NFL

Brett Favre is certain Aaron Rodgers will head into Sunday's matchup against his old team with some extra motivation ... telling TMZ Sports he's sure the QB "will want to play the best game he's ever played" vs. the Packers.

The Pittsburgh Steelers signal-caller is facing off with Green Bay for the first time since it traded him back in 2023 ... and Favre told us this week there's just no way his former teammate is viewing the tilt as just another game.

Favre said Rodgers "certainly doesn't want to lay an egg on maybe his last game against the Packers" -- although he didn't necessarily think Aaron's looking for any kind of "revenge."

Stephen Gostkowski is sure patience with Bill Belichick at UNC will be rewarded ... telling TMZ Sports this week if the Tar Heels give him time, the head coach "will figure it out."

The former Patriots star -- who played under Belichick for 14 seasons in New England -- called the 73-year-old "the best coach" ... while making it clear he has no concerns about The Hoodie's ability to win, despite a slow start in Chapel Hill.

"I can't really say too much bad about him," the ex-All-Pro kicker said. "I enjoyed working with him every minute of the day. I used to be scared to death of him. Maybe not so much anymore. But I'm pulling for him."

The NFL just handed down some hefty fines on the New York Giants, head coach Brian Daboll and rookie running back Cam Skattebo for violating the league's concussion protocol policy ... all for "creating the perception" they interfered with Jaxson Dart while he was being evaluated for a head injury.

It all stems from the team's Week 6 showdown against the Philadelphia Eagles ... when the Giants rookie QB was taken into the blue medical tent for a concussion test.

Only members of the medical staff and the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant are allowed inside the tent. Daboll and Skattebo broke those rules ... which is a big no-no.

Months after Red Panda broke her wrist during a fall in the WNBA Commissioner's Cup championship ... the iconic halftime performer made her much-anticipated return on Thursday -- and it's safe to say she is SO back.

The legend popped up at the Amazon Studios after the L.A. Chargers beat the Minnesota Vikings on "Thursday Night Football" ... and proved she hasn't missed a step in recovery.

If there were any nerves for the performance, she wasn't showing them. The crew went wild when the performer -- real name Rong "Krystal" Niu -- nailed her signature bowl flip while riding a unicycle.

Doug Martin apparently suffered from a pretty serious mental health episode months before his death ... with a new report claiming he jumped out of a 2nd story window and got into a physical altercation with some police officers.

The San Francisco Chronicle made the claim in a new article published Wednesday, citing reports from the Alameda County Sheriff's Office ... reporting Martin was put on an involuntary psychiatric hold back in August.

According to the Chronicle, Martin checked into Tranquility Rehab Center in Castro Valley in August ... and, they say he tested positive for cocaine and methamphetamines when he arrived.

Jon Jones is breaking his silence on the tragic and sudden death of his oldest brother, Arthur Jones ... sharing a moving post on social media where the MMA great shares his raw feelings on the former NFL player's passing.

"Arthur was not just a Super Bowl champion but a father, spouse, son, brother, everyone’s best friend, a gentle giant whose kindness and generosity knew no bounds," Jon wrote.

The future UFC Hall of Famer spoke about Arthur's "love of outdoors," from fishing to duck hunting and riding four-wheelers with his fam ... with Jon saying AJ "brought pure joy, warmth and laughter to every moment spent around him."

“His legacy inspires me every day. Our dad Arthur Jones Jr, me, Chandler, Arthur Jones IV,  and the rest of the family are committed to moving forward striving to be the best versions of ourselves, just as he would have wanted.”

Arthur, born in 1986, passed away on October 3, 2025 at just 39 years old ... after apparently suffering some sort of cardiac medical emergency.

Jones, who played seven seasons in the NFL, including four for the Baltimore Ravens (he won a Super Bowl in 2013), racked up 173 tackles, 10 sacks, and two forced fumbles over the course of his career.

Flavor Flav says people need to get off Bad Bunny's case ... 'cause he's a terrific artist who deserves the Super Bowl stage -- and people who watch Turning Point USA's counterprogramming are going to miss out!

We caught up with the hip-hop legend at LAX on Wednesday ... and, we asked him about whether he's interested in this alternative halftime show, and he's pretty much thumbs-down on it -- sharing his confusion about why people wouldn't want to listen to a powerful artist like BB.

Bad Bunny lifting up Puerto Rico's economy and his other good works for the U.S. island territory is enough reason for him to get the Halftime Show spot, Flavor adds ... and, Flav himself is a big fan of the guy.

