NFL

Travis Frederick -- the Dallas Cowboys star center with Hall of Fame potential -- shockingly announced his retirement Monday ... this just 2 years after he battled a serious disease.

The 29-year-old fought through Guillain-Barre Syndrome -- a rare disorder that weakens the immune system -- in 2018 ... and the disease affected him so badly, he missed all of Dallas' games that year.

But the 6'4", 320-pound O-lineman returned to start all of the Cowboys' 16 games in 2019 ... and was even selected to the Pro Bowl.

Travis said in a statement Monday, however, he felt like his play had dipped ... and because of that, he's calling it a career.

"Each day I faced a struggle: I could no longer perform at my highest level," Frederick said. "Playing 'well' is not what I expect of myself and is not what my teammates deserve."

"Because of this, I know my days as a football player are done."

Travis says his time away from the Cowboys, fighting off his illness two seasons ago, opened his eyes to life after football ... and made his decision this week easier.

"Facing the potential end of my career because of my illness forced me to imagine life after football," Travis said. "I had to prepare for my career potentially ending ... After months of contemplation, I not only accepted that moment, but I also surprisingly found myself welcoming the moment."

Travis was the Cowboys' first-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft ... and he went on to have a monster career, being selected to FIVE Pro Bowls in six seasons.

Well, the L.A. Rams 2020 season is already off to a bad start -- they just revealed the new Rams logo ... and people hate it!

Unclear why the NFL franchise decided for a massive rebrand -- most people liked the old logo -- but alas, here we are. Rams COO Kevin Demoff explained the team wanted a new look that represented the "vibrant sunny optimism of Southern California life."

The final product ... it's not horrible, it's just not great. Maybe it'll grow on people?

In a super dramatic video reveal, Demoff told fans the franchise has been working on the project for YEARS -- even including Nike and Riddell helmets to pitch in.

"Over the past few years, we have listened to you at training camp practices, at tailgates at The Coliseum and in focus groups about your memories of the Rams, about your passion for our heritage," Demoff said.

"We have studied every look of the L.A. Rams over our history -- the blues, the yellows the whites, the helmets and the ram horns for inspiration."

Demoff said the goal was to "weave together this history into a new modern look for the L.A. Rams, respecting our past and representing our future."

The problem ... the new logo is underwhelming. There's nothing special about it. Search the hashtag "RamsLogo" on Twitter. Good luck finding anyone with positive commentary.

In fact, one user says it looks like the Rams stole the Firefox logo.

Here are some other reviews ...

@ciisumworld -- "Why? I’ve been fan since 98’ and I would have to say I am pretty disappointed. #ramslogo

@deanfense12 -- My thoughts on the new rams logo. Super bowl loss to NE hit them hard. #LArams #ramslogo.

@Cianaf -- 1. These look like they were made for a PS3 game in the 00s. 2. Am I the only one who thought the Rams old branding was classic and didn't need to be changed?

By the way, Roddy White warned us just how bad the reaction to these would be ... when we got the former Atlanta Falcon at LAX a few weeks ago, he clowned ALL OVER the leaked images.

Darius Slay -- one of the best defensive backs in the NFL -- says he's changing his jersey number from #23 to #24 ... and it's all to honor Kobe Bryant.

Slay was just traded from the Detroit Lions to the Philadelphia Eagles -- Kobe's favorite team. And, since Darius is looking for a fresh start, he felt a number change was in order -- and with #24 available, he scooped it right up!

"I'm rockin' with that two-four this year," Slay said on IG ... "Kobe mode. Black Mamba baby. Rest in peace to the GOAT! One of my favorite players."

"Playing for Kobe's favorite NFL team is a dream come true," Slay said on Instagram, "Man, it's truly a blessing."

Slay rocked #23 for all 6 years he played with the Lions. Before that, it was #9 at Mississippi State. And, #4 during his high school days. So, it's not like there's a prior connection.

The #24 jersey was previously worn in Philly by RB Jordan Howard -- but he signed with the Miami Dolphins last week ... leaving the number wide open.

