NFL

Baker Mayfield is going M.I.A. when it comes to social media -- saying Tuesday night that after his turbulent season with the Browns, he's quitting all platforms until further notice.

"Getting off all social media for the foreseeable future," the Cleveland quarterback said. "Gotta do what's best to focus on me, my family and loved ones."

"Appreciate all the support. Time to get right."

The move for the signal-caller always seemed to be a possibility -- considering he and his wife have been unhappy with the Internet community basically this entire season.

Emily Mayfield has had to defend her husband on the apps constantly ... and even said back in December that trolls sent her and the QB death threats following the Browns vs. Packers game.

Baker, meanwhile, has constantly slammed media members and others on social media platforms throughout the season ... even writing in a tweet during the NFL's playoff games last weekend that it was all "toxic."

Baker had a rough year with the Browns outside of all the Internet hate ... throwing 13 interceptions and fumbling 6 times, all while his squad missed the playoffs.

He did have surgery on his injured shoulder last week ... and he's hopeful after recovering, he can return to form next season.

If he had to make the decision today ... Rob Gronkowski says his football career would be over -- telling TMZ Sports he'd retire if the NFL made him choose right now.

"If they're like, 'Rob, you've got to decide right now, right this second if you're playing next year,' I would say no right now," Gronk said. "I would be like, 'No, I'm not playing.'"

The tight end -- who joined Babcock and Mojo on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (nightly on FS1) -- said he's just too beat up right now following his 11th season in the league to go ahead and definitively move forward with Year #12.

"If I had an answer right now," Gronk said, "it would be no."

Good news for the Buccaneers, though ... Gronk does not have to decide at this moment -- and he acknowledged his mind could change in the next couple of weeks.

The future Hall of Famer tells us once his body's healed and he's had some time to reflect on the season, the answer could very well turn into a yes.

"I just want to heal completely, see where my thoughts are from there," Gronk said. "Just let things settle down -- got to just heal a little bit. Fix all the bumps and bruises."

As for if Tom Brady's upcoming decision about his future could affect Gronk's, Rob tells us it all could play a role -- though he has to do what's best for him first and foremost.

There's more, Gronk also told us he does not think the Bucs' messy breakup with Antonio Brown played a role in their early playoff exit ... saying the locker room was full of too many veterans to let it affect them that negatively.

"There's so many experienced pros in our locker room," Gronk said. "It's not like we have a young locker room or anything like that."

We also talked to Gronk about his partnership with Groupon. The superstar tight end teamed up with the company to give one extremely lucky fan a chance to literally celebrate the Super Bowl at Rob's actual house in Foxborough.

As you might expect from Rob ... the house is awesome. It's nearly 5,000 square feet of awesomeness ... and if you're fortunate, you and your buddies could be posting up on Gronk's couch when the big game rolls around on February 13.

Good luck!!

Josh Allen's girlfriend is trying her best to cheer up her man following his heartbreaking playoff loss Sunday ... telling the Bills QB how proud she is of him despite the defeat.

Brittany Williams posted the mushy note to the Buffalo star on her social media page Tuesday -- just days after the Bills fell out of the playoffs following an overtime loss to the Chiefs -- commending him for finishing his fourth year in the NFL.

"It's amazing watching you put your head down and work every day to be the best teammate, leader, and football player you can be," said Williams, who's been dating Allen for years. "Through the ups & downs of this season, you remained calm and confident and it showed every time you stepped on the field."

She added, "I really don’t know how you balance everything, but you always do it with a smile on your face and with the biggest heart."

"I love you ❤️"

Allen will no doubt appreciate the words ... because he's got to be one of the most heartbroken people in the country at the moment.

The 25-year-old played his ass off in the Bills' game in Kansas City ... and came up just short of moving his team into the AFC Championship game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

He's got a good chance of getting his team there next year, though, 'cause the Bills have surrounded him with a bunch of talent.

Shocking news in New Orleans ... Sean Payton has retired as head coach of the Saints.

New Orleans journalist Nick Underhill first reported the news Tuesday morning.

Payton has been the head man for the Saints since 2006 ... and won a Super Bowl with the team in 2009.

He's widely considered one of the three or four best coaches in the league, and piled up a 152-89 record in his 15 years with the team.

In fact, Payton had been so good in New Orleans, he won more than 10 games in a season NINE separate times.

