Super Bowl

The G.O.A.T. of football has silenced critics who said he couldn't do it without Bill Belichick ... because Tom Brady's heading to another Super Bowl, now with a whole new team.

The star QB led his new squad, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, to Super Bowl LV Sunday with a hard-fought win over Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game ... the first time they've been to the big show since 2002, and only the second time ever in their franchise history.

The Bucs ended up squeaking out a victory at 31-26, despite Brady throwing several interceptions in the second half ... giving Rodgers and co. multiple opportunities to gain the lead. That didn't happen though, and Tom was able to string together enough touchdown passes early on to give him and his teammates a big enough cushion to fend off AR.

Rodgers was 10 yards and a 2-point conversion away from tying it late in the 4th quarter, but he and his head coach made a pair of head-scratching decisions that ended up costing them the game. First, on 3rd and goal ... Rodgers broke out of the pocket during a scramble and ended up throwing the ball away, when he had a fairly clear path to the goal line.

Then, on 4th down ... Packers head coach Matt LaFleur opted for a 3-point field goal instead of just going for it and trying to get a touchdown, as it was the last realistic opportunity before the game was sealed. The screw-ups played in favor of Brady ... who held on long enough.

It's his first season with the Bucs ... and already, he's taking them to greatness. This will mark his 10th Super Bowl appearance -- alongside none other than Rob Gronkowski, another Patriots castoff -- and he did it without the assistance of his former head coach and partner in gridiron crime, Belichick.

There's long been a debate over whether Brady's success and greatness was exclusively tied to Belichick's play-calling, or if it was the other way around ... and if TB12 was the one carrying Bill all along. We're sure that's still debatable, but one thing's clear ... Tom doesn't need Bill to get to a Super Bowl, not after this.

Coronavirus be damned -- 22,000 people will get to sit and watch Super Bowl LV in Tampa Bay next month ... with 7,500 of those scheduled to be vaccinated health care workers.

The NFL made the announcement Friday ... saying they consulted with officials and experts throughout the country to ensure they can keep that many people safe despite the pandemic.

The Shield also laid out the safety guidelines fans must follow if they do get a seat at Raymond James Stadium ... saying masks, social distancing and "podded seating" will all be requirements.

NFL officials also say there will be "touchless in-stadium experiences at concessions, restrooms, and security checkpoints" to further help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

As for the health care workers part of it all ... the NFL is doing some REALLY awesome things there -- giving out 7,500 free tickets for those who have put their lives on the line for others in the pandemic.

In fact, league commish Roger Goodell surprised a group of nurses and front line hospital workers with invitations on a crashed video call Friday that was seriously awesome.

"We owe them our ongoing gratitude," Goodell said. "We hope in a small way that this initiative will inspire our country and recognize these true American heroes."

The league says most of the health care workers who have been invited to the big Feb. 7 game will come from the Tampa and central Florida area.

FYI -- the NFL says it played host to more than 1.2 million fans at its 116 games this season.

Shout out to our pal, JT The Brick, for first suggesting the idea to gift Super Bowl tickets to health care workers.

History will be made during the Super Bowl next month ... as Sarah Thomas will become the first woman to ever officiate the NFL's championship game!!

The league made the milestone official Tuesday ... saying Thomas will serve as the down judge for S.B. LV.

Of course, Thomas has been an official in the NFL for 6 seasons ... and has four playoff games under her belt. She also broke the playoff barrier in 2015, when she became the first female to officiate a postseason game.

The league released a statement on the accomplishment ... saying Thomas's "elite performance and commitment to excellence has earned her the right to officiate the Super Bowl."

"Congratulations to Sarah on this well-deserved honor."

Tennis legend Billie Jean King also congratulated Thomas on the achievement, saying, "Keep breaking those barriers, Sarah."

FYI, the decision is anything but a publicity stunt -- It’s awarded to the highest-rated person at their position and is selected over the course of the 2020 season.

Country rocker Eric Church and R&B star Jazmine Sullivan will team up to sing the national anthem at Super Bowl LV next month ... the NFL announced Tuesday.

No details yet on how the two will perform the song in Tampa Bay on Feb. 7 -- it's unclear whether it will be a harmony or a verse-trading rendition.

But, what is clear is Church and Sullivan have some of the best vocals on the planet ... and their version of the anthem could be one of the most memorable ones in recent history.

