San Francisco 49ers

Vernon Davis already has a Super Bowl ring ... but might an Oscar be next?! Don't put it passed the retired NFL star, who -- fresh off working with Morgan Freeman -- tells TMZ Sports he's been offered a role on a John Travolta and Martin Lawrence film!

38-year-old Davis joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weeknights on FS1) and says he still has to pinch himself.

"Every time I think about it, I be like, 'wow.' I wake up some mornings, I'm like 'How did I get in a film with Morgan Freeman?'"

The movie is called "Muti" ... and in addition to Freeman, stars Cole Hauser, Peter Stormare, and others, in addition to Vernon, who plays a character named "Randoku."

And, the Pro Bowler must've been impressive on set ... 'cause director George Gallo, who also wrote Bad Boys, offered him another role before a single ticket was sold for Muti.

"It's pretty cool because George Gallo was the director," Vernon says, adding, "It's pretty cool to be on set with him. After the movie was over, he actually offered me another role with John Travolta and Martin Lawrence."

What'd Vernon say??

"I said yeah as if somebody was proposing to me. 'Yes! Yes! Yes, I will!'"

Details about the Travolta project aren't yet known. (Wild Hog 2??)

There's much more. We talked to the 14-season NFL vet about what he learned from Morgan (he tells a story about being on set with the 85-year-old), as well as his foray into music and stand-up comedy.

Vernon also talked about his recent enshrinement into the Terrapins Hall of Fame ... an honor that means a tremendous amount to him.

"It's amazing to be recognized for the things that you've been able to do, to accomplish and I wanna thank the University of Maryland for allowing me the opportunity to be able to go into the Hall of Fame."

"It's just great to be able to be recognized and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Very grateful. My family's excited, my friends, my coaches, and I wouldn't have been able to do it without my teammates, my grandparents, and everyone who supported me along the way."

As for Muti ... it's about a grieving detective who hunts down a serial killer accused of carrying out tribal rituals called "Muti."

The Bay Area just became Bae Area thanks to the Christian McCaffrey trade ... 'cause not only are the San Francisco 49ers a better team -- they got even hotter, too.

The Niners roster features plenty of hunky jocks on their 53-man roster ... and it's no secret sexy 30-year-old quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is a fan favorite for more than his football skills.

But Jimmy G might have some competition for the "hottest guy on the team" crown now that McCaffrey, 26, is headin' to town ... so naturally, we have to do a sophisticated study to find out who's REALLY worthy of the title.

While they're certainly both perfect 10s (or should we say 49s), don't start hitting Christian's DMs just yet -- the All-Pro has been with model girlfriend, Olivia Culpo for years ... so he's not on the market.

There might be hope with Jimmy G, though ... 'cause he currently doesn't appear to be boo'd up at the moment.

Christian McCaffrey officially became a San Francisco 49er on Thursday ... and the superstar running back gave a touching tribute to his first NFL home after being traded, saying, "Carolina, I will always love you."

The blockbuster transaction went down Thursday night ... with the Panthers shipping away their 2017 8th overall pick in exchange for a handful of draft picks.

The 26-year-old thanked Carolina for embracing him for more than half a decade before heading to the Bay Area ... saying, "I'm forever grateful for all of the people who have helped make these past 5 1/2 years so special for me."

"Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Carolina, I will always love you💙 #KeepPounding."

McCaffrey has been the center of trade rumors for weeks ... with the team looking to go in a different direction. Head coach Matt Rhule got canned for going 1-4 to start the season, and Robbie Anderson was traded to the Arizona Cardinals.

Now, the franchise just gave up its most successful and popular player since Cam Newton.

The Los Angeles Rams were also in the running for CM ... but surprisingly, the Buffalo Bills -- who were reportedly interested in landing the playmaker -- were not.

McCaffrey's model girlfriend, Olivia Culpo, also posted about the trade ... saying, "So many emotions right now."

She also posted a pic holding Christian's hand ... captioning it, "Ready for anything with you."

Culpo and McCaffrey first went public in 2019 ... and she has hit up as many Panthers games as she could over the past few seasons.

On the bright side, OC will have a much shorter flight from L.A. to Niners games now!!

Arik Armstead continues to help kids in Sacramento ... the 49ers star just made a $250k donation to Mercy Housing California aimed at educating almost 300 youths!

The 28-year-old defensive tackle presented MHC with the massive check before the Niners' Monday Night Football game against the Rams at Levi's Stadium on Oct. 3.

FYI, Mercy Housing California has provided affordable homes for over 20,000 Californians.

TMZ Sports has learned this is the second $250k donation from the NFL star, who partnered up with MHC back in 2021, when they launched the Armstead Academy ... which focuses on underprivileged students in Sacramento.

