NFL

Surprising move out of Dallas Cowboys camp ... the team just cut safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix -- and it's got everybody wondering, is an Earl Thomas signing next?!?!

Clinton-Dix inked a pretty big 1-year deal with the Cowboys this offseason, getting $2.25 MIL guaranteed ... with the expectation the former first-round pick would be a key player for the defense.

But, after just a month of practices ... the Cowboys decided to part ways with the guy on Thursday -- and it's left a GLARING hole on their roster that some believe Thomas could easily fill.

Remember, the Baltimore Ravens just fired Thomas a week ago after a training camp fight with a teammate ... and the Cowboys have been linked to him HEAVILY in the past.

But, Dallas has been coy about its interest in Thomas over the past few days ... with neither Jerry Jones nor head coach Mike McCarthy explicitly expressing a desire to sign the guy.

But, with the team down to just 3 somewhat proven commodities at the safety position ... Earl HAS to look appealing right about now to Dallas brass.

So, could Earl have a star on his helmet by the NFL's opening weekend next week???

It's now official ... Cam Newton is THE starter in New England!!!

The Pats announced the move in a team meeting Thursday ... finally crowning a successor to Tom Brady.

Of course, it's not exactly shocking -- even if Cam had to wait to sign with the team until June ... he's a former MVP and the rest of the Pats QB roster, well, isn't.

The Patriots also announced Newton is a 2020 team captain -- alongside RB James White, center David Andrews, safety Devin McCourty, corner Jason McCourty, linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley, DL Lawrence Guy and special teamer Matthew Slater.

Newton comes at pretty good value for the Pats now ... he's one of the lowest-paid starting QBs in the league -- slated to earn just $1.75 mil this season.

Newton has said repeatedly this summer he's on a mission to prove he's still elite after several injury-plagued down seasons ... even saying back in July he's "about to motherf***in' ROAR!"

Seems he's already got the stamp of approval from his top wideout ... 'cause just a few days ago, Julian Edelman said the two were like Batman and Superman now.

Mikal Smith -- son of ex-NFL head coach Lovie Smith -- was arrested in Arizona this week after officials say he's been pimping, TMZ Sports has learned.

The 43-year-old -- who served as an assistant coach under his father with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Bucs -- was booked on Thursday for a slew of disturbing charges.

Officials tell TMZ Sports ... Smith is facing everything from pandering (another word for pimping) along with receiving earnings from a prostitute and sex trafficking.

He's also facing charges of money laundering and conspiracy.

The details surrounding the case are unclear -- we're working on it.

Mikal was a former college football player at the University of Arizona back in the day before getting into coaching.

He worked as an assistant coach with the Chicago Bears when his father was the head guy over there ... and later followed Lovie to the Tampa Bay Bucs, where he worked with defensive backs.

Mikal also coached at Trinity International University before working at the NFL level.

Josh Gordon will have a home if/when he returns to the NFL -- the embattled wide receiver just inked a 1-year deal to return to the Seattle Seahawks, his agent announced Thursday.

The 29-year-old has been in and out of the league ever since his rookie season with the Cleveland Browns in 2012 ... battling a number of off-field issues and suspensions.

Gordon was most recently booted from the league while a member of the 'Hawks in December 2019 ... over a violation of the NFL's drug policy for a 5th time.

JG's lawyer later spoke out about his relapse, saying it was sparked by his brother's tragic death last season. The attorney claims Gordon has gotten back on the right path.

Gordon has been training non-stop in Seattle after filing for reinstatement back in June ... and it seems he will get yet another shot in the league after signing a 1-year deal to re-join his former team.

The deal is reportedly worth around $1 million, according to Ian Rapoport.

NFL legend Jerome Bettis says Alvin Kamara should ABSOLUTELY hold out from Saints camp to get a contract extension ... saying the N.O. RB needs to get paid before it's too late.

Kamara had reportedly sat out a few days of camp already this summer over his unhappiness with his contract ... but he returned to practice this week even though he's yet to get a new deal.

Bettis, speaking on the "In My Bag" podcast Wednesday, says he believes that's a mistake ... adding Kamara should hold out to try to get the money he deserves ASAP!!!

"I think Alvin Kamara has put enough work in with that organization for them to know what he's capable of," Bettis says.

"So, I think definitely he needs to hold out because a running back only has a certain amount of carries in his body and once those carries get to that number, that's it."

