NFL

"Deontay Wilder, I’m gonna outbox him, I'm gonna outclass him, if I ever get that opportunity."

That's former NFL great WR Brandon Marshall talking about beating up arguably the greatest heavyweight knockout artist of all-time.

TMZ Sports talked to the 36-year-old, 6'5", 230 lb., 6x Pro Bowler turned boxing enthusiast about his desire to step in the ring ... and his friend Evander Holyfield comparing BM to the 42-1-1 (41 KO's) Bronze Bomber.

"You can't compare me to Deontay Wilder, I'm not Deontay Wilder. Deontay Wilder, obviously, we know him for his power. he's a freak athlete," Marshall tells us.

"But what I'd say, I would challenge Deontay Wilder to dive a little deeper into the sweet science, and that's where I think I separate myself from a lot of these heavyweights."

Brandon is serious ... and says just because he doesn't have a bunch of pro fights under his belt, you shouldn't sleep on his skills in the squared circle -- 'cause he's been boxing for over 30 years.

"You haven't seen me on Pay-Per-View. No, I don't have a win under my belt, or a loss, or a knockout. But at the end of the day, I know how to fight, I know how to box, I know the sweet science."

Marshall -- who says he likes Wilder and has learned from watching him box -- needs to fight this fall ... or he won't fight at all.

"If it doesn't happen before September, I'm gonna retire. I'm retiring from boxing. I'm retiring before I even step foot in the ring."

"If it doesn't happen, I'm just gonna move on to other things because I'm tired of chasing these guys."

Of course, Wilder hasn't fought since losing to Tyson Fury in February 2020 ... and has a list of potential big-time opponents he could face in his return.

Shaquille O'Neal thinks the Patriots did Tom Brady dirty at the end of his run in New England -- and he LOVES that TB12 stuck it to his old squad by taking his new team to the Super Bowl!

Shaq, who's hosting "The Shaq Bowl" next weekend, was raving about the 43-year-old QB's incredible career when he brought up Tom's exit from NE ... and he didn't exactly mince his words.

"The way he came in ... this is his 10th Super Bowl and [to] play with a franchise and then the franchise kinda [says], 'Oh, you're old, bye!' and he said 'Okay, you don't wanna take care of me, after all, I did for this city? Watch this!'

"[Then he] goes to another a city, promises them a Super Bowl and delivers??? Wooo!!!"

Tom's not the only Bucs star who left his team in messy fashion -- Shaq says he personally counseled Leonard Fournette after the Jacksonville Jaguars waived the running back in August.

"They did him kinda dirty in Jacksonville," Shaq says ... "I had a conversation with him. I told him to keep his head up. So, when he was going to Tampa I said, 'Hey, man, this is your chance to let everybody know they were wrong about you.'"

"He's been playing fabulous."

The Bucs have their work cut out for them -- with young superstar Patrick Mahomes leading the K.C. Chiefs ... and Shaq can't wait for the matchup!

"This is what I like to see in championship games -- the old versus the new. Is it gonna be the old guy to continue to dominate? Or will the young guy finally come in to say, 'Hey, I know you're Tom Brady but this is my time to shine?!'"

"I used to watch these type of karate movies growing up because at some point, the student must kill the master to become the master."

In the meantime, Shaq's keeping busy -- running his own Super Bowl pre-game show called, "The Shaq Bowl" ... featuring stars like Tim Tebow, Ezekiel Elliott, Diplo, The Miz, Anthony Anderson, Nelly, Offset and more competing in various crazy events at a custom-built Shaq Bowl stadium in Tampa on Feb. 7.

San Francisco, New York and Indianapolis get excited ... Warren Moon tells TMZ Sports he believes the 49ers, Jets and Colts are the frontrunners to land Deshaun Watson!!!

The Texans QB officially wants out of Houston ... according to multiple reports, the 25-year-old is done with the team after feuding with execs, and has demanded a trade.

