NFL

Uncross those fingers and exhale, 49ers fans ... Eric Dickerson says Christian McCaffrey will be just fine this season -- telling TMZ Sports there is no such thing as the "Madden Curse!!!"

Of course, plenty in San Francisco have been worried sick since Tuesday ... after the star running back was named the Madden NFL 25 cover athlete.

While disaster hasn't struck for the most recent players who've received the honor -- it happened so frequently in the past, it's become commonplace for fans to have concerns about it all -- and SF supporters haven't been much different this week.

Erik von Detten is sending love back to the Kelce brothers -- this after discovering their favorite Disney movie growing up was "Brink!" ... and as it turns out, he's a fan of theirs too.

The actor -- who played the lead in the classic Disney Channel flick -- tells TMZ he's honored by the recognition ... which he also says doesn't surprise him one bit, 'cause the 1998 classic was fantastic by his own standards.

Erik goes down memory lane with us -- reflecting on why he thinks "Brink!" still resonates with people today ... and why Travis and Jason Kelce might dig it so much from their childhood.

Travis Kelce just got his Super Bowl ring, but he's gunning for another award -- son of the year award -- 'cause the NFL superstar is reportedly looking to buy an Italian vineyard for his mom!

The Kansas City Chiefs tight end came up with the idea after a recent baecation with his girlfriend Taylor Swift in northern Italy's Lake Como.

Kelce is reportedly looking to place a bid of around 3.5 million ... and his advisors are currently in "negotiations with many owners and investors".

The Kansas City Chiefs' new diamond-clad Super Bowl ring is one of the biggest and gaudiest in the history of the NFL ... but unfortunately for the team, it also has a glaring error on it.

The mistake is on the inside band of the ring, where in order to celebrate the path that Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce took to earn their third championship in the last five years, K.C. officials had each of their postseason victories inscribed.

Their wins over the Dolphins, Bills, Ravens and then the 49ers were all accurately portrayed. The problem, however, was next to Miami's AFC playoff seeding number.

Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes and the rest of the Chiefs received their newest Super Bowl rings on Thursday night ... and the bling was so loaded with diamonds and rubies, the stars couldn't wait to show them off!!

The guys got the championship rings -- their third in the last five years -- at a special ceremony in KC ... and once they broke the jewelry out of a locked box, it wasn't hard to see all of the dudes were enamored by the pieces.

Each one features 529 diamonds and 38 rubies. The ice also has a top that opens up and holds an homage to the "Tom & Jerry" play that won Super Bowl LVIII. Every player and coach's last name is engraved on it as well.

Tom Brady was so strict with his diet during his playing days ... some of his cheat meals featured exactly ONE chicken wing!!!

... at least, that's according to Julian Edelman, who revealed this week that's how his former quarterback seriously got down at team dinners prior to Patriots game days.

The ex-New England wide receiver went in-depth on the topic with People ... saying he found out about Brady's weird eating quirk when the Pats would get the same food catered every night before games -- including chicken wings.

A popular couple in the NFL is dunzo -- TikToker Tianna Robillard and her Bengals lineman fiancé Cody Ford have called off their relationship after getting engaged just this past April.

Fans started to speculate something was amiss after both Ford and Robillard deleted each other off their respective Instagram accounts this week.

The speculation only grew after the influencer posted a TikTok featuring Sabrina Carpenter's new song, "Please Please Please" -- which contains the lyrics "Heartbreak is one thing, my ego's another I beg you, don't embarrass me, motherf*****."

Patrick Mahomes rocks a Kansas City Chiefs jersey on Sunday, but he's a Texas native at heart ... and that's why the 3x NFL MVP pulled up with his wife Brittany to cheer on the Dallas Mavericks for the pivotal third game vs. the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals!

The 3x Super Bowl champ was spotted courtside (where else?!) with Britt at American Airlines Center ... where the couple was all smiles for the cameras.

It's not the first playoff game the Mahomeses have attended ... they were also in the building for a Western Conference Finals tilt between the Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Tom Brady's getting a statue at Gillette Stadium ... Robert Kraft announced Wednesday night the Patriots are erecting a 12-foot bronze sculpture of the ex-quarterback this season!

The New England honcho revealed the big news at Brady's Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Foxborough ... when he told a packed house the former signal-caller will be the first player in franchise history to receive the honor.

Kraft also said Brady's No. 12 jersey will be retired -- the first Patriot since Bruce Armstrong in 2001 to garner that accolade.

Don't expect to see Darren Waller on an NFL field ever again ... the former Giants star tells TMZ Sports he's thrilled with his decision to retire -- and is adamant he'll feel that way going forward.

The ex-tight end officially called it a career on Sunday ... but at 31 years old and still productive when healthy, many of his fans wondered if he really meant it.

But, when we spoke with him a couple days after he made the choice to hang up his spikes, he made it clear, he's done done.

11:10 AM PT -- TMZ Sports just spoke with Scott Hanson ... and he told us the horrifying crash all happened on Sunday at around 9:30 PM.

He reiterated that despite the chaotic scene, somehow, no one was injured.

As for the TikToker who was seemingly trying to make a buck off it all ... Hanson said the guy was a complete jerk -- who only left the scene after he heard sirens heading toward the area.

Travis Kelce will have plenty of career options once he hangs up his NFL cleats for good ... but he just revealed there's one job he's currently eyeing the most -- broadcasting!

The Chiefs star made the revelation on this week's episode of "New Heights" ... when he and his big brother, Jason, were talking about the prospects of owning an NFL franchise.

Jason said he'd love to be the honcho of an org. -- specifically the Eagles -- but Travis was adamant he wanted no part of it. When asked why, TK said it's simple ... he'd rather be a Tony Romo or a Greg Olsen.

Travis Kelce gave a little taste on Tuesday of what Taylor Swift's cooking is like ... confirming she does make some good desserts -- although, at first, he was reluctant to give any juicy details.

The pop star's kitchen skills were brought up following the Chiefs star's afternoon workout ... when a reporter asked about a video Swift had recently posted of the two.

In the footage, Kelce and the "Love Story" singer can be seen huddling over a pan -- before the tight end plants a kiss on her face.

The Madden NFL 25 cover athlete has been revealed ... and it's none other than San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey!!

EA Sports dropped the news on Tuesday ... marking the first time in decades the Niners have had one of their own grace the cover of the video game.

On top of that, it's the first time in 11 years the game gave a running back the honor since Adrian Peterson and Barry Sanders landed the cover for the 25th-anniversary installment of the franchise.

Great news on BJ Thompson ... the Chiefs defensive lineman was released from the hospital days after going into cardiac arrest at a team meeting!

Thompson's agent Chris Turnage confirmed to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero that the 25-year-old was discharged from the Kansas City, Missouri hospital on Tuesday ... and his loved ones are very grateful for the love they were shown.

"The family thanks everyone for their prayers and wants to especially thank the Chiefs medical and training staff for their rapid response and professionalism throughout this situation," Turnage said.

The New York Jets kickstarted their mandatory minicamp on Tuesday ... but one key player was nowhere to be found -- superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Jets head coach Robert Saleh addressed No. 8's decision to ditch the team workout with reporters just minutes ago ... saying he knew the four-time MVP would not be present due to an "event that was very important to him," but it was considered "unexcused" regardless.

Rodgers' decision will likely result in a financial punishment ... as players who miss mandatory minicamp are subject to a fine.