NFL

Jerry Jones never truly entertained the idea of hiring Bill Belichick or Jim Harbaugh following the Cowboys' embarrassing playoff loss on Sunday ... so says former Dallas wideout Isaiah Stanback.

The ex-Cowboy -- who's become an NFL insider and analyst in retirement -- tells TMZ Sports ... according to his sources at The Star, Jones didn't explore moving on to a new coach before choosing to stick with Mike McCarthy on Wednesday.

"From the information I have inside the building," said Stanback, who played for Jones from 2007 to 2008, "there was never a search for an additional coach."

"I don't think it was ever an alternative to try to go and find somebody else," Stanback added.

Of course, plenty of Cowboys fans were certainly hoping Jones would've gone a different route ... after McCarthy bowed out of the playoffs over the weekend for the third straight year in disappointing fashion.

But, Stanback tells us he thinks the move is ultimately the right one ... explaining hiring the wrong choice right now could set the team back significantly further.

"In reality," Stanback said, "how many coaches in the NFL have a consecutive winning record of 12-5 to position you for a playoff run to go ultimately get the Lombardi Trophy?"

Nonetheless, Stanback knows the 2024 season is going to be a pressure-packed one for McCarthy ... and everyone else with a star on their helmet.

Bills and Chiefs fans with a blank space in their tummies are in luck this weekend  ... Buffalo's food service partner just revealed it's going to sell some Taylor Swift-themed snacks at the big game Sunday!!

Delaware North -- which has brought tasty treats to Highmark Stadium all season long -- announced this week it's packing two new options for the divisional round playoff game against Kansas City with odes to Swift in them.

One of the meals is called the "Bad Blood waffle fries" ... and it features two feet of fries topped with a grip of Buffalo and Kansas City food staples -- including blue cheese and BBQ pork.

The other option is named the "Karma Quesadilla" ... and it's got chicken tenders, bacon and pork belly all over it.

It's not quite clear if Swift will get the opportunity to enjoy the grub -- it hasn't been confirmed yet if she'll make the trek to Orchard Park to watch her boyfriend, Travis Kelce. But, considering she battled the snow to catch his game last weekend against the Miami Dolphins, it seems like it's a good bet.

The Las Vegas Raiders didn't have to look far to fill their head coaching position -- the team is expected to take the "interim" off Antonio Pierce's title ... and make him their next head coach.

According to multiple reports, the Raiders are currently finalizing a deal with the former Washington and Giants linebacker ... this after going 5-4 as the leader of the sidelines in the 2023-24 campaign.

A ton of players on the roster made it clear they wanted Pierce in charge next season ... and it sounds like they'll get their wish Friday afternoon.

Of course, Pierce took over after Josh McDaniels was fired on Halloween night ... helping the team get back on track following a 3-5 start.

It's one less job opening in the NFL ... as the Los Angeles Chargers, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Washington Commanders, Tennessee Titans and Seattle Seahawks continue their search for their next head coaches.

Taylor Swift llegó hasta el estudio de grabación en Nueva York el jueves por la noche, y teniendo en cuenta lo agitada que ha sido su vida en los últimos meses, podemos imaginarnos que podría estar preparando una nueva canción de amor.

La superestrella del pop llegó en un todoterreno negro a los estudios Electric Lady de West Village, de donde salió con la ayuda de su chófer. Mientras caminaba rápidamente hacia el interior, Taylor giró la cabeza para evitar los flashes de las cámaras de los paparazzi que se habían reunido afuera del edificio.

Taylor andaba muy estilosa, con una chaqueta larga negra, un vestido maxi color canela y botas de cuero negras.

En los pocos segundos que la vimos, Taylor parecía concentrada en su misión de crear nuevas melodías y tal vez incluso un poco pensativa sobre su novio de los Kansas City Chiefs, Travis Kelce. Lo que todos se preguntan es... ¿Le hará Travis la pregunta y convertirá a Taylor en la Sra. Kelce?

