NFL

It's not Le'Veon, Zeke or David Johnson ... no, according to Christian Okoye -- the best running back in the NFL is Kareem Hunt!!

Of course, the Chiefs' legend is super biased.

But, still ... the Nigerian Nightmare is convinced Kareem is the league's top runner -- saying K.C.'s superstar is a clone of one of the all-time greats.

"You know who he reminds me of? Walter Payton," Okoye tells TMZ Sports.

Christian broke it all down for us ... saying Kareem's a small dude like Walter -- but he lays the hammer on defenders just like Sweetness!!

Okoye also told us there's another back in the league he likes ... but just not as much as Kareem.

As for Hunt ... dude did have a monster rookie season, leading the league in rushing yards -- just the sixth first-year player to ever do that. The others?? Ezekiel Elliott, Edgerrin James, Eric Dickerson, George Rogers and Earl Campbell.

Yeah, maybe Christian's got a point.

Michael Irvin tells TMZ Sports he's straight-up perplexed by Dez Bryant's plan to wait until the season has begun to sign with a team ... saying the receiver NEEDS a squad ASAP!!

Remember ... Dez was hot and heavy with the Browns earlier this month -- but he turned down their offer and then said he's going to wait until "a lil bit later in the year" to find a roster.

Count Michael in the camp that thinks that's a silly decision ... 'cause he tells us his no. 1 piece of advice to Dez would be to get on a team NOW.

"I do know who's representing him, and I'm just a little bit confused with the direction that they are trying to go here," Michael says.

"I would tell him to find a team and get on a team. Find a team. Get on a team. Get back to belonging somewhere. Right now, you're like a vagabond where you don't have a team and you're wondering."

FYI ... Irvin says he has NO DOUBT Dez can return to All-Pro form -- he just needs to go somewhere as soon as possible so he can show that Week 1.

By the way ... Michael also tells us he loves the fit Teddy Bridgewater found when he was traded from the Jets to the Saints on Wednesday, saying T.B. can be the future after Drew Brees.

Brett Favre tells TMZ Sports if there's one player in the NFL who deserves the biggest deal in league history -- it's Aaron Rodgers ... 'cause Favre says he's already one of the greatest to ever play!!

"I think when it's all said and done, he's a top 5 player, all time -- regardless of position," Favre says. "Quite frankly, he could be there right now."

And, get this -- remember all those reports of tension between Brett and Aaron back in the day? Favre tells us the two are actually FRIENDS, and Rodgers even came to visit him in Mississippi this summer.

"We were actually talking about how much of this contract he was going to give to me," Favre joked.

In reality, Rodgers was there to pick Favre's brain for a "Life of Aaron Rodgers" project he was doing ... and that's when Brett shoveled some serious compliments on the Packer QB.

"He made a comment while he was here, 'Hey, I'm just trying to fill your shoes,'" Favre says.

"I said, 'I appreciate that, but you've kind of paved your own way and continue to pave it.'"

As for Brett ... he's still traveling the world and getting recognized by fans -- EVEN IN IRELAND!!

Camille Kostek is channeling her inner Tammy Wynette ... 'cause she's standing by her man in a BIG way, firing back at Jalen Ramsey, who she says is less of a man than Gronk in both talent and hotness!

Ramsey -- a star cornerback for the Jacksonville Jaguars -- went after Gronk in a scorched-earth attack on a bunch of NFL stars ... saying the Pats tight end is "not that good" and struggles when defended by a true corner.

We got Kostek out -- she's incredibly attractive, which has nothing to do with this post -- and when we asked her for a rebuttal to Ramsey's trash talk, she wasn't shy at all.

"Rob's sexier than you, and he's a better football player," the S.I. Swimsuit Edition model told us.

Kostek also says she can't WAIT to watch her man dominate Ramsey in person -- telling us she'll be at the game when the Pats take on the Jaguars on Sept. 16.

