NFL

Rob Gronkowski will NEVER play another down in the NFL ... at least, that's what the future Hall of Famer is now saying -- telling TMZ Sports this week there's "no chance" he comes back.

The 33-year-old hung up his spikes in June 2022 ... but many thought he could eventually make a return -- considering he had already retired and unretired once before in his career.

But, after sitting out the entire 2022 season -- and, after his good buddy, Tom Brady, called it quits this offseason -- Gronk told Michael Babcock and Mojo Muhtadi he's officially done.

"There's no chance anymore," the former Buccaneers and Patriots tight end said of a possible comeback. "I'm happily retired."

Gronk, though, says he's still using his athleticism ... telling the guys he's actually picked up pickleball in retirement -- and, according to him, he's good at it!!

"I beat my brother, Chris, who plays with pros, and my other brother, Gordon, who plays with pros too!" he said. "And I beat 'em with an average Joe -- my other brother, Glenn G., was my partner!"

"So," he added, "I'm happily retired. I'm still competing, I'm still winning, so I don't even need to go back to football."

Gronk is also spending time at his alma mater, the Univ. of Arizona, where he's slated to be a team captain for the Wildcats' spring football game on April 15.

Gronk will face off with his bro, Chris, who will also be manning the team opposite of Rob's.

Green Bay Packers superstar QB Aaron Rodgers seems to be one step closer to getting his wish of playing football in The Big Apple.

New York Jets General Manager Joe Douglas pretty much confirmed on Friday night that Rodgers would be wearing his team's Gang Green uniform, although no timeline was given for the potential trade.

Douglas made the announcement during a public appearance on stage with CBS NFL analyst and WFAN radio host Boomer Esiason, causing the crowd to go wild.

Check out video capturing the moment in which Esiason asked if Rodgers was going to join Gang Green, and Douglas bluntly replied, "He's gonna be here."

As we reported, The Packers and Jets have been haggling over a fair price for Rodgers during trade talks. Several weeks ago, Rodgers went on "The Pat McAfee Show" to say that he wanted out of Green Bay so he could move to Florham Park, New Jersey -- the site of the Jets Training Center.

Rodgers told McAfee, "My intention is to play for the New York Jets," but he also indicated he's gotten interest from other NFL teams.

He continued, "I haven't been holding anything up at this point. It's been compensation that the Packers are trying to get for me, and kinda digging their heels in."

Olivia Culpo and Christian McCaffrey are ready to spend the rest of their lives together ... TMZ Sports has learned they're engaged!!!

The 26-year-old NFL star popped the question to the 30-year-old supermodel while the two were on a recent road trip vacation ... and we're told Culpo said "yes."

Of course, her answer should surprise no one ... 'cause the two have been absolutely inseparable since they began dating back in 2019.

Despite his busy football career -- which featured a trade from the Carolina Panthers to the San Francisco 49ers this past season -- Culpo was spotted with McCaffrey often ... attending plenty of his games and hanging with him and their families in offseasons.

Our sources say McCaffrey had been planning to propose to Culpo for the last couple months -- hitting up a jeweler in New York back earlier this year to get the ring.

No word on a wedding date just yet ... but you can bet it'll be star-studded -- and lavish -- when the two eventually say "I Do."

We reached out to a rep for Olivia .. so far no word back.

Congrats!!!

Aldon Smith has just been ordered to spend the next 12 months in jail ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The former NFL star was sentenced Friday inside a Northern California courtroom ... after he pleaded no contest to a felony DUI charge stemming from a 2021 incident in Redwood City.

Prosecutors tell us the ex-Dallas Cowboys pass rusher was remanded into custody after the hearing ... and will begin his year-long sentence right away.

Smith was also given five years of supervised probation, prosecutors say.

The 33-year-old football player, who was last with the Seahawks prior to the '21 season, was initially arrested in the case on Dec. 6, 2021 ... after authorities claim he rear-ended a truck that was stopped at a stop sign on a freeway off-ramp.

Cops say when they arrived on the scene to investigate the accident, Smith appeared intoxicated. They also claim he had marijuana in his pocket, and empty bottles of rum and vodka in his car.

Authorities say the person he hit suffered injuries to their back, wrist, knee, leg and foot in the crash.

Smith was eventually charged with one felony count of drunk driving causing injury -- but he cut a deal with prosecutors on Jan. 19 to close out the case. He had been facing a sentence of up to 16 months in prison following his plea agreement.

Travis Kelce might be a future Hall of Famer on the gridiron, but he's apparently not much of one on the baseball diamond ... 'cause he just threw out the first pitch at the Guardians game -- and it was terrible.