It's unclear if the Texans will give into the request -- considering, you know, the QB is awesome -- but if they do, Moon says he believes the Jets, Colts and 49ers are the most likely trade partners.

As for why, Moon says with the Niners, Watson could be a big upgrade if the team moves on from Jimmy Garoppolo.

With the Colts -- Moon says replacing Philip Rivers with Watson is a no-brainer ... though he wonders if the Texans would be open to an inter-division trade.

As for the Jets, Moon tells us Watson would fit in great there ... given the New York media market and the promise of new head coach Robert Saleh.

(We know Brandon Marshall certainly agrees with that one!!!)

Moon says he's hopeful that once a trade is completed, Houston will learn from this and realize if it gets another star QB, it needs to build around him and make him the team's centerpiece right away.

"Hopefully the organization will get a hint from this that we've got to do a better job going forward," Moon says. "We've got to go out and look for another top-flight quarterback and we've got to build a team around that guy so we don't end up losing him the next time."

Tom Brady is getting a pat on the back from one of the Buccaneers' greatest ever ... with Derrick Brooks praising the hell out of the QB for helping Tampa Bay on its Super Bowl run!

TMZ Sports spoke with the legendary Bucs linebacker this week ... and the guy told us straight-up he's been in awe of what Brady's been able to do for TB this season.

"You're talking about a man that's going to his 10th Super Bowl but still treating it as his first in terms of the words he's used, the preparation that he's using going into it and leading this team," Brooks said.

"It's something that I, honestly, you learn to appreciate as a fan of the game and even as someone who's played the game at a high level, I still say that I can appreciate that."

Derrick says Tom's ability to stay calm and poised when the Bucs struggled at times this year really helped elevate the squad ... telling us, "Tom's presence and his experience has definitely meant a difference."

Don't get it twisted, though ... Derrick says for as good as Tom's been this season -- he's still jacked that EVERYONE on the team played their role well enough to advance this far in the postseason.

By the way, Derrick has been a key piece in preparing Tampa Bay for its role as Super Bowl host city this year ... and he tells us it's been a hell of an experience trying to plan the event in the middle of a pandemic.

If you needed a reminder of how excited the people of Tampa are to be back in the Super Bowl after almost 20 years, take a look at how they rang in the week before kickoff.

A pirate ship in downtown was lit up Friday night with fireworks and a light show on the City's riverfront in Julian B. Lane Park -- where folks gathered for the "Super Bowl Experience" ... a makeshift amusement park with games and attractions fans can enjoy ahead of SB LV.

The ship's decked out with all the NFL team flags, but Tampa Bay and Kansas City -- who are facing off on the gridiron -- were the ones that stuck out most. The vessel will stay illuminated nightly, so people can come back and watch if they missed it the first time around.

Oh, and did we mention the Lombardi Trophy sits aboard too -- yeah that's there ... so pretty neat for football aficionados in general.

Unfortunately, tickets for this thing sold out on NFL's OnePass app -- but apparently, there's another park nearby where you can still get a taste of the fun ... they say there's gonna be DJs, food vendors and other not-as-cool-but-still-kinda-cool things at Curtis Hixon Park.

As we reported ... the Bucs haven't been in the Super Bowl since 2002. Now, almost a full two decades later, they're back -- all thanks to Tom Brady, who came over from the Pats.

Brandon Marshall has the solution to all of Deshaun Watson's woes with the Texans -- telling TMZ Sports EVERYTHING can be resolved by forcing a trade to New York!!!

"The New York Jets are the perfect landing spot for Deshaun Watson," the ex-NFL star receiver says.

As for why ... Marshall -- who played two years of his NFL career with NYJ -- says it's simple, the team can offer him anything he wants.

"The salary cap, we got around $68, $69 million available," Marshall says. "Who do you want?!"

The 36-year-old -- STAR on HBO's "Inside the NFL" show and founder of House of Athlete -- says the Jets would be willing to buy any free agent, including former Bears star Allen Robinson, to make it all work out.