Nuestras fuentes dicen que todas las habladurías sobre el compromiso de los dos son solo eso, habladurías. Nos dicen que una propuesta de matrimonio simplemente no está en los planes en este momento, pero eso no impide que la gente siga especulando y que incluso ponga un calendario sobre una potencial propuesta.

Pase lo que pase, sin duda va a ser interesante de ver, especialmente en el lado creativo, si TayTay está de hecho preparando nuevo material.

Taylor Swift hit the recording studio in NYC Thursday night -- and considering her eventful past several months ... ya gotta figure she might be cooking up a new love song.

The pop superstar rolled up in a black SUV to the West Village's Electric Lady Studios – stepping out with the help of her chauffeur. As she quickly walked inside, Taylor turned her head away from the flashing cameras of the paparazzi who had assembled outside the building.

She was wearing a stylish long black jacket, a tan maxi dress, and black leather boots.

In the few seconds we saw her, Taylor seemed focused on her mission to create some more magical tunes, and maybe even a bit pensive about her BF – Kansas City Chiefs tight end, Travis Kelce. The big question on everyone's mind is will Travis pop the question and make Taylor Mrs. Kelce?

Our sources say all the talk about the two getting engaged is just that -- talk. We're told a marriage proposal is simply not in the cards right now ... but that's not stopping people from speculating and even putting a timetable on a potential proposal.

Whatever happens, it's certainly gonna be interesting to watch -- especially on the creative side if TayTay is, in fact, cranking out new material.

Stayed tuned!

Despite their differences over the years, NeNe Leakes is letting her former 'RHOA' costar Kim Zolciak know she's got a friend in her -- especially during her divorce.

We got NeNe at LAX this week ... and she revealed to us that she and Kim ran into each other not that long ago -- noting KZ briefly mentioned she was having a hard time lately as it pertains to uncoupling with Kroy Biermann.

Check it out ... NNL says didn't elaborate on the statement .... and they kept the rest of their catch-up positive. Good to hear, considering how much they've beefed in the past.

NeNe says she wishes Kim nothing but happiness cause nobody ever wants to see a family break up ... especially when kids are involved.

Whether they choose to be together or apart, Nene says she hopes K&K can come to an amicable agreement ... cause their happiness and peace are most important.

Other than that, Nene gushes over Kim's tiny figure ... telling us she looked great -- the girl power much-welcomed after years of animosity between them.

But Kim's focus is probably geared toward her estrangement from her husband, Kroy ... rather than rebuilding her friendship with NeNe for now.

KZ & KB have been at each other's throats for months -- we broke the story ... police were called to their home in Nov following a nasty fight between them and body cam footage shows Kroy blaming Kim for their financial struggles while also accusing her of "f***ing other men."

They're still living under the same roof at their Georgia mansion ... which they're desperately trying to sell ... though they've had to slash the price a few times cause there's been no serious takers.

Rob Gronkowski says there's plenty of heat left on Bill Belichick's fastball ... telling TMZ Sports his former head coach is still every bit the "powerhouse" he used to be.

"I think, 100 percent, he's still the great Bill Belichick," the Patriots legend said. "No doubt about that."

Of course, it's all come into question recently ... after Belichick struggled to find success in New England following Tom Brady's departure.

In his four seasons without the GOAT under center, Belichick recorded just a 29-38 record ... and only made one playoff appearance.

Now that he's officially out of Foxborough, though, Gronk says he believes Belichick can prove once more he's still the best ever to put on a headset ... telling us if he gets a hold of a roster with stars on it, watch out.

"If he goes to a team with great players with great talent, he will be successful," Rob said, "because he's still the powerhouse coach that we all have seen throughout the years."

For now, Belichick seems more likely than not to end up in Atlanta ... he already interviewed for the Falcons' vacant job earlier this month -- and, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, he'll have a second meeting with the team's brass this weekend.

As for The Hoodie's replacement in New England ... Gronkowski had nothing but good things to say about Jerod Mayo -- telling us all he's heard so far about his former teammate is that he's become a helluva a leader on the sidelines.

There's much more with Gronk ... we also talked to the NFL legend about his upcoming Super Bowl party, Gronk Beach, at Encore Beach Club on Saturday, February 10.