We're told the large contribution will supply academic programs -- including summer reading, college, and career exploration opportunities -- to almost 300 kids.

"We remain committed to positively impact youth lives," Armstead said Wednesday, "by providing the resources, tools, and positive spaces they need to thrive."

"Excited to continue serving with our partner @mercyhousing."

Several of Armstead's famous friends applauded the 7-year vet, including former Niners receiver Marquise Goodwin who wrote ... "Huge impact 🔥🔥👏🏿".

The man who was leveled by Bobby Wagner after running on to the field during "Monday Night Football" last week suffered a concussion from the tackle ... this according to a police report obtained by TMZ Sports.

The Santa Clara Police Dept. says Alexander Taylor came to cops at around 1:45 p.m. on Oct. 4 -- nearly 24 hours after he was hit by Wagner during the Rams vs. 49ers game at Levi's Stadium.

He told them, according to the report, that he sustained multiple injuries after the Los Angeles linebacker drove his helmet and shoulder into him as he was streaking across the field with a smoke bomb.

"Mr. Taylor had a headache," cops said in the report, "a concussion without loss of consciousness, and a burn on his inner right bicep."

It's unclear if the burn was caused by his own smoke device. Cops say they are still investigating the incident.

As we reported, animal rights org. Direct Action Everywhere said Taylor -- along with a woman -- ran onto the field during the second quarter of the game to raise awareness for a trial involving the alleged theft of pigs from a factory farm.

A spokesperson for the group said Taylor -- who was cited over the field invasion -- filed the report because he believes a "blatant assault" took place.

Wagner said last week he took down the fan for safety reasons.

Niners wideout Ray-Ray McCloud will channel Bow Wow's Calvin Cambridge for "Monday Night Football" -- TMZ Sports has learned he's copped a pair of custom "Like Mike" cleats for the big contest against the Rams!!

The 25-year-old receiver hit up Joe Castro to get the movie-themed spikes done ... and we're told after the Cali artist spent about 10 hours making them, they're now set to arrive just in time for kickoff.

The Nike Untouchable Speed 3 cleats painted in 49ers' gold and red came out pretty sweet -- with both shoes featuring depictions of Bow Wow from the movie.

"Like Mike" is also written on the cleats as well.

If you haven't seen it ... the 2002 film is a classic -- it features an orphan named Calvin Cambridge (played by Bow Wow) who becomes an NBA superstar after wearing a pair of sneakers he found that once belonged to Michael Jordan.

Despite a broken ankle and season-ending surgery ... Trey Lance is in good spirits, sharing a photo from his hospital bed on Monday with a big smile on his face.

The 22-year-old 49ers star quarterback suffered the gruesome injury during the win over the Seahawks on Sunday -- breaking his right ankle in the first quarter.

SF head coach Kyle Shanahan announced after the game that Lance would need season-ending surgery ... and, on Monday, Lance said it all went well.

"Truly appreciate all of the messages and prayers," Lance wrote on his Twitter page. "Surgery was a success and I am ready to attack this rehab process."

"We will never understand why, but I trust that it’s all a part of His plan," the QB added. "I will be back better than ever. This chapter is going to make the story even greater!"

Jimmy Garoppolo took over for Lance and ended up with 154 passing yards, one passing touchdown, and the win. He said after the game he felt badly for his teammate.

Mike Martz went scorched earth on Trey Lance this weekend ... blasting the 49ers quarterback for his performance in Week 1 while admitting, "I've never liked him."

The former Niners offensive coordinator held nothing back when discussing Lance's loss to the Bears on The 33rd Team -- ripping the 22-year-old for his play in the 19-10 defeat in Chicago.

"I want [49ers coaches'] eyeballs here," Martz said. "I've never seen anything about this kid that was encouraging at all."

Martz criticized Lance's throwing motion, his decision-making ... and his running ability -- adding that has no idea "what [Lance] is."

"He looked like a fullback stumbling around, trying to run the ball to me," Martz said.

"He's not particularly a good guy running with the football -- and based on what I saw today, I mean, he missed two guys completely by themselves."

Lance completed just 13 of his 28 passes for 164 yards and an interception in the defeat. And, while it was raining cats and dogs at Soldier Field, Martz said that's just not enough of an excuse for the way Lance played.

"I know this," the former coach said, "he can only go up. He can only get better because you can't get any worse than what he did today."

Martz also went in on Lance's opponent -- Bears QB Justin Fields -- saying the Chicago signal-caller was "less than remarkable" in the win, despite his two touchdowns.

"I don't know if I've ever seen such a bad performance by a quarterback in his opening performance of the season," said Martz, a heralded quarterbacks coach during his time in the NFL. "He was just completely awful."

The 49ers fan who was left in a coma following an altercation at SoFi Stadium during last season's NFC Championship Game is now suing the Rams over it all ... claiming the team didn't do enough to help prevent it from going down.

