NFL

Todd Gurley is going to bat for his teammate ... telling TMZ Sports the L.A. Rams should pay Jalen Ramsey the fat contract he deserves ASAP!!!

"He's a Pro Bowler!" Gurley told us in NYC on Friday. "Pro Bowler, man."

L.A. traded a HUGE haul to the Jaguars for Ramsey earlier this season to get him to Hollywood ... but the corner has repeatedly said he won't play in 2020 without a new deal.

And, Jalen's made no bones about how much he wants in his new contract -- remember when he showed up to Jacksonville camp last July in a Brinks truck???

Yeah, dude's looking for THAT kind of money!!!

But, when we asked Gurley -- who was leaving the NBA store after buying a 76ers hat to show support for Michael Rubin -- about it all, he told us Ramsey's worth every penny of it ... saying, "Of course he is!"

There's more ... we also asked Todd about the shine coming off of Sean McVay after his Super Bowl season a year ago -- and Gurley says he's not worried about his head coach at all.

If Tua Tagovailoa is still on the board when the Falcons draft this spring, should Atlanta take him???

That's what we asked Julio Jones out at LAX on Friday ... and he told us straight-up, "We've got our franchise quarterback there in Matt Ryan."

Of course, Matty Ice wasn't the reason ATL was a disappointing 7-9 this season ... but some rumblings are starting to grow about how much the 34-year-old QB has left in the tank.

Seems his star receiver thinks PLENTY ... but Jones also told us he would understand if the Falcons did choose a signal-caller with the No. 16 overall pick in April.

"The general manager, he got to do his thing," Jones said.

As for the future of his Falcons coming off a down year ... Julio doesn't seem worried a repeat of 2019 is on the way, telling us the key to ATL's success is to just stay healthy.

O.J. Simpson's hell-bent on going to trial with The Cosmopolitan, and he's evoking the name of Meek Mill to plead his case ... according to new legal docs.

Juice is trying to avoid arbitration in his lawsuit against the Las Vegas hotel -- in which he claims he was defamed -- because he argues the Cosmo's history of "intentionally and recklessly attacking well-known public figures by placing them in a false light and defaming them" warrants a jury trial.

Simpson refers to the rapper in the docs as "another African American public figure" who was defamed by The Cosmopolitan, and says the hotel was "forced to apologize" only because Meek went public with his grievances.

Essentially, O.J. wants to go public with his as well ... which is why he seeks to put the kibosh on a much more private arbitration process. According to the docs ... he also expects a jury to award him much more money in punitive damages.

As you'll recall ... Simpson was banned from Cosmo in 2017 just weeks after his prison release for allegedly being drunk and disruptive. He claims he was neither drunk nor belligerent and was falsely accused.

Meek Mill, on the other hand, was threatened with an arrest by the hotel back in May for trespassing. The rapper accused Cosmo of going to "extreme racist levels" to keep black entertainers off its property.

Tim Tebow will get yet another shot to play in the big leagues ... the NY Mets just announced they invited the former NFL QB to their spring training camp for the 4th straight year.

Tebow's been trying to make it to The Show since 2016 ... when he decided to quit playing football to pursue the chance of being the MLB's next big slugger.

But, the road has been pretty rocky for the former Heisman Trophy winner ... in the 2016 and 2017 seasons in the Mets' minor league system, he stunk up the diamond.

2018 was MUCH more promising for the ex-NFL first-round pick ... he batted .273 and hit 6 home runs in 84 games -- but his year was cut short because of a broken hand.

Last season, meanwhile, was another down year for Tim ... he batted just .163 in 77 games and was forced to miss most of the season yet again because of another hand injury.

But, the Mets seem determined to give him every chance in the world to make their Opening Day roster ... 'cause the invite they handed down to him Friday is no joke.

Tebow was 1 of 8 non-roster invitees to the Mets' 2020 Spring Training camp ... and the other seven dudes that got the coveted honor are LEGIT prospects.

So, with Tebow being treated like one of the org's best ... could this be the year he gets Big League ABs???

Did you know ... Philadelphia Eagles QB Carson Wentz has a super-customized green Dodge Challenger, with his jersey number etched into the seats?!

It's true ... but now he's parting with his pimped out whip and it could be yours if you've got $150,000 to spend!