"I think I'm gonna look good in 24," Slay adds.

Slay is expecting to rock #24 for at least the next 3 years in Philly -- since the Eagles made him the highest-paid CB in the league with a 3-year deal worth $50 million.

Jameis Winston is taking his offseason training to the streets -- literally -- pushing a 5,500-pound SUV up an incline ... in an effort to remind NFL teams he's still a beast!

The 26-year-old just lost his job in Tampa Bay to some old guy ... and while his agents work on getting Winston a deal with another squad, Jameis decided to put in some work!

We did some research ... Winston is pushing a 2020 Ford Expedition -- which weighs between 5,500 and 5,800 pounds depending on how tricked out it is.

Oh, and it looks like he's working out on an INCLINE -- so gravity ain't helping him out there. Winston even busts out a little sprint at the end.

Jameis led the NFL with 5,109 passing yards in 2019 and set a Bucs single-season franchise record with 33 TD passes.

BUUUUT ... he also led the NFL with 30 interceptions -- 7 of which were returned for TDs.

The first jump from the XFL to the NFL is here -- Houston Roughnecks stud QB P.J. Walker is going to sign with the Carolina Panthers!!

"Houston, it was great. I feel Houston has some of the best fans I played in front of. I appreciate everything they've done over the past couple of months," Walker told FOX 26's Mark Berman.

Of course, Vince McMahon's football league took a hit last week due to the coronavirus pandemic ... with its comeback season officially canceled.

But, it didn't take long for Walker to find employment elsewhere ... inking a deal to reunite with his old coach, Matt Rhule in Charlotte.

Walker played under Rhule at Temple from 2013-16 ... and broke a bunch of school records in the process.

FYI -- Walker was a straight-up beast on the field for the Roughnecks ... passing for 1,338 yards and 15 touchdowns. Walker had a brief stint with the Colts after college but never made it off the practice squad.

How does Tampa Bay Bucs superstar WR Mike Evans feel about his new 42-year-old QB, Tom Brady?!

"I've been on that Hennessy. Oh, I'm drinking!"

That's what the 26-year-old told gamers during a Fortnite stream on Twitch (he's a huge gamer) -- explaining why he's already thinking PLAYOFFS, BABY!

"He's about to be my quarterback, bro ... I've played 6 years in the NFL and I haven't been to the playoffs yet. Tom Brady has won 6 Super Bowls."

Evans continued ... "Bro, I've been on that Hennessy. Oh, I'm drinking. I got Tom Brady. You know what I'm saying?"

The 6'5" wideout is already considered one of the best WRs in the league -- in fact, in 2018 the Bucs signed him to a 5-year, $82.5 million contract extension!

Brady must be stoked about the situation as well -- he reportedly only had one major demand in his contract negotiations with the Bucs ... he wanted all of the players' personal cell phone numbers.

Austin Seferian-Jenkins was high, drunk AND speeding when he was arrested for DUI last week ... this according to cops in new police docs obtained by TMZ Sports.

Oh, and cops also say he didn't have the ignition interlock device installed in his car, stemming from a court order from a previous DUI.

A Gig Harbor PD officer claims the NFL free agent was doing 48 MPH in a 30 in Gig Harbor, Wash. on March 9 at around 1 AM ... when the former Tampa Bay Buccaneer began driving erratically.

According to the officer, ASJ was swerving in his 2016 Dodge Charger ... and nearly turned onto a wrong-way offramp before he cut across multiple lanes of traffic without a blinker.

The officer eventually pulled over Seferian-Jenkins ... and says in the report, the tight end told him he was just headed toward a local McDonald's for some late-night grub.

But, the officer says he noticed ASJ reeked of booze and burnt weed ... and also claims the 27-year-old's eyes were red and bloodshot.

The cop says when Seferian-Jenkins got out of the car, he was swaying in circles when he was standing still ... and after the NFL player refused field sobriety tests, the officer arrested him on the scene, claiming he believed ASJ was both drunk and high.