43-year-old Church is a 10-time Grammy nominee. Sullivan, meanwhile, earned 7 Grammy nominations alone for her 2008-debut album, "Fearless."

Previously, stars like Mariah Carey, Demi Lovato and Lady Gaga have all sung the pregame anthem.

The league also announced Tuesday that 23-year-old R&B star H.E.R. will sing "America the Beautiful" in the lead-up to the big game as well.

Tom Brady has more Super Bowl wins, MVPs and TDs than Joe Montana ... but Jerry Rice says he's still taking his former 49ers teammate with the game on the line -- "any day."

It's the age-old debate -- 4th quarter, the team needs a TD, who ya taking? These days, most people say Brady over Montana ... but Rice doesn't see it that way.

“It’s a whole different era, and I would go with Montana any day because he was Joe Cool, and he was in an era where he was not as protected,” Rice said in an interview with 95.7 The Game.

FYI, Montana played from 1979 to 1994 ... a time when football was much more physical -- and passing games weren't nearly as explosive.

"I'm going to go with Joe Montana because, like I said, it was a different era," Rice said.

"Not taking anything away from what's happening today, but you look at the game today, the way it's played, you look at how receivers are protected. I never thought I would see an era where the running back doesn't have to be on the ground for them to stop the play because this, to me, is supposed to be tackle football."

Now, Jerry's probably a little biased ... Montana and Rice are the greatest QB to WR combo in the history of the NFL.

As far as the numbers and awards go ... Brady has the edge.

Tom is a 6x Super Bowl champ, 4x Super Bowl MVP, 3x NFL MVP, 14x Pro Bowler, and has thrown 581 TDs.

Joe's accomplishments aren't too shabby either ... he's a 4x Super Bowl champ, 3x Super Bowl MVP, 2x NFL MVP, 8x Pro Bowler, and threw 273 TDs.

The Weeknd was faced with a tough choice -- perform the Grammys or the Super Bowl -- but hammering out a deal to do both could've cost him Grammy nominations.

Sources familiar with the situation tell us The Weeknd's team was in talks for weeks with Grammy brass, who issued the ultimatum -- us or Super Bowl LV. We're told both sides eventually came to an agreement where Abel could do both, but not without negotiations getting very testy.

Our sources say there's growing suspicion Abel's decision to perform at this year's Super Bowl cost him Grammy noms because the bitter back-and-forth talks pissed off Grammy honchos.

It's unclear why the Grammys would play such hardball in trying to exclusively book him for their airwaves. It might be fear of duplicate performances, as CBS is airing the award show AND the game one week apart in February. Still, our sources tell us Abel and co. feel the dispute might have something to do with his exclusion.

Abel wasn't the only one who fans felt got cheated this year, voicing outrage Pop Smoke, Roddy Rich and Lil Baby -- all Black hip-hop artists -- didn't receive more nominations.

If The Weeknd does decide to stick to the deal and perform at both events -- it would be a huge achievement for any artist.

Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs received their Super Bowl 54 rings a little over 2 months ago, and now one of the iced out rings just sold for BIG BUCKS at auction!!

The ring was originally given to Mike Weber -- a 23-year-old running back who was on the Chiefs practice squad last season -- before the blinged-out jewelry made its way to the block at Goldin Auctions.

The auction house would not disclose the final sale price ... but one big-time collector placed a bid for $70k.

The opening bid was $35,000.

Sure, it's a lot of cash ... but the ring is absolutely awesome. It features a bunch of super cool aspects to commemorate the Chiefs' championship.

It's made with 10 karat gold and contains 2 Lombardi Trophies made with marquee-cut diamonds ... and a Chiefs logo designed out of 60 diamonds.

But, it's not JUST gold and diamonds ... the ring also includes 16 rubies representing the teams 10 AFC West division titles and 6 playoff appearances under Andy Reid.

The perimeter of the ring top has 122 diamonds which represents 100 NFL seasons and the 22 playoff appearances in Chiefs’ franchise history.

The blinged-out jewelry also contains the name, number (#45) and signature -- inside the ring band -- of Weber ... who just signed on with the Packers' practice squad.

Huge news ... The Weeknd has officially announced he's doing the Super Bowl halftime show in February!!!

... as long as there's still a Super Bowl in February!!!