Getcha popcorn ready!!!

Imagine a 6'6", 275-pound Super Bowl champ running around on a broomstick.

Thanks to Martellus Bennett, we now know exactly what that looks like ... and it's all in the name of QUIDDITCH!!!

The ex-NFL star teamed up with the Los Angeles Gambits to play the 'Harry Potter' sport for his new show, "Mostly Football," with Yahoo Sports and Complex (airing on September 6 at 4pm PT/7pm ET).

The show features the former NFL tight end trying his hand at various non-football sports including sumo wrestling while covering football with his own personal twist. It's good stuff.

TMZ Sports has a first look at the quidditch action ... and not only did Martellus get super into it, he might've forgotten he's not playing football anymore, 'cause he straight-up wrecked a dude while making a play.

Ice up, son!

And, for all you muggles out there who don't know how quidditch works ...

Brett Hundley wasn't sad at all about being traded from Green Bay ... in fact, dude was jacked up about the move to the Seahawks -- his dad tells TMZ Sports.

"He was just at a point where he was ready to start anew somewhere else," Brett Hundley Sr. says.

"I mean he was very, very excited."

Don't get it twisted ... Brett -- who was traded Wednesday -- says the QB loved his time with the Packers and learned a lot from Aaron Rodgers -- but he tells us playing behind Russell Wilson will be awesome.

"I'm sure Russell's going to welcome him with open arms," Brett Sr. says.

"And Brett's going in with the mindset that, 'Hey, I'm just going to be here, compete and do everything that I can to help this organization and franchise.'"

It's a hugely significant ruling ... an arbitrator just threw out the NFL's motion to dismiss Colin Kaepernick's collusion lawsuit, and that now paves the way for a full-blown trial in which NFL owners will have to testify under oath.

The NFL had filed legal docs alleging Kaepernick's legal argument -- that NFL owners conspired to keep him out of the league -- was baseless and without evidence. The arbitrator disagreed, concluding there was sufficient evidence present in the former QB's legal docs to allow his case to go forward.

Part of the evidence the arbitrator considered -- several NFL owners have been deposed in the case including Dallas Cowboys honcho Jerry Jones, Texans owner Bob McNair and Ravens Steve Bisciotti.

Now Kaepernick's lawyers, Mark Geragos and Ben Meiselas, will have an opportunity for a trial and put the owners under oath. The end game -- proving they talked, conspired and colluded to keep Colin off the field. If that is proven, the entire NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement could be in jeopardy.

Larry Fitzgerald just gave an emotional speech in front of John McCain's friends and family at his memorial service ... detailing his unique friendship with the late senator.

The Arizona Cardinals superstar -- who grew close to McCain since he joined the NFL in 2004 -- says it was an unlikely pairing ... but that's what made it so special.

"Many people might wonder what a young, African-American kid from Minnesota and a highly-decorated Vietnam War hero-turned-United States senator might have in common ... Well, I thought of a few," Fitzgertald said in front of the huge crowd at North Phoenix Baptist Church on Thursday.

"I'm Black ... he was white. I'm young ... he wasn't so young."

"He lived with physical limitations brought on by war ... I'm a professional athlete."

"He ran for president ... I run out of bounds."

He was the epitome of toughness ... and I do everything I can to avoid contact."

"I have flowing locks and well ... he didn't"

Fitzgerald explains the odd pairing isn't really all that odd if you got to know McCain over the years ... "That's just who he is."

Peyton Manning says he really DIDN'T want to fire footballs at kids' faces during his famous 2007 "Saturday Night Live" skit -- but changed his mind when a parent begged him to peg his kid.

The sketch is pretty famous -- Peyton was spoofing his United Way ads by teaching kids how to get tattoos, steal cars and play real, hardcore park football.

But, a key part of the skit featured Peyton nailing kids in the face with footballs -- HARD -- and the QB says he was so nervous about tagging the youngsters, he almost quit the bit.