The 5,000-person strong pool party/music festival will have all kinds of entertainment, including Afrojack and DJ Irie, in addition to other surprise musical guests.

In past years, Rob's brought some of his famous to the party ... like Travis Kelce, Julian Edelman, Guy Fieri, Deebo Samuel, Johnny Damon, Camille Kostek and even Bill Belichick!

Here's your chance to party with Gronk ... don't drop the ball!

Otro año, otra gran caída en el precio de la mansión de Kim Zolciak y Kroy Biermann en Georgia y todavía no hay compradores serios.

La pareja de estrellas de televisión, que está separada, ha reducido el valor de su propiedad, una vez más, bajando de $5,5 millones a $4,5 millones. Esto sucede alrededor de un mes después de que redujeran en $500k el valor de los $6 millones iniciales.

Ya están familiarizados con la historia, la pareja tiene problemas de dinero y múltiples demandas financieras pendientes y el IRS está yendo duramente tras Kim y Kroy. La venta de la casa podría ser una salvación para la pareja. Sin embargo, parece que están teniendo problemas para deshacerse de ella.

Hay que tener en cuenta que las casas en la zona se venden por mucho menos dinero del precio que ellos ofrecieron inicialmente en diciembre, y solo se puede esperar que esta nueva caída de precios atraiga a un posible comprador.

Estas luchas financieras están causando una gran tensión en su relación personal también. Fuimos los primeros en contarles que las imágenes grabadas en cámara en noviembre mostraban una desagradable pelea entre la pareja. Kroy estaba culpando a Kim por sus luchas financieras, mientras que también la acusaba de acostarse con otros hombres".

Desde entonces se han calmado lo suficiente como para seguir viviendo en su espacio compartido (no está claro si todavía están enganchados como lo estaban justo después de que Kroy pidiera el divorcio por segunda vez) y Kim incluso se aseguró de que sus hijos recibieran regalos de Navidad a pesar de sus problemas financieros.

Kim y Kroy compraron su mansión en 2012 por un precio baratísimo de $880k, por lo que incluso $4,5 millones sería una impresionante ganancia para ellos. Pero realmente tienen que vender rápido porque Truist Bank dice que incumplieron su hipoteca y ha añadido que el banco está en su derecho de ejecutar la hipoteca en cualquier momento.

Another year, another huge price dip on Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann's Georgia mansion ... and still no serious takers as of now.

The estranged reality star couple have reduced the listing for their estate once again ... coming down from $5.5 million to $4.5 million -- about a month after they brought it down $500k from $6 million.

You know the drill by now ... the pair's got money issues -- with multiple financial lawsuits pending, and the IRS is coming after KZ and KB hard. Selling the house could be a saving grace for the couple ... however, they seem to be having trouble unloading it.

Keep in mind ... houses in the area were going for way less money than what they listed it for when they made the first price cut in December, and they can only hope this new price drop will entice a buyer to take it off their hands.

These financial struggles are causing a massive strain on their personal relationship too ... we broke the story, body cam footage from November showed a nasty fight between the couple in which Kroy blamed Kim for their financial struggles while also accusing her of "f***ing other men."

They've since calmed down enough to continue living in their shared space (unclear if they're still hooking up like they were right after Kroy filed for divorce for the second time) ... and KZ even made sure their kids got Christmas gifts despite their financial woes.

Kim & Kroy bought their mansion back in 2012 for the bargain price of $880k, so even $4.5 mil would be an impressive ROI for them ... but they really gotta sell quick because Truist Bank says they defaulted on their mortgage -- adding the bank is well within its rights to foreclose at any time.

The Super Bowl's national anthem this year will have a little bit of a twang to it ... 'cause the NFL revealed Thursday it tapped none other than Reba McEntire to belt out the song!!

The league made the announcement just minutes ago ... adding that Post Malone will croon "America The Beautiful" just before the country music legend takes the stage on Super Sunday next month at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

The duo's performances will be preceded by a show from Grammy Award winner Andra Day, who's scheduled to sing "Lift Every Voice and Sing" to kick off the pregame festivities.

