NFL

Saints legend Jonathan Vilma just threw Drew Brees' name into the hat for next mayor of New Orleans ... and he's making a pretty damn good case.

We talked to Jonathan about Brees opening a special needs playground in NOLA ... and Jonathan went full campaign manager describing his longtime teammate's mayoral credentials.

"He definitely has a future as mayor of New Orleans," Vilma told TMZ Sports.

"Drew Brees was the best teammate I had. Words can't describe how competitive he is, was, still is, to what a great person he is."

"So every time I see something come out on him doing something off the field that's positive ... it's par for the course."

The question -- is Drew actually gonna do it??

We asked him earlier this year ... and he definitely didn't rule it out.

Ray Lewis. Shannon Sharpe. Ed Reed.

Jamal Lewis played with a bunch of legends on the Ravens ... but says Peyton Manning -- his 1-year teammate at Tennessee -- was the guy who showed him how to be a pro.

The ex-NFL star told us he went full Allen Iverson when he showed up at UT, not giving a damn about practice ... and it almost got him benched.

Then, 1 practice sesh with Peyton changed everything.

"Every single play was just like he was in the game ... full tilt," Lewis told TMZ Sports. "That's a trait that I adopted and I took on, and it helped me get to where I am."

FYI, Jamal helped Baltimore win a Super Bowl as a rookie, and threatened Eric Dickerson's all-time single-season rushing record a few years later.

Jonathan Vilma ain't mincing words when it comes to the Patriots' James Harrison pickup ... saying Steelers intel is "definitely" the only reason Deebo's in New England.

"(Bill) Belichick doesn't need their playbook -- he's like 5-0 against them," Vilma told TMZ Sports at LAX. "What he needs is just the little things."

Jonathan gave us some examples of what those things might be ... and we gotta say, the Saints legend sounds like he knows what he's talking about.

Colin Kaepernick's done so much good this past year ... the NFL should lose its 'Man of the Year' award and give the man a damn centennial trophy -- so says rock legend Tom Morello.

We got the Rage/Audioslave guitarist out in West Hollywood ... and he told us Kaepernick's work off the field makes the QB an all-time great in philanthropy and community impact.

"He's clearly NFL Man of the Year, no doubt. NFL Man of the Century!" Tom told TMZ Sports.

One problem -- Kaep ain't even NOMINATED for the Walter Payton award since he's not signed to an NFL team.

UCLA QB Josh Rosen could mean to the Browns what LeBron James means to the Cavs ... if he's willing to give it 100% -- so says former UCLA football coach Rick Neuheisel.

Rick -- Bruins HC from 2008-2011 -- told us it's only a matter of time before the Browns find their Bron ... so why not Rosen??

"Someone's gonna be the hero of Cleveland -- look what LeBron James did for the Cavaliers. It's all possible. It's just going in there with the right attitude," Neuheisel told TMZ Sports.

Josh is reportedly thinking about going back to UCLA if Cleveland gets the #1 pick in the draft ... but Rick says that's not the right move for Rosen's future.

Here's Charles Oakley dishing out some tough love to Eli Apple ... telling the NY Giants cornerback 3 things he's gotta do after acting a damn fool (again).

1) "Man up."

2) "Play ball."

3) "Shut up."

The Knicks legend wasn't going easy on the young fella when we got him outside Michael's in NYC ... saying ballin' in the Big Apple ain't an excuse for his antics, and it's on Eli to clean up his own mess.

FYI, Apple got suspended after blowing up on his coaches at Giants practice on Wednesday ... and that's after his own teammate, Landon Collins, called him "a cancer."

Officials in Florida have impounded a truck registered to DeSean Jackson -- after cops found hollow-point bullets and weed inside the vehicle after it crashed into a tree.

But the twist ... the Bucs WR says he wasn't driving the car -- and he's pointing the finger at one of his friends.

Here's the deal ... cops say the Chevy Silverado was involved in a single-car accident on Sunday night -- the truck slammed into a tree.

When officers arrived on scene, the driver had fled -- and cops found 6.3 grams of weed and two .38 caliber hollow-point bullets. The ammo is legal in Florida -- the weed is not.

Cops saw the car was registered to DeSean and called him up. The WR later came down to the scene and told police the name of the friend who had borrowed the ride, according to NFL.com.

Jackson's rep Denise White issued a statement saying, "It was a friend of DeSean's who borrowed his car while he was out of town without his knowledge."

Eli Apple's brother says it's the NY Giants cornerback's MOTHER who's the real cancer in his life -- and he's begging his bro to cut her out before she kills his career.

TMZ Sports spoke with Dane Blackson -- Eli's half-brother (they have the same mom) -- and he's very passionate that Annie Apple is "pulling the strings" in a very damaging way.

"I feel like when people say Eli's like a cancer ... I just think of mom when people say like words and use these types of adjectives."

"I feel like he never had a fair shot. I mean, a lot of this sh*t that you could be judging him on, there's really a master behind him pulling the strings. So, as far as Eli being the cancer, I don't really see Eli being the cancer more than I see mom being the cancer and him not being able to distance himself."

Annie Apple has had a major presence in Eli's life ever since he broke out as a star college player at Ohio State. She became a fan favorite for her outspoken opinions and fun personality at the NFL Draft and later got a job with ESPN.

But, Dane says she's gotta back off in a big way ... telling TMZ Sports no one in Eli's inner-circle likes their mother -- but they're all too scared to speak up.