It's unclear why Payton made the decision this week -- his contract reportedly compensated him well, and he's only 58 years old.

No word yet on where he goes in 2022 from here. There are rumors swirling that he could join a broadcasting booth somewhere -- though heading to another team to be its new head coach might not be totally out of the question either.

Patrick Mahomes' fiancée is clapping back at the hate she's gotten for making it rain champagne after the Chiefs' big overtime win ... saying anyone who has an issue with her celebration is a big loser.

Brittany Matthews was criticized by some on social media for uncorking a bottle of bubbly inside her suite and spraying it all over fans at Arrowhead Stadium ... with some pointing out the possibility some spectators may not have wanted to be drenched in alcohol in the freezing temps.

Others also claim that the celly might have been a bit excessive -- despite the game being incredible -- considering it was the divisional round.

Matthews responded to the backlash on Twitter this week ... saying she's sick of being ridiculed for her every move.

"I just wish I could do what I want without getting attacked every week," Matthews said.

When another user replied by saying anyone against the celebration has "clearly never won anything before" ... Brittany replied, "Accurate."

For what it's worth, several members of Chiefs Kingdom came to Brittany's defense ... pointing out she has every right to celebrate how she wants.

Shaquille O'Neal knows how to bring the Cowboys back to the glory days ... and it starts with firing head coach Mike McCarthy -- and hiring NFL legend Deion Sanders as the next coach.

Sorry, Mike.

The Diesel made the comments on a recent episode of his podcast "The Big Podcast With Shaq" ... following the Cowboys' disappointing 23-17 loss to the 49ers in the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs.

“I’m putting this out right now,” Shaq said. “Deion Sanders is the next head coach for the Cowboys. Jerry Jones, this message is from Shaquille O’Neal Incorporated, Deion Sanders for the next coach to Cowboys."

"You want the Dallas back rocking. Bring Deion to the fold. Deion will hold those players accountable. Deion Sanders for the next Cowboys coach. Put it out, Tweet it, dammit. TikTok it, Instagram it, OnlyFans it, put it out.”

Of course, Sanders is very familiar with the Cowboys org. -- after all, the Hall of Famer spent 5 seasons with the team ... winning a championship with Dallas in Super Bowl 30 over the Steelers.

Sanders is currently the head coach at Jackson State University ... where he finished his second campaign with an impressive 11-2 record.

It's unclear if Primetime would even be interested in coaching the Cowboys at this time -- though head coach in Dallas is a job you don't really turn down.

Deion's JSU team suffered a gut-wrenching bowl loss to South Carolina to end their season ... and after the loss, Sanders went on Rich Eisen's show and addressed concerns about his future on the collegiate level.

"I'm not looking to tomorrow, I don't do that right now," Sanders said. "I focus on today. I focus on the now.

As for McCarthy ... the former Packers' head coach just wrapped up his second season at the helm of Jerry Jones' squad. MM led the team to a 12 win season, but suffered an early playoff exit.

And, while Jerry didn't say a change at the head coach position was imminent, the outspoken owner didn't exactly endorse McCarthy publicly either.

Antonio Brown celebrated the demise of Bruce Arians and the Buccaneers in style on Sunday -- partying hard at a Miami nightclub just hours after his former team was booted from the playoffs.

TMZ Sports has learned ... the ex-Bucs wideout watched his old squad lose to the Rams in Tampa -- and then he made his way down to Miami to celebrate.

We're told the 33-year-old hit XXIII Club ... and copped around $15,000-worth of bottles while there!!

Brown rocked a huge fur coat ... and was the life of the party at the packed venue -- which, at one point, played his new "Pit Not The Palace" song for the crowd.

Of course, Brown was in great spirits ... because, after all, the team that he says screwed him over earlier this month finally fell in heartbreaking fashion to L.A. earlier on Sunday.

In fact, Brown was so pleased with the result on the field, he trolled Tampa Bay on his social media page with an edited "Bucs eliminated" meme, and later tweeted that Arians was a "barbarian."

It seemed Brown had been moving on from his beef with the Bucs -- remember, he told us recently he and Tom Brady had hashed things out, and said just before that that his shirtless exit from the team was not very professional.

Horrible news ... the father of NFL star Carlos Dunlap, Carlos Dunlap Sr., tragically died following a car accident in South Carolina this weekend, family friends announced in a statement Sunday.