25-year-old Kamara is still playing out his rookie contract ... which is scheduled to pay him just $2.1 million this season -- which is over $15 MILLION less than what top RBs like Christian McCaffrey and Ezekiel Elliott are set to make in 2020.

Kamara -- who piled up 1,330 total yards and 6 touchdowns last season despite injuries -- is reportedly seeking a new contract worth right around Zeke and McCaffrey's -- and Bettis clearly thinks the RB's worth that.

And, Bettis is advising Kamara to sit out to get it ... because he says if Kamara's not careful, the dude's big workload could begin to hurt him.

"It's not about years, it's about carries," Bettis says, "I think he has to be very conscious of that. And, yeah, if I was him, I probably would [hold out]."

Longtime Pittsburgh Steelers broadcaster Bill Hillgrove has been hit with a 2-game suspension over a wild DUI incident back in June.

The 80-year-old -- who's been calling Steelers games for 27 seasons -- allegedly crashed his Honda CR-V into a grocery store in Murrysville, PA around 5 PM on June 15.

Officials say Hillgrove smashed through 2 windows in the process -- but still went inside the store, got prescription medication and then returned to the vehicle, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Officials say Hillgrove left the scene and returned to his home -- where cops say he admitted to having "a couple of beers."

Officials say Hillgrove agreed to a breathalyzer and allegedly blew a whopping .16 -- twice the legal limit.

Hillgrove later told police the car "just got away from me."

He was charged with driving under the influence and he's due in court to be arraigned in October.

Patrick Mahomes wasn't the only one in his household to get a massive ring on Tuesday ... the superstar QB just proposed to his longtime GF, Brittany Matthews, with a diamond that's bigger than her knuckle!!!

Mahomes surprised his lady with a floral arrangement and bright signs at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City after getting his Super Bowl ring ... and Brittany's ring might be even more impressive.

Since 24-year-old Mahomes just signed the fattest contract in NFL history -- he signed a $503 MILLION extension -- it shouldn't come as a surprise that he splurged on the jewelry.

Unclear on how much he paid for it, but by the looks of it ... it wasn't cheap.

Of course, the couple has been together since their high school days ... and have been pretty much inseparable ever since.

25-year-old Matthews -- a pro fitness trainer -- has been one of Mahomes' biggest supporters since day one and definitely made sure fans heard her cheers all throughout the Chiefs' Super Bowl run this past season.

Speaking of ... Mahomes and his Kansas City Chiefs teammates finally got their championship rings for the 2019 season just before the proposal ... and they're pretty spectacular.

The champs held a special social-distanced celebration on the Arrowhead Stadium field on Tuesday ... receiving their rings for their Super Bowl LIV win over the San Francisco 49ers.

The rings -- made by Jostens -- feature the Chiefs logo (made of 60 diamonds) and 2 Lombardi trophies (made with marquise-cut diamonds) on the top ... and includes 16 rubies to signify 10 AFC West Division titles and 6 playoff appearances under head coach Andy Reid.

There are also 50 diamonds surrounding the design, which represent the 50 years since the team's first Super Bowl title.

The sides feature the SBLIV logo and player names and numbers -- and even "142.2" to honor Arrowhead's record-setting decibel rating.

The inside of the rings are just as special -- they feature the logos and scores of all KC's games throughout the playoffs ... and each recipient's autograph.

The team captured the moment Mahomes put his ring on for the first time ... and you could see the dude's smile pouring out from behind his mask!!

Look out, NFL -- these guys look like they're ready for another.

Cameras captured L.A. Rams head coach Sean McVay when he watched the Jacob Blake police shooting for the first time ... and his reaction is emotional.

"Are you f*cking kidding me?" McVay says in shock ... "What the f*ck is wrong with people?!"

The moment played out in the opening scene of Tuesday's episode of the HBO docu-series "Hard Knocks," which follows the Rams through training camp.

In this powerful scene, Artis Twyman -- the Rams' Director of Communications -- brings the video to McVay because he thinks it's important for the head coach to see.

"His kids are in the back," Twyman explains while showing McVay the August 23 incident which took place in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

McVay, astonished, says to Twyman -- "That is awful. That makes me sick."

McVay discussed the possibility of canceling practice the next day in the wake of the shooting ... but ultimately held a normal practice.

The team did hold a team meeting to discuss the shooting.