Of course, the acts will have some big shoes to fill ... as last year, Chris Stapleton's rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" was so good, it brought Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni to tears.

As for halftime of this year's Big Game, the NFL announced a few months ago Usher will handle those duties.

El himno nacional del Super Bowl de este año contará con nada menos que Reba McEntire para cantar la canción.

La liga hizo el anuncio hace unos minutos, añadiendo que Post Malone cantará "America The Beautiful" justo antes de que la leyenda de la música country suba al escenario el próximo domingo en el Estadio Allegiant de Las Vegas.

Las actuaciones del dúo estarán precedidas por un espectáculo de la ganadora del Grammy Andra Day, que cantará "Lift Every Voice and Sing" para dar comienzo a las festividades previas al partido.

Por supuesto, los actos tendrán algunos zapatos grandes que llenar, ya que el año pasado, la interpretación de Chris Stapleton de "The Star-Spangled Banner" fue tan buena, que hizo llorar al entrenador en jefe de los Eagles, Nick Sirianni.

En cuanto al medio tiempo del Gran Juego de este año, la NFL anunció hace unos meses Usher se encargará de esos deberes.

Detroit Lions' first playoff win in forever has totally uplifted the city spiritually and financially -- and Icewear Vezzo, one of the town's top rappers, wants to see the underserved regions also reap some rewards!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Vezzo in NYC on a chilly Wednesday but he still had time to talk about the heat his team has been bringing.

The last game alone was projected to generate $20 million into Detroit's economy and Vezzo tells us he would love for the hoods to get turnt for the better.

Vezzo places responsibility on the city's rap population as well -- he's eager about his upcoming "Live From The 6" album and sneaker drive, where he and his fellow artists will be clearing out their foot lockers for the free.

The man apparently owns over 400 pairs of Nike AF1's alone ... sounds like a win-win for everyone.

This is awesome ... Jason Kelce (you thought the guy couldn't be any more likable?!) hooked a local McDonald's employee up in a supersized way, giving the fast food worker a signed Philadelphia Eagles jersey as a thank you!

36-year-old Kelce, who is mulling his football future, grabbed breakfast Wednesday morning -- 2 sausage, egg and cheese McMuffins with a coffee -- and also found time to spread some serious Brotherly Love!

Jason got to know Danielle Bonham through his repeated trips to the restaurant (hey, lineman's gotta keep on the size!), and with his playing career possibly over, he hooked the woman up with the autographed threads.

“To Danielle. Go Birds! Thank You!” JK wrote on the #62 jersey. The future Hall of Famer also found time to pose for a photo from his driver's seat.

As for Kelce's decision on his football future, while it sounds like he may be done ... it's not a done deal just yet.

In fact, on his New Heights podcast this morning, Jason said it was too soon to make a decision ... despite reports he told his teammates he was done playing.

Jason Kelce no está listo para anunciar oficialmente que se aleja de su carrera por el Salón de la Fama todavía. La estrella de los Philadelphia Eagles optó por no confirmar si va a entregar sus papeles de jubilación, esto después de los rumores de que dijo a sus compañeros de equipo que era un hecho.

El campeón del Super Bowl de 36 años de edad, abordó su futuro en la NFL en el último episodio de su pódcast "New Heights", con su hermano y Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis el miércoles. Explicó que estaba realmente golpeado después de que su equipo fuera expulsado de los playoffs a manos de Baker Mayfield y los Bucaneros de Tampa Bay.

"Simplemente no creo que estés en una posición después de un juego como ese para realmente tomar esa decisión", dijo Jason al novio de Taylor Swift.

El All-Pro dijo que no está tratando de mantener a la gente en el borde de sus asientos con su poca claridad al respecto, pero admitió que no estaba mentalmente claro como para llegar a una conclusión después de la derrota.

"Hay demasiada emoción en este momento. Hay demasiadas cosas pasando para realmente comprender plenamente esa decisión".