The superstar broke the news Thursday morning -- "We all grow up watching the world's biggest acts playing the Super Bowl and one can only dream of being in that position. I'm humbled, honored and ecstatic to be the center of that infamous stage this year."

Weeknd was booked through Jay-Z's Roc Nation agency -- which has a partnership with the NFL.

Jay also weighed in -- saying, "This is an extraordinary moment in time and the Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show is going to be an extraordinary experience with an extraordinary performer."

The game is set to take place on Feb. 7 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, home of the Buccaneers.

As for fans ... the NFL has previously said it was "hoping" to have thousands of spectators on hand for the game -- but nothing is set in stone because of the COVID pandemic.

League reps have said they are preparing for all possible scenarios -- which includes few to no fans.

Obviously, that would make things weird for The Weeknd -- performing in a massive stadium, on a massive stage with no live crowd reaction.

But, even if there aren't fans in the stadium, the Super Bowl draws a MASSIVE global audience on TV -- Super Bowl 54 (Chiefs vs. 49ers) back in February pulled in 102 MILLION viewers!!

Of course, the halftime show for that game was epic -- Shakira and Jennifer Lopez!!

So, how does The Weeknd plan to follow those legends??

He's got a pretty great catalog -- with hits like "Can't Feel My Face," "Starboy," "The Hills Have Eyes" and many many more.

Brett Favre says the Eagles' woes since winning the Super Bowl in 2018 can be explained pretty simply -- they screwed up the Carson Wentz vs. Nick Foles decision.

You'll recall ... back in the '17 season, Wentz had Philly rollin' -- he led the Birds to an 11-2 start -- but he had to sit the bench the rest of the way due to an ACL injury.

Foles went on to lead the team to a title over Tom Brady's Patriots in Wentz' stead ... but the Eagles decided to turn back to Carson when he was healthy the following season nonetheless.

And, when it came time to either pay Foles to keep him around or let him walk after the 2018 season ... Philly chose to punt -- and now, Favre says that was a decision that doomed the franchise.

"I actually thought that they should have kept Nick Foles rather than Carson Wentz just based off of production and where they got to," Favre said on ESPN's "First Take" on Tuesday.

"You know, they won a Super Bowl with Foles. And, that was a little bit surprising."

Foles hasn't done much of anything since he left the Eagles for Jacksonville ... he had an injury-plagued season with the Jags in 2019 and now he's sputtering with the Bears this year.

But, Wentz hasn't been much better ... the Eagles were 9-7 in 2019 and are just 3-4-1 this year -- AND Wentz leads the league in interceptions this season with 12.

Favre says injuries to the QB's weapons have played some role in Wentz's struggles ... but he explained Carson should be just flat-out better regardless.

Forget the "Drake Curse," Nick Jonas says athletes should be lining up for the "Jonas Blessing" -- a PROVEN theory that the JoBros can help win championships!!!

Patrick Mahomes. Cody Bellinger. Lewis Hamilton.

They all attended Jonas Brothers concerts just MONTHS before they dominated their respective sports.

Coincidence? NICK THINKS NOT!!

"To fully understand this conspiracy, we have to back things up to Sept. 22nd, 2019," Nick says ... "That is the day of the Jonas Brothers show in Kansas City Missouri. You know who was at that show? Patrick Mahomes. Cut to a few months later, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl 54."

That checks out.

"Next up, Dec 10, Arizona. Who was there you might ask? Oh, Cody Bellinger. Cut to October 27th, the Dodgers win the World Series."

Also, accurate.

"Lewis Hamilton attended the Jonas Brothers concert in Paris on Feb. 22nd. Just last week, he won his 92nd Grand Prix, the most of all time."

SOUNDS SCIENTIFIC TO US!

"The key to success is to come to a Jonas Brother show," Nick explains ... "Basically the reverse of the Drake Curse. Let's call it the Jonas Blessing."

Nick says talent and work ethic are fine and all ... but if you REALLY wanna win, it's about Jonas bangers like "Year 3000" and "Sucker."

"Congrats to all you Jonas-loving athletes who were smart enough to come to a show. You deserve those championships!"

Just one month after the K.C. Chiefs players received their Super Bowl rings ... one of them is already up for auction, TMZ Sports has learned.