The Kansas City Chiefs star was tapped by his home state squad to perform the ceremonial throw at Cleveland's home-opener against the Mariners ... and there were some big expectations for the toss.

After all, Kelce's one of the best NFL players on the planet ... and he was a H.S. baseball star who some thought could have had an MLB future if he stuck with the sport.

But, Kelce was anything but great on the bump Friday ... hurling the baseball straight into the ground.

The throw was so bad, Shane Bieber -- who was playing catcher -- couldn't even snag it ... and it rolled all the way to the backstop!!

Kelce was pretty embarrassed -- he raced after the pitch immediately after throwing it ... but ultimately stopped to have a laugh with Bieber over it all.

It didn't take long for Kelce's quarterback to get wind of the comically bad throw -- with Patrick Mahomes clowning him over it on Twitter.

Joe Mixon is facing a criminal charge of aggravated menacing once again ... police just announced the case against the NFL star has been refiled.

According to the Cincinnati Police Dept., "the discovery of new evidence during the investigative process" led to the refiling of the criminal charge on Friday.

Mixon was first hit with the misdemeanor in February ... after a woman claimed he threatened to shoot her during what she described as a "road rage" incident back on Jan. 21 -- the day before the Bengals' playoff game against the Buffalo Bills.

According to police documents, the 43-year-old woman claimed it all happened just after noon in Cincinnati, when Mixon "brandished a firearm and threatened to" fire on her.

A warrant for Mixon's arrest was filed on Feb. 2, but the case was dismissed a day later, after prosecutors said they needed "additional investigation before we would move forward with this case." Officials had maintained there was still a chance it could all be refiled in the future.

"To preserve a fair and impartial judicial process for all parties involved," CPD officials said in announcing the charge Friday, "no investigatory details or evidence will be disclosed outside of official court proceedings."

Tyreek Hill is one of the best receivers in the world, in the prime of his career, but the Dolphins star is plotting an exit strategy from the NFL, saying he'll walk away in a few years to pursue a career in gaming.

Hill appeared on "Totally Offensive" with Anthony Sherman and Gehrig Dieter ... where he talked about life after he hangs up his pads.

“I’m gonna finish out this contract with the Dolphins, and then I’m gonna call it quits," Hill said. "I want to go into the business side. I want to do so many things in my life, bro."

Hill -- a 5x All-Pro in his 7 NFL seasons -- says he wants to play for at least ten years and even has an interest in coaching ... but ultimately wants to pursue non-football-related endeavors.

“So I really want to get into like the gaming space," Hill said. "I really want to get huge in that, and that’s kind of what I’m doing right now. I’m using my platform, creating a gaming team, which isn’t launched yet."

"It should launch by the end of this month (Soul Runner Gaming). I’m going to just sign like different content creators, [and] different athletes. I [have] just been working that, talking to different sponsors.”

The Super Bowl champ signed a four-year, $120 million contract extension with the Dolphins in 2022 ... making him the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL.

Forget LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard ... Odell Beckham Jr. might have been the biggest star at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday night -- at least, that's based on the reaction he got outside of the stadium, where he was mobbed by a throng of fans!!

The NFL superstar could hardly move as he attempted to make his way inside the downtown L.A. venue for the pivotal Lakers vs. Clippers game ... as people tried to get photos with him -- and recruit him to their favorite team.

To his credit, Odell handled the situation super well -- posing for a few selfies ... and even joking with our photog about his next NFL team!!

Seems the L.A. crowd wanted to see him in Las Vegas next season for some reason -- as multiple fans pled with the free-agent wide receiver to sign with the Raiders.

Once inside, Odell had a killer spot for the big game ... sitting just a few feet away from the Clippers' bench.

Unclear which team he was rooting for -- he was dressed in neutral colors -- but hopefully for him it was the Clippers ... 'cause the Lakers got smacked pretty good, 125-118.

Beckham wasn't the only celeb in the building taking in the action ... Michael B. Jordan was courtside too -- but no word if the guys ended up rubbin' elbows.

If NFL general managers can't get a blockbuster trade to go through ... maybe some pretty rocks and colored gems can?!

Seems Aaron Rodgers is hoping that's the truth ... because as the Packers and Jets continue to struggle to complete a trade for the star quarterback -- he hit a rock store near Los Angeles to shop for some healing crystals that many believe could help turn talks around.

The 39-year-old was seen out at Topanga Rocks in Topanga, CA on Wednesday afternoon -- browsing through their crystal selection as he remains hopeful that he can be dealt from Green Bay to New York this offseason.

He was seen leaving the store with a small bag -- but it's unclear what was purchased.

