NFL

The Bengals keeping Zac Taylor was the right move ... so says Adam "Pacman" Jones, who believes the team's struggles this past season aren't his fault -- it's all on the defense!!

TMZ Sports caught up with the former Bengals star in Los Angeles this week and asked whether the team made a mistake sticking with Taylor after a 6-11 season -- especially when there are some sexy names available this offseason.

"I don't think it's Zac Taylor's fault," Jones said. "The offense is scoring 30 points a game. Taylor call the offensive plays. We still been one of the top offenses."

If the Buffalo Bills need any help at receiver against the Denver Broncos this weekend, they can call a familiar face ... 'cause Stevie Johnson tells TMZ Sports he could rack up a "humble 40" yards -- and even score!!

The former wide receiver last suited up in 2015 ... but he explained his stance ahead of his old team's Divisional Round matchup with the top seed in the AFC.

"I would get at least four first downs before I get the hang of it," Johnson said. "Now if we're talking in the red zone, I can get three touchdowns -- fade, slant, that’s easy work. Just get up on 'em, create space and it’s money all day."

Sam Beal -- the former NY Giants CB who's been missing for the last seven months -- was locked up in jail for unpaid child support five months before his disappearance ... TMZ Sports has learned.

We're learning more about the months leading up to the disappearance of Beal, who was reported missing in early August 2025 ... and the new info includes the former NFLer spending some time behind bars.

According to his missing persons file, the Western Michigan alum was locked up from September 2024 to February 2025 ... after Michigan hit him with two charges for allegedly failing to make child support payments in 2024.

Darren Waller believes he was the last person to interact with Mike McDaniel before he was fired ... revealing he was "at the scene of the crime!"

The Miami Dolphins tight end sat down with Johnny Manziel on his "Glory Daze" podcast ... where he spoke about the bizarre experience he had during his exit meeting with McDaniel.

He said the two were reflecting on the season and the future ... when all of a sudden, Stephen Ross, who owns the team, busted the door open.

Tom Brady struggled at times during his final NFL season, but don't point the finger at Father Time ... 'cause the TB12 admits his divorce from Gisele Bündchen weighed heavily on his ability to play.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion opened up about the public split during his appearance on "The Herd" on Thursday, as Colin and Tom discussed whether this was Aaron Rodgers' final season.

Brady acknowledged his own 2022 campaign -- his final season and first-ever losing year -- was difficult ... especially after Bündchen's divorce filing became public.

"My last season was tough," Brady said.

Adam "Pacman" Jones has revealed the biggest condition for Deion Sanders to make the jump to the NFL -- no coaching against his kid, or it's a hard pass.

TMZ Sports caught up with the former NFL star outside Paramount on Wednesday ... and asked whether Coach Prime might throw his hat into the ongoing coaching carousel.

It wouldn’t surprise Pacman to see Deion back in the NFL ... but "it would have to be Cleveland" with his son, Shedeur, despite nine NFL head coach jobs opening this cycle.

Giants fans aren't the only ones excited about potentially landing John Harbaugh -- so is Nate Burleson, who tells TMZ Sports the move could transform both the New York franchise and Jaxson Dart.

The news about Harbaugh possibly joining Big Blue began on Wednesday ... after the former Ravens head coach had an in-person interview with the organization. Hours later, it was reported the two sides were close to an agreement.

Like Giants supporters, Burleson believes it would be a perfect match -- especially with a young, dynamic, dual-threat quarterback like Dart ... the kind of QB Harbaugh knows well.

Nostalgia for 2016 is all over social media these days … but reminiscing on a decade ago might be awkward timing for Hailee Steinfeld!

An old photo of the “Sinners” star is making the rounds this week, and Bills Mafia is definitely doing a double-take at the dug-up tweet.

The throwback pic shows Hailee rocking a Broncos Starter jacket and hitting a full dab on the day Denver won Super Bowl 50 -- with the caption "HELL YEAH BRONCOS!!!!"

Fast-forward to now, and she’s married to superstar Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen, whose squad just so happens to be facing the Broncos in the NFL playoffs this weekend.

Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt is lucky to be alive -- the NFL-er told police he was a passenger in a terrifying crash in November, when a vehicle flipped in the street after colliding with a parked car.

The moment was caught on surveillance footage, which showed a black Jeep -- registered to Taylor-Britt -- blowing through a red light around 3 AM on November 15.

The car rolled over and onto its roof ... and out of frame.