Wentz has decided to sell off his 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon Coupe -- which features a SuperCharged 6.2-liter HEMI SRT V8 engine.

If that's too shop-talky for you ... here's what you need to know -- it can do a quarter mile in 9.65 seconds and has a top speed of 199 mph!!!

Unclear when Wentz got the car but it seems he's selling it because his wife's pregnant and they don't feel it's an appropriate family vehicle. Asking price, $149,984.

The good news, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Wentz's AO1 Foundation -- a religious-based charity that helps various groups of people, from special needs children to impoverished communities.

"Screw you, motherf**ker! You suck too! Hey! You suck too, motherf**ker!!!"

That's Texans head coach Bill O'Brien going absolutely ballistic on a heckler during the Broncos game earlier this season ... and the EPIC rant was all caught on video!!!

Houston fans were pretty pissed off at their team during their Dec. 8 game -- when the Texans were down 31-3 at half -- and one fan decided to let O'Brien hear it in the team's tunnel.

As the coach was on his way back to the locker room with star quarterback Deshaun Watson -- you can hear a man clearly yell "YOU SUCK!" at the guys.

That's when 50-year-old Billy O went OFF ... turning toward the fan and unleashing a tirade for the ages!!!

"You suck too!" O'Brien screamed. "F**k you!"

You can see in the video, star receiver DeAndre Hopkins tried to break up the scene ... but that didn't stop O'Brien from firing at the heckler, "Go the f**k home, motherf**ker!"

Clearly, there are much happier times in Houston these days ... since that blowup loss -- the Texans have gone 3-1, including a massive playoff win over Buffalo last weekend.

And, of course, the team is now just two wins away from its first-EVER Super Bowl appearance.

Which begs the question ... wonder how the heckler's feelin' now?

Derrick Henry wanted to give a lil' "thank you" gift to his offensive line for making him look so damn good ... and nothing shows gratitude like a BRAND NEW ROLEX!!!

Of course, the Tennessee Titans just beat Tom Brady and the Patriots in the AFC Wildcard game 20-13 ... and Henry went BEAST MODE in that game with 182 yards and a TD!

Obviously, Henry couldn't have done it without his lineman --- so the Titans RB showed up to practice with a Rolex for each of 'em ... and they went CRAZY!!!

"Appreciate you big dog!!!" Titans guard Jamil Douglas told Henry.

This is not the first time the 26-year old hooked his line up. Last January, he gifted 'em custom diamond chains after he ran for 238 yards against the Jaguars!

Longtime NFL executive Marc Ross says the "Rooney Rule" is a "mockery" and a "sham" and if it isn't fixed, talented minority coaches will continue to be overlooked.

If you're not familiar with Ross ... he has 21 years of front office experience and was most recently the NY Giants VP of Player Evaluation. Ross was responsible for helping draft players like Odell Beckham Jr., Landon Collins, and Jason Pierre-Paul.

In December 2017, Ross interviewed for Big Blues general manager job after the organization fired Jerry Reese.

Ross didn't get the gig ... and he says that's not the only time he's interviewed and been passed over for a GM job.

In fact, Ross -- who graduated from Princeton and was at one time the youngest college scouting director in the NFL (27 years old) -- says he interviewed 12 times for the position ... but was never hired.

So, why are we talking about this?

The NFL's "Rooney Rule" has been under major scrutiny this off-season after all but 1 (Ron Rivera in Washington) of the available head coaching jobs went to white coaches.

The Rooney Rule is a policy that was instituted in 2003 ... which mandated all teams interview a minority candidate prior to hiring a coach or GM.

In theory, it was designed to help minorities land jobs ... but Ross says it clearly hasn't worked.

"The intent of it was to put minority candidates in front of the owners and think that once the owners saw these candidates that were qualified and capable of the job that they would start hiring them," Ross tells us.

"The problem was that the owners already in their mind, for the most part, knew who they wanted to hire and were just going through the routine of interviewing a minority candidate without any true intentions of making them a viable candidate for the job, so it turned to just kind of a mockery or a sham."

Ross says although the Rooney Rule hasn't been effective, it's not a complete lost cause ... but changes need to be made.

Did you know Todd Gurley could party like a frat star!??!

