NFL

DeAndre Hopkins meant so much to the City of Houston, the MAYOR has penned a tribute to the star WR ... essentially saying he was EVEN MORE productive off the field!

"[DeAndre Hopkins] was true to his roots on and off the field," Mayor Sylvester Turner said on social media ... "He worked to uplift our communities & invested to ensure our children had the chance to learn all sports."

"I appreciate his incredible athleticism & sportsmanship while with the Houston Texans. #ThanksDeAndreHopkins."

Hopkins -- who was traded to the Arizona Cardinals on Monday -- was VERY active in the Houston community. In fact, earlier this year D-Hop donated $45k worth of furniture, home appliances and electronics to The Women's Home in Houston.

He was also a regular with various Houston children's charities, hospital functions and other organizations.

There will be no Tom Brady-like departure from New Orleans for Drew Brees ... the future Hall of Famer just agreed to a $50 MILLION deal that'll keep him a Saint for life ... probably.

The contract is a 2-year extension for the Saints' G.O.A.T. ... and at 41 years old, it's probably safe to assume this will be the final one of his NFL career.

And, it came with a bit of a discount for the hometown team ... at $25 MIL per season, the former Super Bowl MVP is underpaid when compared to the league's other top QBs.

Of course, the deal comes as no surprise ... Brees has made it clear every step of the way this offseason he would rather retire than play for another team in 2020.

As for what Brees has left in the tank ... when we got his head coach, Sean Payton, out at the Super Bowl last month -- he told us PLENTY.

"Listen," Payton said, "I think he's playing at a high level."

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."

Amari Cooper is a VERY rich man today -- dude just agreed to a $100 MILLION deal with the Cowboys ... but could he have gotten EVEN MORE to spurn Dallas for its rivals?!!?

Yes ... because according to multiple reports -- the superstar wideout turned down "significantly" more cash from the Washington Redskins on Monday!!

As for why ... Coop's made no real attempt to hide it -- he loves Dak Prescott and Dallas -- and the fact that he logged more than 1,000 yards in his 2nd season with the Cowboys didn't hurt either.

Of course, $20 MIL per season -- with $60 MIL guaranteed -- wasn't exactly a hometown discount ... only 3 receivers in the history of the league have topped those numbers -- Odell Beckham ($65M), Julio Jones ($64M) and Michael Thomas ($60.5M).

As for all those Dallas fans who had to sweat until the deal was officially agreed to on Monday ... this wasn't THAT hard to see coming.

Remember, TMZ Sports broke the story ... just days after Cooper's first season with the Cowboys ended, he got a diamond pendant immortalizing his 1st games in Dallas.

Yeah, you don't do that just to leave for the rival a year later.

Derrick Henry didn't get the contract he wanted from the Titans this month ... but he sure as hell got a dope chain regardless -- coppin' an $85K piece to honor his hero, Kobe Bryant.

TMZ Sports has learned Henry grew up a huge fan of the Mamba ... and shortly after the Lakers legend's death in January, Derrick hit up ZoFrost to have tribute drip made.

As you can see, the jeweler -- who's worked with NFL stars like Lamar Jackson, Deshaun Watson and Earl Thomas this past year -- created a SICK piece for the Tennessee RB.

The chain and pendant features a mamba snake wrapped around Kobe's famous logo ... and we're told it holds approximately 35 CTs of diamonds.

We're also told the bling weighs a stunning 120 grams ... and all told, is worth $85,000.

We know what you're thinking ... but don't worry, even though Henry hasn't gotten a long-term deal from the Titans yet, the franchise tag they put on him this week is still set to pay him around $12 MILLION this season.

By the way, Henry ain't the only NFL star to get sick ice from ZoFrost this month ... remember the insane Bruce Lee piece Kyler Murray had made for him last week?

The best receiver in the NFL was just traded ... for a 28-year-old running back!?!?

Yup, that just happened ... DeAndre Hopkins was sent packing from the Texans to the Cardinals for David Johnson -- and it's got everybody wondering, WHAT THE HELL IS BILL O'BRIEN DOING?!