According to a spokesperson for the North Charleston Police Department, an adult male was hit by a car at around 10:40 p.m. on Saturday in North Charleston.

The spokesperson said the man was rushed to a local hospital, but tragically, he died there due to injuries suffered in the crash.

David Aylor of David Aylor Law Offices, a close friend of the Dunlaps, confirmed in a statement that Dunlap Sr. was the victim.

"He was a loving father and well-respected community leader," David Aylor Law Offices said in a statement. "We will miss him dearly."

"As a close friend of David and David Aylor Law Offices the family has asked us to let others know to please respect his family at this time of grieving and provide them with privacy."

Cops say "the driver of the involved vehicle was located at the scene." They added that no charges have been filed and an investigation is ongoing.

Dunlap -- one of the best pass rushers in the NFL for the past decade -- was very close with his father ... and had even run out onto the field with him before a Cincinnati Bengals game in 2019.

Los Angeles doesn't want Super Bowl LVI visitors and viewers getting an up-close look at the city's homeless problem -- which is why a major cleanup is underway near the site of the big game.

These pics were taken Monday morning ... near the 405 freeway, which significantly is just a couple miles from SoFi Stadium. As you can see, CHP officers are on hand to reroute traffic and clear out homeless encampments ... as private contractors clean up behind them.

With the Super Bowl just 3 weeks away ... it certainly appears L.A.'s leadership is attempting to polish up areas that will be heavily trafficked, and possibly shown in aerial shots, on game day.

Our law enforcement sources tell us cops started moving homeless people bright and early Monday from this area near the 405 and Century Blvd. Not coincidentally, we think, this is smack in the middle of the most direct route from LAX to SoFi.

We're told the situation here used to look "a lot worse" -- and there's a similar effort going on at a nearby park. After that, we're told, crews will remove a tent city under the freeway.

Here's a telling sign of just how bad the homeless crisis is in L.A. ... the company helping with the cleanup is called Planet Green and they say they specialize in emergency disaster cleanup and biohazardous waste cleanup.

A Chiefs fan who stormed the field during Sunday night's playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium was absolutely rocked by Bills star Stefon Diggs -- and the wild scene was all captured on video.

The man in a Travis Kelce jersey sprinted onto the turf in the 4th quarter of the heated Buffalo vs. K.C. game ... when, suddenly, Diggs went after him.

In footage shot by a fan in the stands ... you can see the Bills wideout was so pissed over the interruption, he smashed the guy square in the back.

The hit was so hard -- even Tony Romo, who was broadcasting the game for CBS, said on-air, "Diggs took out some frustration on him."

What's crazy -- the fan actually got up after the hard hit ... but he was immediately taken down by stadium security. Authorities then rushed him off the field.

It's unclear if the fan was arrested ... we reached out to cops, but so far, no word back yet.

As for the game -- the guy probably should have stayed in his seat, 'cause he missed an all-time classic. The Chiefs went on to take down the Bills in a wild overtime finish, 42-36.

Brittany Matthews doused fans in champagne to celebrate the Chiefs' insane win over the Bills ... shaking up a bottle and spraying it all over the crowd from her suite.

Patrick Mahomes' fiancée was fired up like it was the Super Bowl ... celebrating after her man's 8-yard touchdown pass to Travis Kelce in overtime, which sealed a 42-36 victory and a spot in the AFC Championship Game.

Mahomes' little brother, Jackson, caught it all on camera -- showing Matthews unloading the entire bottle on fans in the lower bowl.

No word on how the crowd handled the wet celebration -- after all, it was close to freezing in Kansas City -- but we take it folks were too pumped up to care.

Mahomes finished the game with 378 yards and 3 touchdowns through the air and 69 yards and a TD on the ground.

Britt shared the celebration on her IG ... saying, "Chiefs Kingdom, YALL ROCK🔥💯 #nextround"

The party might continue at Arrowhead Stadium if the Chiefs beat Joe Burrow and the Bengals on Jan. 30.

It's been three weeks since Antonio Brown's breakup with the Bucs, but he's still clearly not over it -- 'cause he trolled the hell out of his old team after its playoff loss Sunday.

Just minutes after the Rams took down Tom Brady with a last-second field goal at Raymond James Stadium ... AB took to Twitter to rub salt in the wound.

Brown posted an edited picture from his shirtless temper tantrum at MetLife Stadium earlier this month ... showing him holding a sign that said: "Bucs eliminated."