Peyton told the story at the 2018 Indianapolis Colts kickoff lunch on Wednesday -- saying he didn't feel comfortable with the scene at the time and told producers he wanted to shut it down.

But, right before they called it off, one of the parents of the child actors approached Peyton and the director and said, "I want him to hit my kid in the face!"

So, Peyton -- being a people pleaser -- said, "I will do it. I will knock your kid out."

And the rest is history ... hilarious, hilarious history.

Question: What would YOU do if your boyfriend just signed a $134 MILLION contract?!?!

Answer: POP BOTTLES LIKE A BOSS, SON!!!!

That's what Danica Patrick did Wednesday night -- after her man, Aaron Rodgers, inked the richest contract in NFL history.

Check out the custom bottle of Armand de Brignac Ace of Spades champagne -- engraved with Aaron's name -- surrounded by yellow and green balloons, Green Bay Packers colors.

Danica commented, "Big day."

Yeah, she's right.

But, Danica ain't hurting for cash either ... she reportedly made around $13 MIL of her own in 2017, according to Forbes.

By the way ... these two have been an item for nearly a year -- with Danica rolling out to his games in Green Bay and Rodgers returning the favor at her races. Aaron even came to her defense after she got grilled for her ESPYs performance last month!!

Before Mychal Kendricks was charged with insider trading, he sold out his ex-Philadelphia Eagles teammates to the Browns ... giving a full scouting report on the guys he played with last year.

It was all captured on HBO's "Hard Knocks" -- when defensive coordinator asked the linebacker to come up with a list of weaknesses he learned about his teammates during his time in Philly.

Kendricks didn't even hesitate -- putting together a Eagles cheat sheet like a double agent ... and then presented all of his info during a team meeting before they clashed in last week's preseason game.

Here's the info ...

"Uh, let's start with Nick Foles. Playing with Nick Foles, I realized on his long balls, his deep balls, he has like a teardrop effect. He's tall and he likes to drop that literally from the sky. So corners, and the timing's just a little slower on that ball coming in."

"86 [Zach Ertz], I think, is the best receiver on the team. Notice I said 'receiver.' When it comes to blocking, you f*cking hit his ass over and over, he doesn't want any smoke."

"Big V, Vaitai. He's so big that his size allows him to do what he does. You see, but he doesn't have the quickest feet and he's not the strongest. He doesn't trust his feet at all. You get on him, his confidence will go down."

Look, we get it ... sometimes teams will bring in players for their knowledge about their former team -- but this one felt especially snitchy.

Victor Cruz doesn't seem to be bored in his new life after football -- the recently retired NFL star spent his Wednesday night having a fancy dinner with Drake!

Cruz hung up his cleats after 6 seasons with the NY Giants -- in which he racked up 4,549 receiving yards and 25 touchdowns. Not a bad stint.

Cruz reportedly made close to $30 million in contract money during his career.

After he made his retirement official last week, Cruz signed a deal with ESPN to be an NFL analyst.

Fast forward to Wednesday night ... and Cruz was leaving Nobu in New York with the 6 God.

Life is good!

By the way, when he's not hanging with world-famous rap stars, Cruz is dating Karrueche Tran.

Ex-NFL star Greg Lloyd was arrested in Georgia after allegedly pulling a gun on his wife and threatening to shoot her during a domestic dispute, but Greg vehemently denies the allegations.

According to official documents -- obtained by TMZ Sports -- Greg's wife, Stephanie Lloyd, told police ... the ex-Steelers linebacker pointed a gun at her at their home on July 20, and "told me that if I f**k up I'm going to get one."

Stephanie says she managed to get in her car and leave the house -- but Greg called her on the phone and continued making threats.

"Doing stupid sh*t like this is how you end up in the morgue," Greg allegedly said.

Stephanie claims Greg insisted his gun was not loaded -- but she's scared nonetheless.