The stud receiver -- a 27-year-old, 3-time All-Pro who was on a VERY team-friendly deal -- was traded along with a 4th-round pick just minutes into the league's legal tampering window Monday.

And, in return, O'Brien's Texans reportedly received Johnson, a 2nd-rounder this year and a fourth-rounder next year ... and the move is being universally panned on social media.

As for why ... if you're unfamiliar, Johnson has just 1,308 rushing yards in the last 3 seasons combined -- and was benched last year in Arizona in favor of Kenyan Drake.

Hopkins, meanwhile, has recorded at least 96 catches and 1,165 receiving yards in each of the past 3 years.

Yeah, not a great look for the Texans!!

Also, you'll recall ... O'Brien was the architect behind the trades that cost the Texans two first-round picks (in the Laremy Tunsil swap), and JaDeveon Clowney this past season.

Tyrann Mathieu is going to bat for Derrick Henry ... roasting the Tennessee Titans for choosing to sign Ryan Tannehill to a longterm deal instead of paying the workhorse RB.

"Damn they paid the QB but the RB who made the QB job 75% lighter he don’t get no love," the Honey Badger said Monday. "Boy it’s cold."

The Titans inked Tannehill to a monster deal Sunday ... agreeing to terms on a 4-year, $118 MILLION extension -- but chose not to pay Henry with a big contract as well.

Instead, the team will reportedly place the franchise tag on Derrick ... guaranteeing him only roughly $12 million for 2020.

It ain't exactly pennies ... but for comparison, Ezekiel Elliott -- who Henry outrushed last season by nearly 200 yards -- will make $15 mil next season with plenty more guaranteed for the following years.

"Thank god that man come from a good family," Mathieu said of Henry.

Of course, Tennessee can still get a longterm deal done with Derrick eventually this offseason ... although it seems unlikely, considering how paying RBs have worked out for NFL teams the past few years (sorry, Rams, Falcons and Cardinals).

Here's a challenge for you ...

Try watching this awesome video of Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Cre'von LeBlanc surprising his mom with a brand new car for her birthday -- and DON'T think about coronavirus!

It's impossible!! But, we'll try ...

LeBlanc's story is amazing -- he was an undrafted free agent who was cut by 3 teams before catching on with the Eagles. He's growing into a stud cornerback and will probably sign a big contract one day, but he ain't exactly drippin' in cash yet.

Still, he decided to treat his mom to a brand new Jaguar for her birthday -- and made sure his friends and fam were standing by to catch the action!

But, all we can think about is ... SOCIAL DISTANCING!! Don't hug! Air high-fives maybe!?!

Make sure to wipe down the inside of the car before Mama gets inside!!!

Of course, LeBlanc's mom was THRILLED over the gift -- saying, "Thank you, Lord!"

25-year-old LeBlanc is obviously close with his mom. His father passed away when he was only a sophomore in high school.

"You deserve the world and much more," LeBlanc wrote on social media ... "I know we have been thru a lot and I'm here to relieve some of dat pain. enjoy ya new ride."

How'd Kyler Murray cap off an amazing first season in the NFL??

BY COPPING AN INSANE Bruce Lee DIAMOND PENDANT, BABY!!!

TMZ Sports has learned the Arizona Cardinals star QB hit up ZoFrostAndCo shortly after winning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, to have a sick chain made.

Murray -- who's posted inspirational quotes from Lee throughout his football and baseball career -- asked for a diamond piece of the famous mixed martial artist ... and ZoFrost sure delivered.

We're told the ice features 40 carats of diamonds with approximately 7,800 stones ... and, all told, the drip weighs in at a whopping 330 grams.

As for the price, we've learned it was $95,000 ... but, don't worry, Murray can afford it -- he's in the middle of a 4-year, $35 MIL contract as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Roddy White says Falcons fans asking the team to move on from Matt Ryan are a bunch of idiots ... telling TMZ Sports, "That's just crazy to me, man!"

"Move on for what?!" White told us out at LAX this week. "What you going to move on to?!"