He captioned the pic with a crying emoji, and the words, "ICant."

Brown has had big beef with the Bucs ever since the meltdown during the Jets game ... accusing Bruce Arians and the team of trying to force him to play on a badly injured ankle.

Brown's departure got so messy, he actually shaded Brady following the whole ordeal.

But, it seemed Brown had been moving on -- he told TMZ Sports last week he and Brady had hashed out their issues ... and he also admitted to photogs recently that his shirtless rant was not very professional.

O.J. Simpson's post-parole life is starting out in the Sunshine State, it seems, because there's been a Juice sighting in Florida ... and wouldn't you know it, the guy's at a bar!

The disgraced NFL-er caught the Bucs-Rams matchup Sunday at a place called Bo's Pub in Ft. Lauderdale ... where he was taking in the game, and apparently some drinks too. In photos obtained by TMZ, you see O.J. chillin' near a group of folks and having a good time.

We're told O.J. appeared to be with these people -- so he wasn't just randomly there lone-wolfing it. And, per usual, he was getting recognized and approached for photos and the like ... which eyewitnesses say he was happy to accommodate.

It actually looks like a young group of ladies might've been ooh-ing and ah-ing over O.J. as well -- as one pic shows them near his crew, and O.J. not too far with a big grin on his face.

No shock here that O.J.'s keeping up with football -- we know he likes to comment on the state of the game and standout moments during the season ... including Antonio Brown's ungraceful exit from the Buccaneers franchise.

So yea, the fact he's peeping a big game in public might not be too much of a news flash.

What is interesting, however, is the fact that this seems to be one of the first public outings O.J.'s had since being released early from his parole in Nevada -- where he's been confined for the better part of 5  years now ... following his release from prison in 2017.

Rams legend Isaac Bruce is predicting an early exit from the playoffs for Tom Brady ... saying his old team will beat the Buccaneers today -- by one point!

The former wideout -- who's admittedly pretty biased given the fact that he played for the org. for 14 seasons -- made the prognostication to TMZ Sports earlier this week.

"I say it's close," Bruce said. "28-27."

Bruce is confident in his former team given the tattered state of Brady's O-line. The Hall of Famer tells us he expects Aaron Donald and Von Miller to have a big role in the matchup due to the injuries in front of Brady.

Bruce, though, did acknowledge that beating TB12 won't be easy.

"It will be really tough to hold Tom Brady under 25 points," Bruce said, "but I think it will be 27-28 Rams in the end."

Kickoff for the game is slated for 12 PM PT.

The NFL playoff season has been whittled down to divisions and these famous fans are having a field day with one of the most important members of the football team ... the mascot!

Adriana Lima laughs it up with T.D. representing the Miami Dolphins, Rob Lowe proves he is number one with the Los Angeles Rams' Rampage, Nick Swardson celebrates a win with Minnesota Vikings icon Viktor the Viking, and Jesse Metcalfe & Cara Santana pose on the field with Rowdy from the Dallas Cowboys.

Kickoff your football Sunday with these famous fans cheering alongside their favorite mascots!

Jon Hamm doesn't like to be left out, especially if Hollywood's boarding the Apple train without him ... which he made perfectly clear in an ad that would make Don Draper blush.

The smooth-talking actor is featured in a new campaign from Apple TV+ that made its debut this weekend during primetime NFL playoff coverage -- and the consensus seems to be ... damn, that was a good spot. Even more illuminating ... JH is pretty freaking funny!!!

Check it out ... the commercial shows Jon hanging out at home on the couch and surfing through Apple TV+'s many offerings -- with Jon scoffing at the fact that there's all these celebs plastered on the screen, but no sign of him anywhere.

He then asks the camera ... "Hey, Apple -- did I do something to offend you?" He goes on to pitch himself as someone worthy of a show or movie, like all his famous pals seem to have these days, and even makes a fake phone call to Tom Hanks ... which is hilarious.

Apple hits the point home ... they've got all the stars on their roster -- except one, that is. Of course, by hiring him for the ad, they nabbed their man in the end after all. Clever, clever.

Like we said, the commercial's a big hit and even went viral Saturday ... with many saying it was Super Bowl worthy, even though the game is still weeks away. And as for Jon's comedic chops -- well, that sorta took people aback as well ... since he's a big drama (genre) guy.