The ring was made for Mike Weber -- who was on the K.C. practice squad during the 2019 season when Patrick Mahomes led the team to a win over the 49ers in SB LIV.

The players received their rings in a special ceremony at Arrowhead Stadium on Sept. 1.

But now, the 23-year-old's ring has made its way over to Goldin Auctions, where it's up for grabs and the starting bid was $35,000. The current bid is already at $55,000 with 17 days to go!

Goldin tells us the ring is attracting a ton of interest and could easily hit the 6-figure mark.

As for the piece itself, it's a 10 karat gold ring featuring the Chiefs logo made with 60 diamonds ... and 2 Lombardi Trophies made with marquee-cut diamonds.

It includes 16 rubies to signify 10 AFC West division titles and 6 playoff appearances under head coach Andy Reid.

The perimeter of the ring top has 122 diamonds which represents 100 NFL seasons and the 22 playoff appearances in Chiefs’ franchise history.

Weber's name is on the side of the ring next to his jersey number, 45 -- and his signature is etched on the inside band.

Goldin says the ring comes with a custom Josten's ring box and a letter of authenticity from Mike Weber.

Weber was a Dallas Cowboys 7th-round draft pick in 2019 ... and spent most of the season on the practice squad there -- but joined the Chiefs' practice squad in January after the Cowboys' year ended.

Weber had re-signed with the Chiefs after the Super Bowl victory ... but was cut in the offseason after K.C. selected Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the 1st round of the 2020 draft. He's currently trying to get back into the league.

The NFL has officially canceled this season's Pro Bowl game due to COVID -- but the league is "reimagining" ways to celebrate the players.

The game was originally set to take place on Jan. 31 at the brand new Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas (home of the Raiders) ... but NFL officials ultimately decided it wasn't worth the risk.

The league will still allow fans, players and coaches to vote on Pro Bowl rosters -- but they just won't compete in a formal game.

Let's face it, the games aren't really that great anyway.

Instead of a game, the league says it will work with the NFLPA and other partners to "create a variety of engaging activities" for the players.

"This virtual recognition of the season's finest players will provide fans the opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of their favorite stars."

As for concerns over the Super Bowl, the league says the big game is still on.

"The NFL and NFLPA's intention is to play a full regular and postseason schedule, culminating at the Super Bowl."

Unclear how the league will address fans, media and the traditional Super Bowl fan experience -- but they've got some time to figure that out.

As for Vegas, the NFL says they won't abandon the city -- announcing the 2022 Pro Bowl will take place at Allegiant Stadium.

Patrick Mahomes wasn't the only one in his household to get a massive ring on Tuesday ... the superstar QB just proposed to his longtime GF, Brittany Matthews, with a diamond that's bigger than her knuckle!!!

Mahomes surprised his lady with a floral arrangement and bright signs at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City after getting his Super Bowl ring ... and Brittany's ring might be even more impressive.

Since 24-year-old Mahomes just signed the fattest contract in NFL history -- he signed a $503 MILLION extension -- it shouldn't come as a surprise that he splurged on the jewelry.

Unclear on how much he paid for it, but by the looks of it ... it wasn't cheap.

Of course, the couple has been together since their high school days ... and have been pretty much inseparable ever since.

25-year-old Matthews -- a pro fitness trainer -- has been one of Mahomes' biggest supporters since day one and definitely made sure fans heard her cheers all throughout the Chiefs' Super Bowl run this past season.

Speaking of ... Mahomes and his Kansas City Chiefs teammates finally got their championship rings for the 2019 season just before the proposal ... and they're pretty spectacular.

The champs held a special social-distanced celebration on the Arrowhead Stadium field on Tuesday ... receiving their rings for their Super Bowl LIV win over the San Francisco 49ers.

The rings -- made by Jostens -- feature the Chiefs logo (made of 60 diamonds) and 2 Lombardi trophies (made with marquise-cut diamonds) on the top ... and includes 16 rubies to signify 10 AFC West Division titles and 6 playoff appearances under head coach Andy Reid.

There are also 50 diamonds surrounding the design, which represent the 50 years since the team's first Super Bowl title.

The sides feature the SBLIV logo and player names and numbers -- and even "142.2" to honor Arrowhead's record-setting decibel rating.

The inside of the rings are just as special -- they feature the logos and scores of all KC's games throughout the playoffs ... and each recipient's autograph.