Stephanie filed for a restraining order against Greg, saying, "I have battled all types of abuse from my husband for years hoping that things would at some point get better ... I do not feel safe anymore."

Stephanie claims Greg "has a history of pointing guns at other people but this is the first time for me."

Court records show Lloyd was convicted of pointing a gun at another person back in the early 2000s. We're working on the details from that case.

53-year-old Lloyd was arrested on July 27, 2018 for felony aggravated assault and misdemeanor pointing a gun at another person, according to official records. He was released 3 days later.

Court docs also show Stephanie's restraining order was granted -- and Greg has been ordered to stay at least 200 yards away from her until August 2019.

We spoke with Lloyd, who denies any wrongdoing ... and says he'll let due process take its course.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ Sports, Jones allegedly picked his GF up and threw her down ... and later kicked her during the physical altercation.

Officials say Jones' GF escaped to the elevator and attempted to call 911 ... but the Vikings WR intercepted the elevator on a lower floor and smacked the phone out of his GF's hand.

Jones then allegedly picked up the phone and fled the scene before cops arrived, according to the docs.

Cayleb was later arrested ... where he's still being held in county jail without bail.

TMZ Sports has obtained Cayleb Jones' mug shot after the Minnesota Vikings wide receiver was arrested for domestic violence on Tuesday.

The Eagan Police Dept. in Minnesota tells us, "Our preliminary investigation revealed there was a verbal altercation between Mr. Jones and a female which turned physical."

"Mr. Jones fled the scene prior to officers' arrival, but later turned himself in at the Eagan Police Dept., where he was subsequently arrested and transported to the Dakota County Jail."

Officials say the case has been kicked over to the Dakota County D.A.'s office. Prosecutors will decide if Jones will be formally charged with a crime by noon tomorrow.

In the meantime, Jones is being held without bail.

The 6'3", 209 pound WR is currently serving a 4-game suspension for violating the NFL's PED policy.

He was a member of the Vikings practice squad last year and was competing for a spot on main roster this season.

Cayleb's brother Zay Jones (who plays for the Buffalo Bills) has also had a tough off-season -- he was arrested back in March for felony vandalism.

TMZ Sports had obtained footage of the incident in which you can see Cayleb trying to restrain Zay who was allegedly trying to jump out of a 30th story window at an L.A. building.

White collar crime doesn't sit well with the Browns -- the team just released linebacker Mychal Kendricks in the wake of his insider trading charges.

Kendricks has admitted to breaking federal laws by trading perks for tips in a scheme to make an ill-gotten fortune. Officials say Kendricks turned $80k into roughly $1.2 million using private information that wasn't available to the public.

Kendricks issued a public apology for his role in the scheme -- accepting blame and saying he's ready to deal with the consequences.

Those consequences could be steep -- he's facing serious prison time if convicted. And, since he's already confessed, he'll almost certainly be convicted. Clearly, the Browns want no part of his legal drama and decided to simply cut bait Wednesday.

Kendricks was a member of the Philadelphia Eagles' Super Bowl winning team last season, and was expected to be a big part of the Browns' D in 2018.

Forget helping kids in poor countries ... Michael Blackson says Odell Beckham needs to spend that new NFL jack on something even more important -- "I'll be your personal comedian!"

Blackson -- whose nephew, Eli Apple, is a starter for the NY Giants -- says he's super happy that Odell managed to secure the bag, but now he needs to spread some of that bread around.

"All I want for you to do is spend that money on some good causes," Blackson said ... "Help the children in China, Argentina, Guatemala. You know what, f**k the kids. Help me out, man!"

"Get me a job, I'll be your personal comedian! I'll follow you around, I'll make you laugh without tickling you!"

Blackson says he'll cheer Odell up on bad days -- and since he plays for the Giants, he's gonna have a lot of bad days!

And, Michael says he's so serious about working for Odell, he'll even bleach his hair blonde to fit in.