Neither did we ... until Wednesday night -- when the L.A. Rams running back chugged beers and bro'd down with Dodgers stars at the L.A. Kings game!!!

The video of Gurley throughout the night was more entertaining than the actual on-ice action ... 'cause the 25-year-old lived it up in on-the-glass seats for the Kings-Stars game at Staples Center.

Ya gotta watch the clip ... Gurley rages his face off, throws back some suds and even gets into a chug-off with Dodgers players Gavin Lux, Matt Beaty and Kody Hoese.

IT WAS AWESOME!!!

But the best part? Arena cameras broadcast almost all of it on the jumbotron!!!!

Of course, Gurley and the Dodgers could use the booze ... both squads had rough seasons, with the Rams missing the playoffs and the Dodgers exiting the postseason early.

As for if their antics helped the Kings ... not really, 'cause L.A. lost to Dallas 2-1.

"We’ve been rewarded with something that the scoreboard won’t show -- the satisfaction of knowing we gave everything to each other in pursuit of a common goal."

That's Tom Brady trying to sugarcoat one of the most disappointing seasons in recent Patriots memory -- saying the bond with his teammates is helping to make up for the lack of a Super Bowl ring.

TB12 just penned a sappy end-of-the-season letter to his teammates and fans ... thanking everyone for supporting him over "the past two decades."

Don't worry, it doesn't read like a goodbye note ... but it doesn't read like an "I'm Definitely Coming Back" note either.

Here's the message in full ...

"I just wanted to say to all of our fans, THANK YOU! After a few days of reflection, I am so grateful and humbled by the unconditional support you have shown me the past two decades."

"Running out of that tunnel every week is a feeling that is hard to explain. I wish every season ended in a win, but that’s not the nature of sports (or life). Nobody plays to lose. But the reward for working hard is just that, the work!!"

"I have been blessed to find a career I love, teammates who go to battle with me, an organization that believes in me, and fans who have been behind us every step of the way."

"Every one of us that works at Gillette Stadium strived to do their best, spent themselves at a worthy cause, and prepared to fail while daring greatly (h/t Teddy Roosevelt). And for that, we’ve been rewarded with something that the scoreboard won’t show - the satisfaction of knowing we gave everything to each other in pursuit of a common goal. That is what TEAM is all about."

"In both life and football, failure is inevitable. You dont always win. You can, however, learn from that failure, pick yourself up with great enthusiasm, and place yourself in the arena again."

"And that’s right where you will find me. Because I know I still have more to prove."

The rappers are already lining up to work with Antonio Brown after the NFL superstar released his first-ever music video ... with O.T. Genasis saying he wants to get in the studio with AB!!!

As we previously reported, the All-Pro receiver just dropped his rap single "Whole Lotta Money" ... which is about ... well, you know.

TMZ Sports spoke with the "Big Shot" rapper at LAX to get a critique on the track ... and while he doesn't hate it, O.T. says there's some major room for improvement.

"It's not bad," O.T. tells us. "He needs a little bit of tweakin' on his verses at least."

O.T. added ... "It's dope, the cadence is dope."

How dope is it??? Dope enough for the guy behind the insanely huge hit, "CoCo" to actually willingly hit the studio with AB as long as he keeps working on his craft.

We asked O.T. to give us a rating out of 10 ... to which he says "4.5" BUT "with a possibility of an 8."

O.T. gets real for a second and says it's gonna be tough for AB to be taken seriously because people will view him as a football player, but admits there's one athlete who was able to pull off a straight-up banger.

And, just like AB ... the song is about money.

Terrell Owens says now that the Dallas Cowboys have fired Jason Garrett ... they only need to do 1 more thing to get back to Super Bowl glory -- DITCH DAK FOR TOM BRADY!!!

TO made the shocking statement on the "Joe, Lo & Dibs" show on 95.7 The Game on Tuesday ... claiming Jerry Jones is just one TB12 away from getting Dallas its 6th ring.

"They have a quarterback that's a free agent in Tom Brady. That's the next move."

Owens says he has a rationale behind his wild thinking ... saying the fact that Prescott STILL doesn't have a contract speaks volumes to the way Jerry Jones feels about the QB.

"He hasn't extended Dak's contract. So, that leads me to believe he truly doesn't believe in Dak. If he had, then I think he would have already got a contract extension."