Of course, many NFL teams did cancel their scheduled workouts so players could take action after the shooting ... including the Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers and more.

The L.A. Chargers -- also featured on "Hard Knocks" -- canceled a scrimmage after the shooting and the announcement from head coach Anthony Lynn was also featured on the show.

Tony Gonzalez is predicting BIG THINGS for Tom Brady's squad in 2020 -- telling TMZ Sports he's already got 'em pegged as early Super Bowl contenders!

Of course, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are pretty loaded on offense -- with TB12 at the helm and stars like Rob Gronkowski, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin catching passes.

"I think that whole team is gonna be AWESOME," Tony told us on his way out of Erewhon market in L.A. ... "They're gonna be real good."

The "NFL on FOX" star clearly believes the guys in "Tompa" have insane potential -- and he's super geeked to do the pregame breakdown for their season opener against Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints on Sept. 13.

By the way, props to Tony for putting on his mask on the way out of the market ... NO ONE WANTS COVID TO RUIN FOOTBALL!!!!!

Jimmy Garoppolo is hands-down better than Dak Prescott ... so says Jerry Rice -- who claims if the Cowboys star QB was in the 49ers' offense, he wouldn't be nearly as good as Garoppolo!!

The NFL's G.O.A.T. wide receiver made the bold statement on 95.7 The Game on Tuesday ... saying straight-up he'd take Jimmy G over Dak if he were running an offense.

"I'm just going to call it," Rice said. "That's just my opinion. That's my opinion and I could be wrong."

Of course, a whole bunch of people in the NFL would disagree ... Dak's already made 2 Pro Bowls in 4 seasons while Garoppolo has been to none in 6.

Prescott also threw for 4,902 yards and 30 TDs in 2019 ... while Garoppolo managed to pile up just 3,978 passing yards and 27 TDs.

But, Jerry -- who's SUPER connected in San Francisco -- says he's heard all about how good Jimmy's been in practice in Niners camp this summer ... and he's now all Team Jimmy in the debate.

"I think right now that with Jimmy G," Rice said, "he's a better quarterback than Dak Prescott."

Ya won't hear about Ezekiel Elliott and his teammates pulling a Mike Clevinger this season ... 'cause the Dallas Cowboys superstar says his team will not risk getting COVID by doing "anything dumb."

Of course, 25-year-old Zeke was one of many NFLers who actually tested positive for coronavirus this past offseason ... and now that he's back to 100%, he says he's making sure his guys will be conscious of their decisions off the field.

"You don't wanna miss games because you got COVID," Zeke said to reporters on Monday. "So, I mean we all are here to play football. We're not gonna do anything dumb to jeopardize that."

Remember, the NFL will function similar to MLB ... which dealt with multiple COVID outbreaks and some COVID rule-breaking drama when then-Cleveland Indian Clevinger and teammate Zach Plesac broke protocol to party with bros.

Since there won't be a bubble system like the NBA, Zeke says it's on the players to keep each other from making bad decisions.

"So, I mean just staying safe and it's really not about you, it's about the guy next to you. You don't wanna get that guy sick. You don't wanna have him going home to his family and get it. It's more of a accountability thing. Just keeping each other accountable."

Washington NFL players will now be reminded of Sean Taylor every time they drive into work ... 'cause the team says it's renaming a street after the legendary safety right near its practice facility.

The team announced the planned honor on Tuesday ... saying the street will be formally renamed to "Sean Taylor Road" at some point prior to its 1st game against the Philadelphia Eagles later this month.

The team also says it'll rename a road near its franchise headquarters after legendary head coach Joe Gibbs ... with owner Dan Snyder saying the two moves are all part of major efforts to rebrand the org.

"The renaming of these streets along with all of the changes being made to our stadium are just part of our long-term goal of improving every element of the Washington Football Team, both off and on the field,” Snyder said.

Taylor -- a 1st round pick in the 2004 NFL Draft -- was shot and killed during a home invasion in 2007.

Before his death, Taylor was building a reputation as one of the best defensive players in the league ... making the Pro Bowl in 2 out of his 3 seasons. He's also been added to the Washington Ring of Fame.

Taylor is still revered by nearly EVERY player that plays the safety position ... in fact, when team star Landon Collins signed with Wash. in 2019, he famously wanted to wear Taylor's number to honor him.