Ex-NFL wide receiver Braylon Edwards says he was just kidding around when he reached over the bar at a Chicago tavern and pulled the beer taps ... in a late-night incident captured on video.

It all went down Friday at Duffy's Tavern and Grille -- you can see the 34-year-old pull 4 beer taps while jawing at the bartender. Unclear what was being said.

The bar manager initially slammed Edwards on social media -- saying Braylon owed the bar $75 for "the product he wasted." The manager also claimed Braylon "threatened my staff and punched the front window as he left."

Edwards tells a different story -- saying he was just goofing around and meant no ill will. He's also adamant he never threatened anyone.

Braylon's rep tells TMZ Sports, "He heard Duffy's was a Michigan fan bar and he wanted to stop by for some holiday cheer. Mr. Edwards spoke with the bar manager and has offered to pay the tab for the taps that were poured during the prank."

N.Y. Giants star Landon Collins is apologizing for his recent comments referring to teammate Eli Apple as "a cancer" ... saying he met with Eli in person and cleared the air.

ICYMI ... Collins ripped into Apple during a radio interview with 98.7 ESPN New York on Tuesday ... saying there's one major problem in the Giants' secondary ... and that's Eli Apple.

"That first-round pick ... he's a cancer," Collins said.

But Collins tweeted out Wednesday morning that he's extended an olive branch to Apple ... and has since apologized to the rest of his teammates.

"I never stop supporting my brother/teammate Eli and the rest of my teammates as we move forward. Just want him to know I'm always here for him."

Mark Wahlberg is PUMPED his New England Patriots signed James Harrison -- and he made a video straight from his boat welcoming the ex-Steelers star to the squad.

"Did you hear the news?" Wahlberg asked his wife, Rhea ... "James Harrison is a Patriot? Oh my. Defense just got a lot better."

He added, "Isn't it nice that [Tom Brady] got away without getting hit by him in the playoffs and possibly the AFC Championship?"

"Go Patriots. Go James Harrison."

This could be very interesting for Vince McMahon ... ex-NFL star Greg Hardy says he'd be down to join his XFL league if the WWE honcho really does bring it back.

Of course, 29-year-old Hardy is currently fighting his way into a pro MMA career (he's already 2-0) -- but tells TMZ Sports he still loves the game of football and would be open to giving it another go.

"If I get paid ... I'd probably be there, man."

Meanwhile, Hardy says he's still VERY focused on climbing the ladder in MMA -- and ultimately has his sights set on fighting in the UFC so he can compete against the best in the world.

The Seattle Seahawks were on a mission to shut down Ezekiel Elliott on Sunday ... because the team was totally pissed Elliott bet Eric Dickerson he'd gash the Seahawks defense for 200 yards.

Dickerson told TMZ Sports about the bet earlier this month ... telling us the Cowboys stud promised a 200 yard rushing game against the Seahawks, or he owed Dickerson a jersey.

Zeke didn't rush for 200 yards (although he did roll off 97 on 22 carries) and when asked about the bet after the game, Seahawks defensive star Frank Clark admitted the team played with chippy shoulders.

"Oh yeah, we heard about that."

LB Bobby Wagner seemed even more ticked, saying "He had that bet, we wanted to make sure he didn't win it."

Both are code for "We must break you."

We should say, while Zeke played okay, the Cowboys themselves were God-awful, managing only 283 yards against a particularly inspired Legion of Boom defense.

Don't poke the bear, or the Seahawk, if you actually know what a Seahawk is.

Terrell Owens says he and Colin Kaepernick are one and the same when it comes to their NFL careers ... 'cause "politics" are keeping both of 'em outta the league.

"What's stopping Colin Kaepernick from being in the league? You trying to tell me he can't play in the league right now?" T.O. said to TMZ Sports.

T.O.'s been pushing for an NFL comeback for years -- but says he, like Kaep, will never be given an opportunity since owners and GMs ain't just looking at what they can do on the gridiron.

So now ... it seems like Terrell might be throwing in the towel.

Vince McMahon already has a huge cheerleader supporting his bid to relaunch the XFL -- with ex-WWE superstar Torrie Wilson telling TMZ Sports the time to strike the NFL ... is now.

Wilson -- who spent nearly a decade working for the McMahon family biz -- says Vince has learned a lot from his first iteration of the pro football league ... and essentially says he won't fail twice.

Plus, with all the drama surrounding the NFL ... Torrie says, "If there's ever a time to do it, it might be now."

She also has a take on how the XFL should handle the national anthem -- Colin Kaepernick ain't gonna like it.

There's more ... if Vince does resurrect the league, Torrie says she wants a job!

It's unclear if Pittsburgh Steelers LB Ryan Shazier will ever walk again -- but he's got a new ally who knows EXACTLY what he's going through ... Eric LeGrand.

LeGrand -- a former Rutgers football player -- was paralyzed in 2010 while making a tackle on a kickoff in a game against Army.

He busted his ass in rehab and made tremendous progress in his recovery -- Eric vows to walk again.

Now, LeGrand tells TMZ Sports ... he's already reached out to Shazier to offer any assistance he can provide to the NFL player -- whether it's advice, friendship or doctor recommendations.

"We're sending him a bunch of Team LeGrand stuff. I'm sending him my book and I'm hoping everything works out well for him because he's in our prayers and we're there for him."