Of course, Owens' recommendation to Jerry will probably never go down ... Dak seems destined for the franchise tag this offseason, while Tom would likely retire before leaving New England to play in Dallas.

Katherine Webb says she gave up fame and her celebrity lifestyle to have kids with Houston Texans QB AJ McCarron ... and she says she'd "do it all again in a heartbeat."

Tuesday is the 7-year anniversary of when Webb exploded into the national spotlight after Brent Musberger famously fawned over her during the Alabama-Notre Dame National Championship Game broadcast.

The moment was as memorable as any from the game itself ... Musberger famously said of McCarron's then-GF, "Wow! I'm tellin' ya, you quarterbacks, you get all the good-looking women! What a beautiful woman!"

Webb turned the viral moment into a pretty successful career ... scoring a spot in Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue and appearances in commercials and reality TV shows.

But, in a series of social media posts Tuesday, Webb said she gave all of it up to marry McCarron and start a family with the NFL quarterback.

"I quit 'Hollywood' shortly after because I realized I genuinely hated being 'famous' and having my personal life out there so much," Webb said.

"I gave it all up to marry my forever love and have my boys and I would do it all again in a heartbeat."

Webb and AJ have been married since 2014 ... and their two boys are now 3 years old and 1 year old.

Michael Irvin says he's dressed in all black to "mourn" the death of Jason Garrett's run with the Dallas Cowboys ... though he admits Jerry Jones made the right decision to fire him.

Mike and Garrett go wayyy back -- like decades -- and Irvin says he still considers the ex-Cowboys coach to be a "very good friend."

But, when it comes to the Cowboys, Irvin -- who we talked to from the set of "Inside The NFL" -- says the team simply needs new leadership ... and he thinks Mike McCarthy could be the key to a Super Bowl.

In fact, Irvin compares the Cowboys to the Golden State Warriors.

"When [head coach] Mark Jackson left the Warriors, everything they needed to win championships was there. And, Steve Kerr came in and put in the right system that fit the talent, gave them the right leeways and brought the best out of everybody and they went on to start winning a lot of championships."

"I'm looking for Mike McCarthy to 'Kerr' the situation."

Super Bowl champ Jay Ajayi is taking his talents to video games ... 'cause the NFL running back is becoming a professional FIFA 20 player!!

The 26-year-old Pro Bowler and current free agent is staying competitive in a different sport by officially signing with the Philadelphia Union for the 2020 eMLS Cup campaign.

Ajayi addressed the move in a statement, saying, "Philadelphia will always hold a special place in my heart. I am blessed to be able to represent the city through e-sports and to be one of the first pro athletes to become a professional gamer."

"Representing the Philadelphia Union for eMLS combines two of my greatest passions outside of football, soccer and gaming. I’m a competitor, so you’re going to see me give my all for the Union at every eMLS event this year."

Tons of traditional mainstream athletes are becoming serious gamers -- with NBA stars like Gordon Hayward, Karl-Anthony Towns and De'Aaron Fox showing off REAL skills on the sticks.

And, with legends like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal, Alex Rodriguez and other guys INVESTING in Esports, you might see other pro stars making the jump, too!

As for Ajayi, he's not giving up his NFL career just yet -- he briefly played with the Philadelphia Eagles at the beginning of the 2019 season before getting cut.

Jamal Lewis says he's giving the slight edge to his 2000 Ravens team in a hypothetical matchup against this year's Baltimore squad -- and it's all 'cause of Ray Lewis!

We got the ex-Ravens RB out at LAX on Monday and we just had to ask ... who would win in a tilt -- his 2000 Baltimore Super Bowl team, or this season's squad?

Of course, the '00 Ravens are considered one of the greatest of all-time ... with their defense STACKED with legends.

But, this year's Ravens team is also considered one of the best ever -- mostly because of Lamar Jackson's insane running ability.

So, who would win? Lewis says he's pretty sure it'd be a stalemate ... but then appeared to give his old team the advantage.

"We did have Ray Lewis," Jamal said with a laugh, "So, we might be able to stop Lamar."

Of course, the hypothetical matchup will only be a thing if the Ravens can finish off this year. They get the Tennessee Titans on Saturday and will likely have to play the KC Chiefs for a spot in the Super Bowl the following week.