The 34-year-old QB is still in the middle of a 5-year, $150 MILLION contract ... but there's been a growing rumble from some fans in Atlanta that say it's time to find his replacement.

When we asked White about that Tuesday, he told us he thinks that's crazy, saying, "He owns every [Falcons] record for a quarterback up to this point, which is ridiculous."

"Passing yards, completion percentage, all that stuff. So for people to say that, man, that's just crazy to me, man!"

Ryan had a solid season last year ... throwing for 4,466 yards, 26 TDs and just 14 picks -- but his team went 7-9 for the second straight season.

That's led a lot of people to wonder if Dan Quinn should draft a QB in the 1st round next month ... but White says no way.

"We don't have time for that, man," White says. "We're trying to win Super Bowls."

FYI ... Ryan's star teammate, Julio Jones, agreed with White when we asked him back in January about possibly drafting Tua Tagovailoa.

There's more ... Roddy also explained to us why he thinks the XFL has a real chance to succeed -- and he also clowned the hell out the Rams' rumored new logo.

Chiefs Kingdom is getting yet another huge assist from the Honey Badger ... 'cause top free agent corner Chris Harris Jr. says Tyrann Mathieu's recruiting him HARD to Kansas City!!

"[He says] just come up there, man," Harris Jr. tells TMZ Sports. "Play with him, be able to do what I've done in the past -- play everywhere on the field, and also play with a great quarterback!"

Harris Jr. appears to be on his way out of Denver after spending the last 9 seasons in Mile High ... and he says he's hearing from a TON of teams interested in bringing him in when free agency kicks off later this month.

Specifically, CHJ tells us, Houston Texans players have been all over him ... and says Mathieu has also been in his ear about playing DB alongside him in K.C.

As for how the pitches are working ... Harris Jr. says he has ZERO inklings right now of where he'll end up next, telling us, "I really don't, bro. I really have no idea."

Harris Jr. says his plan for free agency will be to get his list of teams down to 10 or 5 by the end of this weekend ... and then make a decision on the first day of the new league year on March 18.

"I'm really just looking for the best situation," Harris Jr. says. "Of course, you want a team that's going to pay you and appreciate you, one, and then also how they're going to use me."

More trouble for NFL player Austin Seferian-Jenkins -- the free agent tight end has been arrested for DUI again ... TMZ Sports has learned.

We're told ASJ was picked up by the Gig Harbor Police Dept. in Gig Harbor, Wash. (where he played high school football) and was booked in Kitsap County Jail on March 9.

A court official tells us, he was hit with three charges stemming from the arrest ... 1 count of DUI, 1 count of driving with a suspended license, and 1 count of operating a vehicle without an ignition interlock device.

We're told Seferian-Jenkins was also hit with a civil infraction for speeding and improper lane change ... and was arraigned on the charges on March 11.

We've reached out to Seferian-Jenkins' camp for comment ... but so far, no word back yet.

Of course, this isn't the first time the tight end's been accused of drunk driving ... he's been arrested twice for the offense since 2013, with the most recent one coming in 2016.

In police video we obtained of that arrest ... you can see ASJ was clearly slurring his words during the stop -- and even told the officer he had to take a "huge s***."

Tom Brady's back in the game!!! Take it easy, Pats fans ... we're talking about his hot and heavy beach make out session with his hot supermodel wife, Gisele.

TB12 and Gisele are on their annual off-season getaway to Costa Rica ... and things are heating up, because they couldn't keep their hands or lips off each other during a romantic stroll down la playa.

The Bradys even packed on the PDA as they got soaked by the waves. This is some serious G.O.A.T on G.O.A.T action.

Gisele's flaunting her legendary Brazilian bombshell body in a pretty skimpy bikini. Tom doesn't look too bad either, especially for a 42-year-old quarterback in the middle of his off-season.

Tom's future is up in the air ... no one knows which NFL team he's gonna land with as he nears free agency after 20 years with the New England Patriots -- but for now, he's just digging everyday life with Gisele.