The team captured the moment Mahomes put his ring on for the first time ... and you could see the dude's smile pouring out from behind his mask!!

Look out, NFL -- these guys look like they're ready for another.

Two camps are claiming to be in possession of the REAL jersey worn by Michael Strahan in Super Bowl 42 ... which means someone has a FAKE.

And now, the situation is about to explode -- with both sides claiming they have solid arguments for why their jersey is the real thing.

In one corner, Michael Strahan -- Pro Football Hall of Famer.

In the other, Goldin Auctions -- one of the top sports memorabilia dealers in the country, which prides itself on trading in authentic items.

Strahan claims after his NY Giants beat the New England Patriots on Feb. 3, 2008, he gave his jersey to a friend and instructed that person to take it straight to Strahan's hotel room for safekeeping.

Per a source close to the NY Giants legend, Strahan is adamant the same jersey he passed to his friend ended up in a frame which is now on display at his home.

If you take a close look, we're told those stains on the jersey are champagne and Gatorade stains from the locker room celebration.

But, Goldin Auctions is disputing that claim ... insisting the REAL jersey ended up with a Giants equipment manager that day, who then passed it along to another person ... who brought it to Goldin Auctions.

Ken Goldin, Goldin Auctions Founder and CEO, tells us he's had two well-respected photo match experts -- Mei Grey and Resolution Photo Matching Service -- take a look at his jersey and both agree his jersey is legit.

Goldin also says when you take a close look at the jersey in Strahan's home, he believes there are obvious inconsistencies from high-definition photos of the jersey that were taken directly after the game.

In other words, Goldin believes the photo evidence proves he's got the REAL uniform.

"We are 100% confident the Strahan jersey in the auction is authentic," Goldin says ... "And the photo matching services letters and images speak for themselves."

So, what happens next? We're told Goldin is prepared to defend his claims and will proceed with his auction.

The most recent bid for the Strahan jersey is a cool $39k -- and Goldin believes it can crack $100k.

"We're going to make sure we bring not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4, but 5-plus rings to Kansas City!"

K.C. Chiefs star Chris Jones did his best LeBron James impression Monday ... channeling the NBA superstar by guaranteeing multiple future championships for his team -- and it was all bold as hell!

The defensive lineman -- who just signed a MASSIVE 4-year, $85 MILLION extension to stay in K.C. -- was asked on 610 Sports Radio what his message would have been if he had been able to speak to fans at the Chiefs' Super Bowl parade in February.

That's when Jones said he would've gone all LeBron on the crowd ... and promised more parades in the future!!

"This is only the beginning," Jones said of what his speech would have entailed. "Be prepared to have another parade, and another parade, and another parade!"

Of course, 5-plus rings is unlikely ... Tom Brady's the only dude in history with that many -- and it took him 20 YEARS to get.

But, if anyone was going to do it in the near future ... it'd be the Chiefs.

They just locked up quarterback Patrick Mahomes for at least the next decade ... and they're returning nearly every other significant player from last season's Super Bowl roster.

In fact, when we spoke with star wideout Tyreek Hill about the squad ... he told us he was FIRED UP over the offense's potential in 2020.

Did you know the Patriots gave Josh Gordon a Super Bowl ring for his small role on the 2018 championship team??

It's true ... and now, the embattled wide receiver's victory bling can be all yours -- if you've got some SERIOUS cash lying around.

Officials at Heritage Auctions say they're putting JG's title drip on the auction block next month ... and they expect it to sell for somewhere in the area of $100,000!!!

Unclear how the ring made its way to the auction house ... but we're told Gordon himself is NOT selling it. Rather, officials tell TMZ Sports it's being sold by a dealer.

But, the ring is insane regardless ... it's the last one of Tom Brady's Patriots tenure -- featuring a gem carat weight of 9.85. The bling also features 10 karat gold, according to auction officials.

Of course, Gordon only played in 11 games for the Pats in the '18 season after they traded the Browns for him ... he ultimately stepped away from New England before its playoff run, saying he needed to focus on his mental health.

Gordon ended the season with 40 receptions for 720 yards and 3 TDs ... famously catching Brady's 500th career touchdown pass.

Gordon returned to the Pats the following year ... but was placed on injured reserve just a few games into the season and was later cut.