50 Cent couldn't help but gush over Taylor Swift mentioning him on her song "Ruin The Friendship" from her blockbuster "The Life of a Showgirl" album ... and sent a backhanded shot to Travis Kelce's ex-GF!!!

During his sit-down with "Extra," 50 Cent dissected his shout-out on the track, basking in the fact that Taylor was using him as a ubiquitous reference for what was lit in pop culture at the time her song reflects upon.

50 admitted the All-Pro tight end made him a Chiefs fan before quipping he preferred seeing Taylor and Travis together ... as opposed to that "last thing" he was with.

Sean Payton saw the not-so-subtle jab Russell Wilson made toward him on social media on Tuesday ... but the Broncos head coach is adamant he wasn't shading his former quarterback with the comments he made after Sunday's game -- insisting he was simply complimenting Jaxson Dart.

Payton raised eyebrows after the Broncos pulled off an unbelievable comeback against the Giants ... when he told reporters postgame he had hoped Dart would remain the backup until after their Week 7 matchup -- which some saw as shade to Wilson.

Wilson -- the current New York Giants backup after losing the gig to the rookie -- sent a rare shot at his old coach on Tuesday ... and while he didn't mention Payton by name, it was clear who he was referring to in the post.

Roger Goodell is standing by the NFL's decision to have Bad Bunny perform the Super Bowl LX Halftime Show ... saying the star musician "understands the platform that he's on" -- and there are no plans for a replacement.

The commish met with reporters during the league's annual fall owners meeting in New York ... where he explained the process of selecting the halftime performance is "carefully thought through."

"I'm not sure we've ever selected an artist where we didn't have some blowback or criticism," he said. "It's pretty hard to do when you have literally hundreds of millions of people that are watching. But we're confident it's gonna be a great show."

Mark Sanchez's attorney said the former quarterback is "still recovering" from wounds he sustained in a stabbing earlier this month.

The ex-NFLer's counsel, Tim Delaney, informed a Marion County, IN judge of Sanchez's condition during a pretrial conference on Wednesday.

Delaney told the court he was grateful the judge excused his client from attending the proceedings, noting Sanchez "is still recovering from the injuries he sustained" as well as the "medical intervention" he required to fix the damage.

Travis Kelce just revealed what he orders when he's at his and Patrick Mahomes' new steakhouse ... and the dishes are a lot like the way his fans would describe him -- rich and buttery!

The food topic came up during Wednesday's episode of "New Heights" -- when Jason Kelce announced he'd be heading to 1587 Prime for the first time next week ... while he's in Kansas City to cover the Chiefs' "Monday Night Football" matchup with the Commanders.

Jason asked Travis what he should order once he plops down into one of the swanky joint's booths ... and the younger Kelce gave him some recommendations.

Joey Fatone offered up some great advice to Bad Bunny this week ... and he did it all while on the TMZ Sports Live Stream!!

The *NSYNC band member joined Edward Lewis, Lucas Widman and the rest of the newsroom guys and gals on Monday to talk music, sports ... and the upcoming Super Bowl halftime show.

Fatone said he really liked the NFL's pick for SB LX -- explaining that while he knows the Bad Bunny selection divided some people, he's actually in favor of the Big Game rotating performers from all kinds of genres.

Russell Wilson took aim at Sean Payton on Tuesday ... blasting his former coach for some postgame comments he made on Sunday -- all while referencing "Bountygate."

The New York quarterback fired away at Payton on his X page ... just two days after the Denver head man told reporters he was disappointed the Broncos had to face off with Jaxson Dart -- and not Wilson while at Empower Field at Mile High Stadium.

Payton seemed to indicate Russ would be a much easier assignment ... and the words clearly ticked off his former signal-caller.

No surprise here -- the New York Giants released kicker Jude McAtamney after he missed two crucial extra points on Sunday ... and Big Blue fans didn't hold back when reacting to the news.

The G-Men made the roster move on Tuesday following their 33-32 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday ... with McAtamney's errors proving costly in the result.

This, of course, was just a few weeks after NY activated the undrafted kicker from the practice squad.

Travis Kelce is channeling his inner kid with his latest business move -- the Kansas City Chiefs superstar loves roller coasters so much, he invested in Six Flags!!

Taylor Swift's fiancé revealed the news on Tuesday ... saying it was an opportunity he had to pounce on due to his family's countless trips to Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio growing up.

Kelce -- who grew up in northeast Ohio -- teamed up with JANA Partners to get a piece of Six Flags ... which merged with CP's parent company, Cedar Fair, in 2024.