NFL

Earl Thomas is getting some superhero support from one of his biggest fans ... Chris Pratt ... who tells TMZ Sports he's praying for the injured Seahawks safety to get well soon.

Thomas broke his leg against the Panthers on Sunday -- and has been contemplating retirement ever since.

Pratt says he'll support whatever decision Thomas makes -- and wants the superstar to know how much he appreciated watching him play.

Question is ... do the Hawks still have a shot at the Super Bowl without ET?

They're single. They're famous. They're rich.

And now, Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott are getting an unofficial invitation to be the next stars of "The Bachelor" ... courtesy of the show's host, Chris Harrison.

File Under: Awwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!

Here's New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman holding his brand new baby daughter Lily -- the first time he's gone public about the kid.

Johnny Manziel is convinced Lamar Jackson will win the Heisman Trophy on Saturday -- but when we asked if he should take his career to Cleveland ... Johnny turned into Dikembe Mutombo!

The ex-NFL quarterback is back in L.A. after celebrating his 24th bday in Miami this week -- and hit up Catch (the hottest restaurant in town) with a few friends.

We talked about Cam Newton and Lamar ... but when the topic turned to Cleveland, it's clear Manziel wants Lamar to steer clear of the Browns.

The last time we talked Cleveland with Manziel, seemed he was on better terms ... saying he wishes them all the best but knows he'll never play there again.

Tony Gonzalez isn't buying Cam Newton's missing shirt excuse ... telling TMZ Sports Newton's tie-less controversy had less to do with wardrobe and more do with plain old entitlement.

We got Gonzalez out at LAX and asked him what he thought of TieGate ... Cam Newton being benched for the start of last week's game for not abiding by team wardrobe rules.

Newton said it was a simple mix-up -- he didn't pack another shirt -- but it's clear Gonzalez thinks it's deeper than that ... saying Newton was trying to put one over on his team and organization.

3:17 PM PT -- Cops now suspect Salaam's death was suicide and say a note has been recovered at the scene.

Officials have still not released the cause of death.

Ex-Heisman Trophy winner Rashaan Salaam -- a superstar running back for the Colorado Buffaloes -- has died at age 42 ... his family confirmed.

Officials tell TMZ Sports ... Salaam's body was discovered in a parking lot at Eben G. Fine Park in Boulder, Colorado late Monday night.

We're told there were no obvious signs of foul play. An autopsy is scheduled to be performed.

Salaam won the Heisman in 1994 -- beating out guys like Steve McNair, Warren Sapp and Kerry Collins.

He was later drafted by the Bears in the 1st round of the 1995 Draft but only spent a few seasons in the NFL.

Salaam went on to run an organization dedicated to helping underprivileged kids.

The Oakland Raiders offensive line got a celebratory night out courtesy of their QB and RB -- with Derek Carr and Latavius Murray springin' for tickets to Monday night's Warriors game!

And talk about timing ... the game turned out to be insane -- with Klay Thompson dropping 60 points in 3 quarters.

Of course, the guys made sure to get a pic with Klay after the game.

Kevin Durant's mom, Wanda, was also at the game -- and got her pic with Derek Carr ... the "Real MVP" meeting the next NFL MVP???

Enough with the flags ... if NFL players wanna celebrate with props, LET 'EM CELEBRATE ... so says NY Giants wide out Victor Cruz.

With the NFL is cracking down on celebrations this year, Cruz says fans just want to see more FUN on the field (he's right) ... and letting players go all Ochocinco would be a huge step in the right direction!

Tim Tebow made an 89-year-old superfan's LIFE ... when he surprised her in Georgia and even let her kiss him on the face!

Johnny Manziel turns 24 on Tuesday ... and he's celebrating with a relaxing, peaceful vacation in Miami.

Just kidding ... he's pounding booze at 8 AM.

The ex-NFL quarterback has been partying in Miami for the past couple days -- probably because Miami is poppin' right now due to the Art Basel event that takes over the city.

He's dancing on yachts, he's hanging with celebs, he's been chillin' at fancy hotels.

Well, at least one guy isn't trashing the Rams for signing Jeff Fisher to a contract ... NFL/reality star Kroy Biermann, who thinks the guy actually deserved his 2 year contract extension.

Despite the fact they're 4-7 and BRUTAL to watch ... news broke over the weekend that Fisher will stick around as the main man in L.A. for the next 2 seasons.

Some fans and critics (including Eric Dickerson) are pissed ... but not Kroy. He likes the move.

Then again, he's also looking for a new team.

Dak Prescott shouldn't even THINK about holding out for a massive contract after his insane rookie season ... so says Colin Cowherd, who says playing hardball is a bad move for the QB.

The "Speak For Yourself" co-host was leaving a benefit for the Iraq And Afghanistan Veterans of America this weekend -- when he told us it might take another season for Dak to get the big money.

FYI, Dak is obviously still under his rookie contract -- 4 years, $2.7 million.

His backup, Tony Romo, signed a 6 year, $108 MILLION contract extension in 2013.

Tony is reportedly making $20.8 MILLION this season. Dak is making about $545k.

But with injuries always a possibility in the NFL, should Dak hold out to get that FAT starting QB money before he steps on the field for another season?

Here's pics and vids of the Dallas Cowboys continuing their epic winning streak OFF THE FIELD ... showing up to a couple Texas children's hospitals to spread Xmas cheer to some brave little tykes.

The whole gang included Dak, Zeke, Dez, Witten, and Romo -- and from the looks of the photos taken Monday morning, the whole team scored with the kids.

Great to see the guys spread a little joy ... and also great to see that kids still remember what Romo looks like without the clipboard in his hand.

#Yuletide.

Here it is ... the moment Panthers head coach Ron Rivera confronted Cam Newton about his dress code violation before the team trip to Seattle ... and TMZ Sports has the video.

It all went down on Saturday at the bay area hotel where the team had been staying since playing the Raiders in Oakland the previous weekend.

After the players and coaches had boarded their buses to go to the airport to head to Seattle to play the Seahawks ... Rivera got off his bus, went to Cam's bus, and pulled Cam off for a 1 on 1 convo.

We're told this was the moment Rivera confronted Cam about his dress code violation -- not wearing a tie on travel day.

You can see the look on Cam's face ... he's obviously disappointed and retreats back to the bus.

Cam was benched for the first series of the game on Sunday as punishment.

After the game, Cam explained, "I didn't follow dress code, and Coach told me I wasn't going to start. I stand by his decision."

NFL great Fran Tarkenton says athletes who turn down an invitation to Trump's White House are "disrespectful" and "stupid" ... adding, "Nobody boycotted Obama 'cause he's black, did they?"

Take a deep breath, Patriots fans!! Losing Rob Gronkowski isn't the end of the world ... so says New England legend Troy Brown, who thinks the Pats are still Super Bowl bound THIS YEAR.

Gronk had season-ending surgery on his back Friday ... leaving the folks in Foxborough worried about their chances at the team's 5th Lombardi trophy.

But Brown -- a member of the Patriots Hall of Fame -- says New England is so used to players like Jacoby Brissett and Jimmy Garoppolo coming off the bench and dominating, the "next man up" concept is part of the team's DNA.

"That football team was great before Gronk, it was great with Gronk, and they're probably going to be great without him."