Of course, in the spiritual world, there are several crystals that people think could help facilitate a Packers-Jets swap ... including citrine, which is thought to bring luck to its owner. Or, maybe he was simply just hunting for a stone that could help him deal with the anxiety of the uncertainty of it all.

Either way, Rodgers doesn't seem to be sweating things too much -- he was spotted out a coffee shop enjoying a drink with actor Jonathan Tucker just before making the pit stop at the rock shop ... and appeared to be doing just fine.

The Packers and Jets, meanwhile, are still haggling over what's a fair price for Rodgers ... but now that the spirits have potentially made their way into the conversation -- maybe that changes soon???

Former Ohio State star Darron Lee -- who was picked by the Jets in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft -- was arrested Monday ... after he was accused of beating the hell out of both his mom and the mother of his child.

The disturbing allegations are all spelled out in court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports.

According to the docs, police were called out to a residence in Dublin, Ohio at around 5:30 PM on Monday after the mother of Lee's 2-year-old son, Lindsey McGlone, said Lee had attacked his mom, Candice Lee, at the home.

McGlone claimed she was downstairs in the kitchen when she heard Candice yelling at the top of the stairs. She said when she ran up, she saw Candice "lying on her back with Mr. Lee overtop of her with a raised fist."

In the docs, cops say Candice told them she had shown up to the residence after McGlone told her she wasn't feeling safe around Darron. According to cops, Candice said she went upstairs, found Darron lying on the floor of a bedroom, and told him he needed to leave.

That's when she claims the former football player snapped, began yelling at her, and then grabbed her by her shirt and pushed her into a wall twice. Candice said Darron then threw her to the ground and punched her in the face and the back of her head repeatedly. She claimed Darron also pulled her hair. She said it was all broken up when McGlone ran upstairs and pulled Darron off of her.

According to the docs, police said Candice had swelling injuries on her left cheek -- as well as head pain. She was transported to a local hospital for treatment.

Following the incident, cops say McGlone then accused Darron of being violent with her on a different occasion back in 2022.

She said it all happened on Oct. 17, when Darron believed McGlone was cheating on him. In the docs, cops say McGlone told them Darron got on top of her while she was in bed, and said "that he would kill her and their child." She then claimed he punched the pillow next to her head multiple time,s before he squeezed her throat.

Police say the woman said when Darron eventually got off of her, he grabbed her phone and threw it at a wall. McGlone said it bounced and struck her in the head, causing her ear to bleed.

According to the docs, she said that she then went downstairs -- but Darron followed her, and continued his attack. McGlone claimed Darron grabbed her by her neck, lifted her up, swung her around and then dropped her onto the ground. She told cops she was eventually able to grab the couple's child and leave before things escalated further.

For his part, Darron -- according to the documents -- told cops McGlone had struck him in the face during the altercation. He also denied ever throwing anything at her or putting his hands on her neck.

Cops, though, said they observed photographs of McGlone's injuries as well as pictures of her broken phone and a journal entry she had written on that date.

Darron was ultimately arrested ... and court records show he was hit with four separate charges -- two counts of misdemeanor domestic violence and two counts of misdemeanor assault.

Jail records show as of Tuesday morning, the 28-year-old was still behind bars.

Darron starred at Ohio State from 2013 to 2015 ... and was such a touted linebacker prospect, the NY Jets selected with the No. 20 overall pick in '16. He played three seasons with the team, before he was traded to the Chiefs, where he helped the KC win Super Bowl LIV.

Magic Johnson is finally opening up on his plans to buy the Washington Commanders ... saying he's hoping his group is the big winner, 'cause it's the last missing piece to his professional team portfolio.

The NBA legend -- grouped with 76ers owner Josh Harris and billionaire Mitchell Rales -- officially submitted a $6 billion bid to buy the franchise from Dan Snyder last week ... and during an appearance on Tuesday's episode of "Today," he explained how he felt about the impending result.

"Yes, our bid is in," Magic said. "We hope that we win. We don't know what's going to happen."

"We'll see what happens with Mr. Snyder making that decision, but we're excited about it."

Johnson points out having an NFL team would be "the last thing" when it comes to ownership ... as he already has stakes in the L.A. Dodgers, LAFC and L.A. Sparks.

It's not a sure thing, though ... as Canadian billionaire Steve Apostolopoulos has also submitted a $6 billion bid.

But it's safe to say Magic really wants that team ... and if he does get it, there might be some uniform changes coming, based on how he reacted to a question about the team's current threads.

Ex-NFL superstar Donovan McNabb made one super fan's dream come true AGAIN over the weekend ... when the Eagles legend surprised a Make-A-Wish alum with a truly special reunion 17 years after their first meeting -- and the video is incredible.