In fact, Marshall says NY brass would even give him some say on who the team should draft!!

"He's going to turn this thing around," Marshall says. "And, we've been waiting for someone like him to lead the way."

Of course, the Texans would have to be amenable to jettisoning Watson first ... but all indications are pointing toward Watson holding out if he isn't traded.

So, DW to NY?!

By the way, Marshall has some really cool stuff going on this offseason besides recruiting for the Jets.

With the cancellation of the NFL's annual combine (thanks, COVID), Brandon says he's holding his own showcase down in Florida to help athletes and teams alike prepare for the NFL draft.

Here's proof Odell Beckham Jr. might seriously not be human ...

Just 2.5 months after having major knee surgery -- Beckham was going HARD in the weight room, putting what appeared to be over 300 pounds on his back and lunging!

The Cleveland Browns star shared a glimpse into his Thursday lift sesh on social media ... and the video is impressive as hell considering what his left knee has been through.

You'll recall, OBJ tore his ACL in the 1st quarter of Cleveland's Oct. 25 game against the Cincinnati Bengals ... and he had surgery a few weeks later in early November.

Beckham didn't wait too long to begin the rehab process ... he posted clips in December showing him getting in some squats.

But, now ... look at the guy -- he's SERIOUSLY getting after it in the gym!!

In the Thursday footage, Beckham -- with what looks like 315 pounds on his shoulders -- got in some leg work ... and then hit some machines for some ladder cardio.

Ron Rivera - 1, Cancer - 0!!!

The Washington Football Team head coach is officially cancer free Thursday ... this according to Rivera's daughter, Courtney.

As we previously reported, Rivera was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma back in August ... just one month before his first season as head coach of the WFT.

Being the badass he is, 59-year-old Rivera remained with the team throughout his 7 rounds of cancer treatment -- and never missed a game during his battle.

Rivera spoke about the toll the meds had taken on his body during the season ... saying the fatigue he's experienced felt like a "300-pound gorilla on your back."

Rivera was able to ring the bell following his last round of treatment on Oct. 26 ... just in time to help Washington make a playoff run.

"Thank you all for the love and prayers," Courtney said on Twitter on Thursday. "just got off the phone with mom and dad leaving the hospital @RiverboatRonHC is officially cancer free!!!"

Think twice about getting the dip and callin' the bros for The Big Game ... L.A. county health officials are now warning people NOT to party for the Super Bowl, saying it could lead to the spread of COVID.

Coronavirus experts in Los Angeles made the announcement this week ... saying if people host large gatherings for the Chiefs vs. Bucs next weekend, it could be dire.

"Don’t organize a party at home," L.A. County public health director Barbara Ferrer said. "Don’t go to a Super Bowl party."

Ferrer added, "It will be tragic if the Super Bowl becomes a super-spreader of coronavirus."

The COVID numbers in L.A. are some of the worst in the nation ... with over 1 million people having been diagnosed in the county throughout the past year.

And, despite positivity rates finally starting to slowly decline, Ferrer and the rest of the county's health officials are urging people to not let their guard down -- even if it's just for a few hours to watch football.

"Each of us needs to make very careful choices about what we do," Ferrer said. "Please don’t resume socializing with lots of people not in your household."

If a social gathering is an absolute must ... Ferrer did lay out some guidelines -- explaining the event should consist of only one or two households that have been stable and safe.

David Culley can NOT save the Texans' relationship with Deshaun Watson ... 'cause despite Houston agreeing to hire the new head coach, the team's superstar still wants out.

The quarterback made it clear this month, according to multiple reports ... officially demanding a trade from the org. just a few months after signing a 4-year, $156 MILLION contract extension with the team.

And, because of a no-trade clause in his deal, Watson will now get to pick where he's shipped off to if Houston's brass ultimately relents to his demands.