Jaguars legend Maurice Jones-Drew says he was straight-up "shocked" to see the team cut Leonard Fournette ... telling TMZ Sports he has no idea how the move improves Jacksonville's roster.

"Leonard Fournette is one of their best players on their team," MJD says. "How are you better without him?!"

"How does that happen?!" the former NFL running back added. "How do you get rid of this guy?!"

Maurice says even if Fournette had a locker room personality that team officials didn't love ... he still thinks the best move would have been to keep the star RB in a Jags uniform.

"To me, in this league, it's all about you have to have a talented team to win," says Jones-Drew, who's currently KILLING it as an NFL Network analyst. "You can't win in this league without talent."

Jones-Drew says if he were running the Jags ... he would've certainly kept Fournette on the roster despite his past ups and downs with the team.

In fact, Maurice says he would have found a way to keep guys like Jalen Ramsey, Dante Fowler and Yannick Ngakoue on the roster as well.

But, MJD insists he ain't mad at his former team for the moves ... and tells us he's still holding out hope his ex-squad can wrap up a perfect 16-0 season this year.

Nick Saban put on his walking shoes and got to marching Monday -- leading the Alabama football team in a social justice demonstration on campus.

Saban, decked out in white polo, grey pants and a COVID mask, charged through Tuscaloosa from the athletic facility toward Foster Auditorium -- where some members of the team gave speeches.

Among the players at the march, star running back Najee Harris, according to reporter Simone Eli.

Some of the players wore shirts with messages like, "Black Lives Matter, "Equality" and "Defend Black Lives."

Some of the players carried a black lives matter banner.

During the march, Saban reportedly told the media he felt "like a proud parent."

"I'm proud of our team, I'm proud of our messengers and I'm proud of our message," he added.

Alabama is one of the major college football programs that WILL play in 2020.

The Crimson Tide -- ranked #3 in the country in some preseason polls -- is slated to take on Missouri on Sept. 26th.

LSU wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase -- one of the top WRs in college football -- is officially opting out of the 2020 college season to train for the NFL.

Chase is a BEAST -- in 2019, he led all FBS (AKA Division 1) WRs in receiving yards (1,780) and TDs (20) en route winning the Biletnikoff Award for the top WR in the country.

Now, with COVID wreaking havoc on the college football landscape, Chase has decided to skip the upcoming season to prepare himself for the 2021 NFL Draft, where he's expected to be a top pick.

"After careful consideration and many emotional conversations with my family, I have come to a difficult decision and will opt out of the 2020 season," Chase said in a statement.

"The competitor in me badly wants to play the season and go to war with my brothers, but during this time with so much going on, this is what’s best for my family."

In other words, he knows he's got life-changing money coming his way and doesn't want to jeopardize that. And really, can you blame him?!

"I’ve been fighting the thoughts and concerns that have crept into my mind but cannot ignore what I feel in my heart and this ultimately is the best decision for me," he added.

"I’ll look forward to returning to the field in 2021."

Chase is the 3rd player at LSU to opt out of the 2020 season -- following defensive end Neil Farrell and cornerback Kary Vincent.

Oh, the star QB from their national championship team is also gone.

Eli Manning is celebrating Tom Coughlin's 74th birthday by doing a pretty cool thing ... challenging a bunch of his ex-NY Giants teammates to donate to a cancer charity.

The former NY Giants head coach -- who led the G-Men to two Super Bowl titles -- also runs the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation, which raises money for family's affected by pediatric cancer.

Coughlin named the charity after one of his former players, Jay McGillis, who played for Coughlin at Boston College.

McGillis was diagnosed with Leukemia in 1991, during Tom's first year as head coach. He passed away 8 months later.

Enter Manning, who says Tom's charity is one of the things he's most passionate about in life -- and he's calling on some of his rich teammates to help the cause.

"A great way to celebrate his birthday, the best gift we can give [Coughlin] is bringing attention to the great work he’s been doing for the last 25 years in helping families that are struggling as they deal with a child that has cancer," Manning said.

"So, it's a little challenge to everyone that played on Super Bowl 42 and 46 [or] if you played for Coach Coughlin at any point, let's come together and help the Jay Fund and raise some money."

Obviously, there are some super-rich guys in that group ... from Michael Strahan to Justin Tuck, Amani Toomer -- and Tiki Barber.

No pressure ... but here's hoping they all accept the challenge!