The allegations are spelled out by Daniel Luna in a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, and filed in Los Angeles Superior Court earlier this week.

In the docs, Luna claims he showed up to the big 49ers vs. Rams game Inglewood, CA on Jan. 30 -- and after being unable to secure tickets to the contest, he watched the action in the stadium's parking lot with around 20 other fans.

But, at one point during the second quarter, Luna claims he made contact with Bryan Alexis Cifuentes from behind and then walked away.

Luna alleges in the suit that Cifuentes then "pursued and pushed" him ... before socking him in the face.

Luna claimed he was defenseless at the time of the punch, and "immediately fell to the ground and was rendered unconscious by the blow."

He was ultimately put into a medically induced coma, which he came out of in March.

Luna is suing the Rams, Cifuentes and others for unspecified damages.

As we reported, Inglewood mayor James Butts Jr. announced back in February that Cifuentes had been arrested over the altercation and booked on a felony charge of assault by means to produce great bodily injury.

In his announcement, Butts Jr. said investigators found that Luna initially pushed Cifuentes, before Cifuentes then shoved Luna and punched him in the face.

At the time, the 49ers said in a statement of it all, "What happened to Daniel Luna is reprehensible and we strongly condemn all violence."

"We know local authorities are conducting a full investigation and we're here to support them however we can."

"Our thoughts and prayers go to Mr. Luna, his family, friends, and the medical team providing him care.''

Adrian Peterson ain't done with football yet ... the future Hall of Famer says he still wants to play -- and he revealed to TMZ Sports he's got his eye on joining one of the three big Super Bowl contenders this year.

The former Minnesota Vikings star -- who's training his ass off to fight Le'Veon Bell in a celeb boxing match this weekend -- said despite his newfound goals in the ring ... he's hoping someone gives him a call to play football later this season.

Specifically, the running back said he's targeting the Bills, Rams and 49ers.

"There's a couple teams out there," A.P. admitted out in L.A. on Wednesday while gearing up for his big fight night with Bell. "Buffalo Bills would be a good team. The Rams, I don't know what need they'll have at running back. San Fran would be a good look."

Peterson said while Buffalo, L.A. or San Francisco would be ideal -- the plan is to ultimately chase a ring somewhere this year.

"There's a lot of teams that have the opportunity to advance far into the playoffs that I've thought about," he said.

For now, Peterson -- who last played for the Seahawks in 2021 -- is solely focused on boxing ... as his match with Bell is scheduled to go down at Banc of California Stadium on Saturday.

Adrian tells us he isn't worried about the age gap between him and the former Pittsburgh Steelers star (37 to 30) ... and is hoping his power and awareness get him a win.

Deshaun Watson out ... Jimmy Garoppolo in?!

If Michael Lombardi was still the general manager in Cleveland ... he tells TMZ Sports that's exactly the move he'd make following Watson's newly announced 11-game suspension.

Lombardi, who was the GM in Berea, Ohio for one season back in 2013, said because of the new length of Watson's ban ... he isn't sure the QB will be ready for game action for at least a few weeks after his suspension concludes.

So, he tells us his solution to the problem is simple -- go trade for Jimmy G.

"I know this is a little bit of a disruption," Lombardi said, "but you can go get Garoppolo and save your season."

Browns execs say the move isn't happening -- they're content to have Jacoby Brissett fill in for Watson for the next few months -- but Lombardi clearly believes that's a mistake.

"The offense being run in Cleveland is the same terminology as the offense in San Francisco," Lombardi said. "Garoppolo could walk into Cleveland tomorrow, and within about a week he would be able to execute their offense."

With Garoppolo set to become a free agent at the end of the year -- Lombardi described the move as a "no-lose situation."

"Look," he said, "this notion that Deshaun is just going to come back in Week 12 and all of the sudden magically score, throw four touchdown passes and dominate the NFL, that's unrealistic. That's not even remotely accurate."

Frank Gore grabbed a naked woman by her hair and dragged her across a hotel room's hallway during an altercation in Atlantic City, N.J. last month ... according to new, bombshell court documents obtained by TMZ Sports.

Cops say the incident between the NFL legend and a 28-year-old woman happened in the early morning hours of July 31 on the 59th floor of the Tropicana Casino's Havana Tower.

According to the docs, Gore "forcibly" gripped the woman by her hair ... before "violently dragging her nude person along the floor of the 59th hallway."

As we previously reported, Atlantic City Police said officers were initially called out to the scene at around 8:11 AM on the 31, but did not make any arrests after they said the woman "did not exhibit signs of injury."

Gore, though, was ultimately charged days later with simple assault after cops said they further investigated the allegations.

Gore, according to records, is due in court for a hearing in the case in October.