The issues between the 25-year-old and the Texans are well-documented at this point ... Watson wanted a big say in the team's GM and head coach hires -- and he reportedly got none of it.

In fact, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Thursday that Watson hasn't even spoken to new Texans GM Nick Caserio since his hiring earlier this month.

Shannon Sharpe, meanwhile, said on FS1's "Undisputed" on Thursday that Watson is "willing to play hardball" in order to get out of Houston.

Of course, the ramifications of a trade for both the Texans and the rest of the NFL are massive ... Watson is one of the game's brightest stars -- and giving him away would cripple the Texans' org. for the foreseeable future.

Meanwhile, a trade to a team like the NY Jets or Chicago Bears could suddenly vault them into Super Bowl contention.

Shaquille O'Neal thinks the usual Super Bowl pre-game coverage is super lame -- so he's created his own event with a ton of his famous friends ... and he's calling it, "The Shaq Bowl."

Superstars like Tim Tebow, Ezekiel Elliott, Diplo, The Miz, Anthony Anderson, Nelly, Offset and more are all booked to compete in various crazy events at a custom-built Shaq Bowl stadium in Tampa on Feb. 7.

All of the action will happen leading up to the Super Bowl game -- and it'll be live-streamed across more than 20 platforms including LiveXLive, YouTube, Twitch, TikTok and Twitter starting at 3 PM ET.

"With everyone home this year, we're gonna do something that's fun and entertaining for the people," Shaq tells TMZ Sports.

"I got a crazy lineup, bunch of my close friends -- it's gonna feature athletes, celebrities, superstar-artists across 2 teams competing in fun and viral challenges."

Shaq tells us the event, officially titled "Mercari Presents the Shaq Bowl," will have strict COVID protocols in place ... and they WILL be enforced.

"We're gonna hire a professional well-known staff and they're gonna do what they do," Shaq says ... "Shaq does not mess around."

As for why he decided to go up against the big network Super Bowl pre-game show ... Shaq didn't pull any punches.

"Look, all the Super Bowl pre-game stuff is kinda boring ... so we're gonna change the game."

Future Hall of Famer Jason Witten is hanging up his cleats -- again -- the 17-year vet has decided to call it a career ... and he's doing it as a member of the Dallas Cowboys.

The 38-year-old will go down as one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history ... racking up more than 1,200 catches and 13,000 yards, 74 touchdowns and 271 games played ... which are all records at the position.

Witten previously retired in 2018 and became the lead analyst for ESPN's Monday Night Football ... before returning to the Cowboys for the 2019 season.

Witten spent the 2020 season with the Las Vegas Raiders, where his production dramatically decreased -- starting 7 games, catching 13 balls for 69 yards and 2 TDs.

ESPN reports Witten will sign a 1-day contract to retire as a member of the Cowboys once his Raiders deal expires in March.

Witten finishes his career with 11 Pro Bowls, 5 total All-Pro selections and a Walter Payton Man of the Year award.

No word on whether Witten will get a whole 'nother diamond football like last time ... but who knows when it comes to Jerry Jones.

Michael Strahan has tested positive for COVID-19 ... TMZ has learned.

Sources connected to the "Good Morning America" host and NFL Hall of Famer tell us he is currently quarantining ... which is why he's been absent from 'GMA' all week.

Football fans also noticed he only appeared remotely for his other gig on "FOX NFL Sunday" during the NFC Championship -- that's because Michael was already taking precautions.

We're told he found out on Saturday he'd been exposed at some point last week, and immediately started quarantining. Our sources say he's planning to appear on 'GMA' Thursday, remotely, to discuss his diagnosis. He's not currently experiencing any severe symptoms.

There's also this ... we've learned Strahan's daughters came into contact with him AFTER he'd been exposed -- so they're getting tested. So is their mother, Jean, with whom they live most of the time. We're told they haven't gotten their results yet.

