Titans are also in the mix as a possible landing spot.

Tom Brady's cryptic photo at the stadium was cleared during the Super Bowl -- he's getting paid by Hulu, and probably not retiring from the NFL ... the latter, we already sorta knew.

TB12 was the star of a new Hulu commercial that was a red herring for his future in the NFL. He plugged the hell out of the streaming service, but ended the ad with a pretty declarative statement ... "I'm not going anywhere," which could be interpreted a couple ways.

So yeah, all that in/out of the tunnel intrigue he sparked turned out to be nothing more than promoting Hulu ... and, at the very least, he'll likely play again next year.

That's not really news though -- tons of folks, including NFL insiders and reporters, suspected he wouldn't hang it up this year. The question now ... where's he gonna play???

The Hulu ad didn't offer much in terms of an answer, and Tom himself was pretty tight-lipped about the subject when we ran into him heading into Hard Rock Stadium Sunday. He was gracious with us, saying he just wanted to watch football today. So be it, G.O.A.T.

Of course, the guy's got options. Reports surfaced this weekend that the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders would be in the hunt for Tommy if he became a free agent.

Chandler Jones says chill the hell out -- there's no puzzle to solve in Tom Brady's mysterious photo that had everyone trippin' on Thursday ... "Tom's not going anywhere!!!"

Of course, Chandler spent 4 seasons with the New England Patriots before being traded to the Cardinals in 2016 -- and he's still friendly with a bunch of guys on the team.

So, when we saw him out at the Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest in Miami Thursday night, we had to know if Jones had any insight on TB12's career plans!!

"Sounds like he's about to go head out for practice or something. I wouldn't buy too much into it. Tom has some more years left in him for sure. Don't buy into that."

Jones continued ... "I don't see him playing with anyone else. I really don't. Tom's not going anywhere. I'd be surprised. We'll all be surprised but I don't think he's going anywhere."

Another person who's trying to keep Tom in Boston is Pats owner Robert Kraft who told us just last week they "plan to" have Brady back in the fold for the 2020 season.

There have been rumblings the 42-year-old QB is interested in playing for the Tennessee Titans -- since the team is stacked and Tom's close with head coach Mike Vrabel.

So, is Chandler right? Are people making a big deal out of nothing?

Tom Brady made people lose their damn minds on Thursday ... by posting a possibly ominous message for New England Patriots fans.

The foreboding photo shows a shadowy figure (we're assuming it's TB12, but who knows at this point) walking in the tunnel at a stadium. It's dramatic as hell.

But the big mystery -- is Brady walking IN to the tunnel, or is he walking OUT to the field??

Depending on the direction, it could be bad news for the Pats -- there have been rumors Brady is ready to move on to another franchise ... and this may be a way for him to soften the blow for New England.

Remember, we spoke with Pats owner Robert Kraft last week ... and he said "the plan" was to bring Brady back next season.

TB12 is a free agent ... but that doesn't necessarily mean he's going anywhere. The dude very well could be messing with all of us for fun.

So we gotta ask ...