Seferian-Jenkins was eventually hit with 3 charges ... 1 count of DUI, 1 count of driving with a suspended license, and 1 count of operating a vehicle without an ignition interlock device, which tests the driver's breath for alcohol before they can start the vehicle.

The order for the device likely stems from a previous DUI arrest -- Seferian-Jenkins has been busted for DUI twice before ... once in 2013 and again in 2016.

ASJ was also issued a civil infraction for speeding and improper lane change ... and was arraigned on the charges on March 11.

A Tom Brady swap for Jameis Winston in New England?!?!

Donovan McNabb is all for that ... the legendary NFL QB tells TMZ Sports he thinks Jameis is the perfect replacement for TB12 in Foxborough.

"I think he would kind of flourish in the New England offense," McNabb says.

As for why ... Donovan tells us he thinks Josh McDaniels and Bill Belichick could finally get Winston to stop throwing interceptions -- something the ex-Bucs QB did 30 TIMES last season.

"It'd be more dink-and-dunk, protect the football," McNabb tells us, "and all a sudden, we're talking about New England again possibly winning the AFC East."

The signing wouldn't be all that crazy ... Winston is likely open to a team-friendly deal now that most QB-needy teams are full -- and the Pats certainly could use his talent level on their depleted QB roster.

Hall of Famer Andre Reed says he's happy for Tom Brady's move to Tampa Bay ... pretty much only because it means the Bills will FINALLY get a shot at winning the division.

Now that TB12 has officially signed his papers and is officially a Buccaneer, it's time for a new team to run the tables in the AFC East, which the Pats have won 17 of the past 19 seasons.

We spoke with Reed about the Bills' chances at being the team to take over ... and he thinks it's theirs to lose!

"I'm thinking it gonna be the Bills to be the class of that division this year'" Reed tells us. "Ya can never count nobody out but it's a big move for the AFC, for the league, but not for New England.

"I'm sure Tom is gonna be alright wherever he goes, however he finishes his career, whatever team he's with. Just glad it's not the AFC East anymore."

It's an exciting time for Bills Mafia ... the team just picked up superstar Stefon Diggs ... and Reed weighs in on what the big transaction means for 2020.

The Gronk era of WWE is officially here!!!

Rob Gronkowski made his first appearance on SmackDown on Friday ... and the dude went BONKERS right out of the gate!!

Gronk's BFF Mojo Rawley grabbed the mic at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando and gave Rob one of the greatest, most hype intros ever ... despite the fact there were no fans in the stands (because of the COVID-19 pandemic).

The music came on, Gronk busted out into the arena ... AND DANCED HIS ASS OFF!

He even grinded on one of the turnbuckles!!

Once the former New England Patriots tight end made it inside the ring, he took the mic and got even MORE turned up!

"Let me tell you something," Gronk said to the empty arena ... "I've been watching [WWE] since 2nd grade!"

Gronk even joked that despite "zero" people in the stands, "I'm still hype baby!!"

Later on, there was some good ol' fashioned trash talk from Baron Corbin -- who roasted Gronk for being injury-prone ... "I know you know something about getting hurt."

The gloves are off, baby!!!

Next up for Gronk ... he's hosting "WrestleMania 36" -- a 2-night event starting on April 4th which will also take place at multiple locations -- including WWE's training center in Orlando -- with only essential personnel in attendance.

Antonio Brown is fully campaigning to be the next Tampa Bay Bucs WR -- saying he's already been texting with Tom Brady ... and praising head coach Bruce Arians.

"He's one of those guys that have befriended me," Brown said about TB12 during a radio hit Friday on "The Mike Calta Show" ... "One of my close friends around the NFL."

Of course, Tom was a big reason the Patriots signed Brown for the 2019 season -- though he was released after a bunch of horrible off the field issues.

But, they've stayed close ... Brown says he shot a few texts Tom's way after the Bucs signing -- "I congratulated him, wished him well."

Remember, Tom even let Antonio stay in his house with Gisele when he first came to Foxborough -- will he make the same offer in TB??

There could be one big hurdle ... earlier this year, Arians poo-pooed the idea of bringing Brown to TB back in January, saying AB was "too much diva" for him.