It's unclear how much he'll be working for now. We've seen other anchors work from home while quarantining -- CNN's Chris Cuomo comes to mind.

Can you imagine if TB12 became TB7?!?!?

Tom Brady was VERY close to making that huge change -- with the QB considering swapping his number after joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

So why #7?? 'Cause Brady's going after that 7th ring, baby!!!

Bucs GM Jason Licht made the major revelation in an interview on the Peter King Podcast this week ... saying Brady was totally fine with letting star receiver Chris Godwin keep #12 'cause he had a new number in mind.

Licht breaks down the convo after the move to TB was a done deal ... and it's the most Brady story ever.

"After we had talked and we knew that this was gonna happen, I said, 'Hey, there's one other thing. It's a small thing but maybe a big thing," Licht says."

"We have a #12 on our team and he's pretty good, Chris Godwin. What are you thinking about that?'

Brady's response?? ... "'Oh, he's a great player, I'm not going to take his number. Know what number I'm thinking of? I'm thinking of taking maybe #7. Is that available?'"

"I said, 'Yeah, I think it is, why #7?' He goes, 'Going after that 7th Super Bowl.'"

It's crazy to hear Brady was prepared to ditch #12 so easily ... after all, the dude has an entire TB12 brand tied to his beloved digits.

Of course, Godwin ended up switching to #14 to let Brady take #12 ... and TB12 is one win away from that 7th ring.

The Scooter is faster than The Cheetah!?

Buccaneers wideout Scott "Scooter" Miller certainly thinks so ... 'cause he just revealed he believes he'd DUST Tyreek Hill in a 1-on-1 sprint!!!

"I'm taking me every day of the week," the 23-year-old Tom Brady target said on the Dan Patrick Show on Wednesday. "I'll take me over anybody."

Of course, there's a hell of a lot of people who would disagree ... Tyreek is considered the fastest player in the NFL -- and Scott is considered, well, not that.

But, Miller does have some wheels ... you'll recall, the dude ran a 4.36 40-yard dash at his Pro Day at Bowling Green back in 2019 -- and he did look awfully quick on that huge TD against the Packers last week!

"Tyreek is unbelievable, super quick, unbelievable talent," Miller said. "But, if we're talking about a race, I've got all of the confidence in myself going up against anybody."

A race between the two almost certainly will never go down ... remember, Hill told TMZ Sports just a few weeks ago he "retired" from racing people.

But, Hill will play Miller next Sunday for the Super Bowl title when the Chiefs meet the Bucs again.

Breathe easy, Green Bay ... Aaron Rodgers has clarified his comments -- and the superstar QB is now saying he believes he'll still be a Packer next year.

"I don't think that there's any reason why I wouldn't be back," Rodgers said Tuesday.

Aaron made the statement on "The Pat McAfee Show" ... explaining he was surprised by the way his postgame comments Sunday made so many people believe he wanted out of Wisconsin.

If you missed it, Rodgers -- just minutes after losing in the NFC title game to Tom Brady in heartbreaking fashion -- told reporters he was "uncertain" of his future in Green Bay.

Because of the way the team had just lost, and given how it had drafted quarterback Jordan Love in the 1st round in the offseason ... a lot of folks took that as a goodbye from Rodgers.

But, Aaron told McAfee and A.J. Hawk on Tuesday that he wasn't implying anything with his comments ... and an uncertain future is just part of the game in the NFL.

"There's not many absolutes -- as you guys know -- in this business," Rodgers said. "So, to make an absolute statement about something that is not an absolute, I didn't do it. I guess that's why it kind of, went kind of nuts."

Rodgers explained he's always wanted to remain a Packer for life -- similar to Kobe Bryant with the Lakers and Derek Jeter with the Yankees.

"Naturally, you dream about that," Rodgers said.

FYI -- Packers brass is clearly on the same page as Rodgers ... team president Mark Murphy said Tuesday, "We're not idiots. Aaron Rodgers will be back, he's our leader."