He's yet to publicly comment on the accusations.

NFL legend Frank Gore has been hit with an assault charge ... after cops say he was involved in a domestic violence incident with a 28-year-old woman last month.

The Atlantic City Police Dept. tells TMZ Sports ... back on July 31 at around 8:11 AM, officers were called to the Tropicana Atlantic City in New Jersey regarding a report of a domestic violence dispute.

Cops say a 28-year-old woman, who they did not identify, was speaking with hotel security ... but "did not exhibit signs of injury and complaints were not filed at the time."

Police, though, say after an investigation was launched ... Gore was ultimately charged this week with simple assault "related to the domestic violence incident."

No further details regarding the allegations were revealed.

According to court records, the 39-year-old former San Francisco 49ers superstar is due for a hearing on the matter in mid-October.

Gore is widely considered one of the greatest NFL running backs ever -- he played 16 seasons in the league, and rushed for 16,000 yards ... the third-most all-time.

Former NFL running back Hugh McElhenny -- whose #39 is retired by the San Francisco 49ers -- has passed away, the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced Thursday.

He was 93 years old.

The Hall of Fame said McElhenny died of natural causes at his home in Nevada.

"We pass along our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and to the many whose lives he touched," The Hall wrote in a tweet when announcing the news.

McElhenny -- whose nickname was "The King" -- was taken by the 49ers with the 9th overall pick in the 1952 NFL Draft ... and he went on to star for the team for 9 seasons.

A 6x-Pro Bowler and 2-time All-Pro, Hugh was a unique offensive weapon who posed a threat to opposing defenses rushing, receiving and in special teams.

In his first NFL season (1952), McElhenny was unanimously elected Rookie of the Year and earned All-Pro status as well as a spot on the Pro Bowl team.

McElhenny's final year came in 1964 with the Detroit Lions, but he also played for the Vikings and Giants.

McElhenny -- who finished his career with 38 rushing touchdowns and 5,281 rushing yards -- was inducted into the Pro Football of Fame in 1970, and he's also a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.

49ers defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw -- a former first-round draft pick -- went ballistic on a reporter on Tuesday night ... calling the man a "lil d*** n****" and telling him to "stop f***ing playing with me."

The heated confrontation all went down on Grant Cohn's YouTube channel -- after the two had gotten into a spat at San Francisco's organized team activity earlier in the day.

According to Cohn, at the workout, Kinlaw sought him out on the field, cursed at him and then knocked the hat off of his head.

When Cohn was breaking down the altercation -- and other aspects of the Niners' practice -- during a YouTube live stream hours later ... Kinlaw called in, and began cussing out the media member.

With a mouthful of food, Kinlaw berated Cohn repeatedly ... clearly upset with the way Cohn has criticized him and his teammates in the past.

"I'm a man just like you," Kinlaw told him on the stream. "My nuts is bigger than yours, brother. Put some respect on my name. My balls is bigger than yours, brother. Put some respect on my name."

Kinlaw swore at Cohn for roughly six minutes ... and during the rant, he vulgarly addressed the run-in he had with the reporter hours earlier.

"All I know is when I walked up on you, your f***ing body temperature was f***ing cold as ice," Kinlaw said. "Straight bitch. Your f***ing balls shriveled up. Lil d*** n****. Stop f***ing playing with me, bruh."

Kinlaw added, "You don't f***ing know me like that. None of y'all mother f***ers know me like that, bruh. Stop playing with me. I'm not the one. I'm f***ing not the one, bruh. My whole family know what you look like."

Cohn later said on Twitter he took that line as a threat.

Kinlaw eventually left the stream without further incident. We've reached out to the 49ers for comment, but so far, no word back yet.

Deebo Samuel should backpedal on trade requests and stay in San Francisco ... so says Dez Bryant -- who's advising the wideout to reconsider his future with the 49ers.

Dez explained his thoughts on the situation to TMZ Sports at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas on Wednesday night ... saying he believes Samuel might regret it if he is ultimately traded this offseason.

Bryant tells us he's concerned Samuel won't be used well in a system outside of San Francisco's -- and he's hopeful Deebo will see that and mend the fences with the Niners before they jettison him.

"If we strictly talking about football," Dez said, "I think the 49ers is a great place for him. Kyle Shanahan, he is a genius. He knows how to get you the ball. And, a lot of organizations don't know how to do that."

Don't get it twisted ... Dez says Deebo still deserves a massive contract -- and he tells us if he were runnin' the Niners, he'd have no problem cutting that fat check for the superstar receiver.

"Pay him what he wants," Bryant said. "Go ahead and pay him, because he deserves it."

Deebo, though, seems to be firm in his demands to leave the Bay Area -- in fact, over the weekend, he was seen making an "it's over" gesture regarding his Niners career while partying at a nightclub.