"I've heard so many stories -- I like Antonio -- he plays as hard as anybody on Sunday, and he practices hard. He's just gotta make better decisions off the field, be on time, do some of those little things," Arians said on "The Adam Schefter Podcast."

AB, however, doesn't see any problems ... telling Mike Calta he feels he could work very well with Arians.

"I think when I played with him in Pittsburgh, man, I was averaging like 16 yards a catch," Brown said of Arians. "I think he likes me. I think we had a lot of fun together, man."

Of course, Brown has a LOT of hurdles to jump over before the Bucs can even think about signing him ... AB is still under league investigation for multiple incidents -- including allegations he raped his former trainer. He was also arrested in January 2020 for assaulting a moving truck driver.

There will be no drama in Tampa over the #12 ... Buccaneers star receiver Chris Godwin says if Tom Brady wants his jersey, he can have it!!!

"Just out of respect to everything that he's accomplished and everything that he's done, I would kind of have to defer to him," Godwin said on ESPN on Friday. "He's the GOAT, you know?"

It's got to be a breath of fresh air for Brady to hear his new teammate say those words ... Tom's been rockin' the 1-2 for 20 YEARS -- and has built his whole TB12 brand around the number.

And, in even more good news for Brady, it sounds like he might not even have to part ways with a huge chunk of cash for the digits either.

"If he's willing to give it up, then perfect," Godwin said. "But, I mean, if not, then I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there. But, I'm not too worried about it."

Of course, the number does mean a hell of a lot to CG ... he's been rockin' it since back in high school -- and has become one of the NFL's best receivers in the uni.

If anyone knows how Tom Brady is feeling while getting ready to join a new team at 42 years old ... it's Brett Favre!

Of course, Brett left the Green Bay Packers after 16 seasons ... and spent time with the NY Jets and Minnesota Vikings before finally hanging it up after the 2010 season at 41 years old.

So, with TB12 getting ready to join the Bucs, we dug up this clip from January of Brett talking about what it was like to QB for a brand new team on the tail end of his career ... and it's pretty great!

"I remember when Joe Montana was traded from the 49ers to the Chiefs and I said to myself, and in saying this, I had zero inkling that that would ever happen to me. I said if they could trade Joe Montana, they could trade anyone. No one's off-limits. And, then that day came for me."

Favre continued ... "I finally realized that I'm not gonna play here and if I do play, it's gonna be somewhere else and I'm not real sure where that will be. That was really an odd time. I still felt like, yeah, I was older. But, I still felt like, much like Joe did, that you had some juice left in the tank."

"In some ways, it was kind of a renewed excitement starting over again even though there's a lot of apprehension because you gotta learn new guys, the new roads, how do you get to camp, what about buying a house?"

"A lot of stuff that you got so familiar with in Green Bay or San Francisco, it all changed. So, there was a lot of good and a lot of bad. A lot to be excited about, a lot of anxiety that you had to deal with."

It's official ... Tom Brady is a Tampa Bay Buccaneer -- and he says he's "excited, humbled and hungry" to get started on the next chapter of his football career.

"If there is one thing I have learned about football, it’s that nobody cares what you did last year or the year before that," Brady said Friday. "You earn the trust and respect of those around through your commitment every single day."

He added, "I’m starting a new football journey and thankful for the @buccaneers for giving me an opportunity to do what I love to do."

News of Brady's commitment to Tampa broke on Tuesday ... but it wasn't until he took a physical in NY later in the week that he was able to officially put pen to contract paper.

His new deal with TB is reportedly a two-year contract worth roughly $30 MILLION per season ... and the Bucs said Friday they could not be happier that the move is now official.

"I've known Tom since we drafted him in New England 20 years ago and through this process it became very clear that his desire to be a champion burns as strong today as it ever has," GM Jason Licht said. "He possesses the type of rare natural leadership qualities that will immediately impact our entire organization."

Brady added in his statement, "I have always believed that well done is better than well said, so I’m gonna not gonna say much more - I’m just gonna get to work! #Year1."

NFC South ... heads up!!!