Willie Parker admits he was shocked at Mike Tomlin's decision to step away from the Pittsburgh Steelers after 19 seasons ... but tells TMZ Sports he has no doubt the Super Bowl-winning head coach will once again roam an NFL sideline!

We spoke to the former Steelers running back star shortly after Tomlin made the tough decision to resign ... bringing an end to his reign as the NFL's longest-tenured coach after nearly two decades without a losing season.

"Man, it was surprising," Parker told us on Tuesday.

The Mike Tomlin era in Pittsburgh has come to an end -- the Super Bowl-winning head coach has informed the Steelers he is stepping down as head coach.

Team President Art Rooney II confirmed the news minutes ago, saying Tomlin shared his decision in a meeting earlier on Tuesday.

"Obviously, I am extremely grateful to Mike for all the hard work, dedication, and success we have shared over the last 19 years," Rooney said. "It is hard for me to put into words the level of respect and appreciation I have for coach Tomlin."

Stephen A. Smith was on the ESPN airwaves Tuesday morning when he had quite the slip of the tongue while breaking down the Texans' playoff win over the Steelers ... mistakenly referring to Houston's star wide receiver as Charlie Kirk.

"We saw Charlie Kirk catch 8 receptions for 144 yards," SAS said on "First Take," before host Shae Cornette corrected him.

"I'm sorry. Christian. I apologize. I apologize. Oh my God. Christian Kirk," Stephen A. quickly responded.

Clearly, Smith meant no harm by what he said -- the guy spends hours and hours talking each week, and mistakes happen.

George Kittle is usually the guy smiling through contact ... but even the NFL’s toughest tight end is admitting this one stings.

The San Francisco 49ers’ All-Pro team captain tore his right Achilles on Sunday, ending his season during the team’s 23-19 victory to dethrone the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in the playoffs.

Kittle later took to Instagram with a raw, emotional post of him and his wife, Claire, in the locker room, straight-up telling fans "football sucks sometimes."

Not exactly the rah-rah cliché you'd expect, but Kittle didn’t stop there.

The Pro Bowler made it clear he’s far from broken ... saying he loves the game, his teammates and is overwhelmed by the love pouring in.

"Heartbroken but have felt so much love and support from everyone reaching out," Kittle wrote. "I’ll be good. Thank you. We aren’t done yet!"

The grueling injury often takes about nine months to fully recover from -- placing the 32-year-old’s NFL future in jeopardy as he enters his 10th season.

Teammates such as Christian McCaffrey, Ricky Pearsall, Eddy Pineiro and Demarcus Robinson were among the flood of comments offering support to Kittle, who also seemingly confirmed reports of the bottle of Patrón delivered to the locker room after he was carted off.

Kittle said, "You know you’re in a special place" when team owner Jed York is the first person to meet you in the locker room. York was reportedly the one who sent the bottle.

C.J. Stroud didn’t just beat the Steelers on the scoreboard -- he got the last laugh, too.

The Texans’ QB trolled supporters of the black and gold hard after Houston’s 30-6 playoff win Monday night ... jogging off the field with a grin and shouting “You mad?” while laughing as boos rained down from the stands.

Ice cold.

Video of the scene shows Stroud soaking it all in as he heads toward the Acrisure Stadium tunnel, clearly enjoying the hostile environment after carving up the Steelers on their own turf.

Fans were hot ... but Stroud kept cool, flashing a smile.

Aaron Rodgers went to bat for his coach, Mike Tomlin, after the Pittsburgh Steelers' season ended in the Wild Card Round on Monday ... calling it an "absolute joke" to think the guy could get fired.

Rodgers met with the media following the Steelers' 30-6 loss to the Houston Texans, and despite it being Steel City's seventh playoff loss in a row, he can't wrap his head around the chatter Tomlin's tenure might be over.

"The way that the league is covered now, the way there is snap decisions and the validity given to the Twitter experts and all the experts on TV now who make it seem like they know what the hell they are talking about, to me that's an absolute joke," Rodgers said.

Jeremy Shockey has never been bashful ... and his message to the New York Giants is simple ... go get John Harbaugh!

The four-time Pro Bowl tight end -- who won a Super Bowl with the Giants in the 2007 season -- tells TMZ Sports the ex-Ravens coach would be his pick for the Big Apple.

“A coach of that caliber with that kind of pedigree and experience doesn’t come around often,” Shockey said, adding the G-Men shouldn’t be chasing “one-hit wonders” or rolling the dice on another untested hire.