Jason fue inflexible en que no está tratando de ser "dramático", añadiendo: "Es solo algo que creo que, cuando llegue el momento de anunciar oficialmente lo que está sucediendo en el futuro, se hará de una manera que es definitiva y rinde respeto a un montón de personas e individuos que han significado mucho para mí y lo que ha llevado a la carrera que he tenido".

Jason estaba muy emocionado hablando de su conversación con el vestuario de los Eagles después del partido, diciendo que les dijo a los jugadores que abrazaran cada momento.

Jason Kelce isn't ready to officially announce he's walking away from his Hall of Fame career just yet -- the Philadelphia Eagles star elected not to confirm whether he will hand in his retirement papers ... this after reports he told his teammates it was a done deal.

The 36-year-old Super Bowl champ addressed his NFL future in the latest episode of his "New Heights" podcast with his brother and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis on Wednesday ... and he explained he was really in his feels after his team was booted from the playoffs at the hands of Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

"I just don't think you're in a position after a game like that to really make that decision," Jason told Taylor Swift's boyfriend.

The All-Pro center said he isn't trying to keep people on the edge of their seats with his vagueness ... but admitted he wasn't in the right mind space to reach a conclusion following the loss.

"There's too much emotion in the moment. There's too much going down in the moment to really fully grasp that decision."

Jason was adamant he isn't trying to be "dramatic" ... adding, "It's just something that I think, when it's time to officially announce what's happening in the future, it'll be done in a way that's definitive and pays respect to a lot of people and individuals that have meant a lot to me and what has led to the career I've had."

Jason was super emotional talking about his conversation with the Eagles' locker room after the game ... saying he told the players to embrace every moment.

The Colts released a statement on Jim Irsay's health ... saying he is still recovering from his "respiratory illness."

"We will have no further comment on his personal health, and we continue to ask that Jim and his family's privacy be respected."

Jim Irsay was found laying in his bed unresponsive, cold to the touch and gasping for air during a suspected overdose in December ... this according to police in Indiana.

Carmel Police Department documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, show cops were dispatched to Irsay's Carmel residence on Dec. 8 at around 4:30 AM ... after someone said they had found the Indianapolis Colts owner unconscious on a bathroom floor with a blue skin tone.

When police first arrived on the scene, they say Irsay had been moved to his bed ... where he was struggling to breathe and had a weak pulse and constricted pupils.

Police say in the docs an attempt to wake him with a sternum rub was unsuccessful. They added, though, that after administering one dosage of Narcan -- a drug commonly used to revive people in opiate overdose situations -- "he responded slightly."

Cops say they were prepared to attach an AED to Irsay -- but paramedics arrived and "took over lifesaving efforts." Irsay was eventually transported to a nearby hospital via an ambulance.

Officers noted in the documents that a caretaker provided them a list of the medications Irsay had been taking ... though they wrote in the report, "At this time, it is unknown what Mr. Irsay had ingested prior to our arrival." They classified the incident in the docs as both "overdose" and "overdose/poisoning."

Irsay had not been seen around his Colts' team in the weeks following the incident ... and on Jan. 9, the team announced he'd been dealing with a "severe respiratory illness." The Colts explained in a statement that he would miss a scheduled appearance in Los Angeles with his "Jim Irsay Band" while receiving treatment for the ailment.

"He is receiving excellent care and looks forward to returning to the stage as soon as possible," the Colts said. "We'll have no additional information at this time and we ask that you respect the privacy of Jim and his family as he recovers."

We do not know if Irsay's recent hospitalization is related to the December incident at his home.

Irsay -- who's been the owner of the Colts since 1997 -- said in an interview with Andrea Kremer back in November, he's battled addiction to alcohol and pain pills during his life, requiring at least 15 trips to rehab. He also told Kremer he previously suffered an overdose after he "was trying to detox myself."

"All of a sudden I started slurring my words and then code blue, I stopped breathing," he told Kremer of the OD. "And they revived me, and the doctor goes, 'Jim, you're one lucky man because I had signed, virtually, the death certificate.'"

We've reached out to Irsay, but no word back yet.