The interaction was part of the annual Celebration Exotic Car Festival in Orlando ... which benefits the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

29-year-old Charlie Pena was born with sickle cell anemia ... and when he was 12, he was granted the opportunity to coach the Philadelphia Eagles' mini camp for a day.

Fast forward to this past weekend ... when Pena was doing an interview about what the experience meant to him while at the car festival -- and out of nowhere, Donovan McNabb came through to say hello!!!

The whole thing was planned behind the scenes, but Pena had no idea it was going to happen ... saying, "No way, bro!!"

The two immediately shared a hug ... and both couldn't contain their excitement to meet up again.

"I'm so proud of you, man," Donovan said.

"I would've never thought that he would've been here right now, that I would ever see him again," Charlie -- who is now healthy with three daughters -- added.

The two also met up for the evening gala, where Donovan shared how important it is to be a role model and example for young fans everywhere -- and they shared a touching moment on stage.

Reggie Bush is such a huge fan of USC quarterback Caleb Williams ... he tells TMZ Sports he thinks there's absolutely no ceiling on what the signal-caller can do with a football in his hands.

"He's a great young kid," Bush told us out at Dash Radio in Los Angeles this week. "The sky is the limit for him."

Of course, Bush would know a thing or two about the topic ... he balled out at SC from 2003 to 2005 -- and then went on to have a solid 11-year NFL career.

Clearly, he believes Williams can do the same -- and even more -- telling us he's stoked to see what the 21-year-old can do following his Heisman Trophy campaign last season.

Bush says he's actually spoken to Williams in person before ... and called their meet-ups "amazing."

As for when Williams -- who transferred from Oklahoma to USC prior to last season -- eventually gets to the pros ... Bush said there isn't one team in the league that should pass on him in the 2024 NFL Draft.

"Anybody can use him!"

WWE wrestler Roman Reigns' poppin' looks have been dominating the spotlight since 2010, and they are "spot" on!

Here's a 21-year-old version of the then broad-shouldered Minnesota Vikings player posing for his headshot in Minneapolis, Minnesota back in 2007 (left). This was just three years before signing with the WWE.

Looking sweaty and ready ... "The Tribal Chief" -- now 37 years old and a whopping 265 pounds -- recently took on Kevin Owens during the WWE Royal Rumble event in San Antonio, Texas (right).

The current Undisputed WWE Universal Champion will go up against 2023 Men's Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes at this year's WrestleMania 39 ... Take the reins, Reigns!

The question here is ...

Defenders trying to tackle Tony Pollard next season better hope they like cartoons -- 'cause every time they grab the Dallas Cowboys star's right leg to bring him down now, they're gonna get a faceful of animated characters!!!

Pollard just got a slew of some of the greatest cartoon characters ever tattooed on his leg -- and the doodles are amazing, covering everything from his upper thigh to his ankle.

Andres Ortega and his Onder Ink team put the art on the Pro Bowl running back's leg this week ... flying out to Dallas for it all -- and you can see, it came out great.

There's nods to all kinds of TV show legends in the piece -- everyone from Tom and Jerry to Johnny Bravo to SpongeBob SquarePants to Scooby-Doo and the Rugrats are on it.

There's also images of Goku and Frieza from Dragon Ball Z ... and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are featured as well!!

Ortega tells us 25-year-old Pollard asked for the piece because he wanted to remember the good times he had while watching the shows as a kid.

In total, Ortega says it took about eight hours to finish the artwork.

Stefon Diggs isn't just nice on the football field, he's also a problem on the hardwood -- 'cause the NFL star just flexed some insane skills during a recent hoops sesh ... including an impressive dunk!!

The Buffalo Bills receiver was shootin' buckets at the famous Summit NYC gym with famous NBA skills trainer Chris Brickley on Thursday ... and was captured on video doin' what he calls "lab work."

In a clip of the workout, the 3-time Pro Bowler goes off with a couple of nice step-backs, a reverse layup, and a turnaround fadeaway.

But, what was most impressive ... Diggs also displayed his range and hops by hitting a shot behind the arc and throwing down a massive dunk!

"@stefondiggs gotta be one of the best hoopers in the NFL!," Brickley said in the IG video caption.

Hundreds of fans agreed ... one commenting, "It’s cool seeing the type of hooper he is. Explains his route running style."

Another person said, "Thought it was Bradley Beal at first haha."

Of course, the former 5th-round pick was a baller in high school, along with football and track ... saying on "The Shop" earlier this month that if he were to give up playing in the NFL, he would be in the NBA -- because he's just that nice!

"I can really hoop, though," Diggs said. "Yeah [I hooped in high school], but if I really put this football s*** down and say like, let's dedicate my life to it, I could really do that."

"100% [I can go to the NBA]. I could average at least 10."