XFL

Tim Tebow admits he had a "couple of conversations" with the people at the XFL -- but ultimately turned down Vince McMahon's new football league to continue his baseball career.

"There was some communication," Tebow told reporters at a Mets Spring Training media event in Florida over the weekend ... "We had a couple conversations."

But, the 32-year-old former Heisman Trophy winner says it's not the right move for him because he's laser-focused on making the NY Mets major league roster.

Tebow is entering his 5th season with the Mets -- where he's been trying to earn a spot as a power-hitting outfielder.

There's no bad blood between Tebow and the XFL -- in fact, it's the opposite. Tim showered the league with praise while explaining his decision to stick with baseball.

"I love what they're doing, and I think it has a chance to have success, and I think that's great."

"I think there needs to be a place for a lot of players that are really good, and should and could be playing in the NFL, and are better than a lot of NFL players. There's a chance they're going to be seen."

"So, I think it's awesome, and I think it's good for a lot of guys that are going to get a spot on an NFL roster because they're going to show a team they're worth it. But, for me, this is what I wanted to do and pursue it, and be all in."

The XFL also made a run at Colin Kaepernick -- but says the QB wanted a salary that the league just couldn't afford.

How did the XFL's St. Louis BattleHawks celebrate their first-ever win Sunday???

BY SHOTGUNNING HARD SELTZERS, BABY!!!

The postgame boozing all went down in Texas ... whereafter the Battlehawks beat the Dallas Renegades, 15-9, they hit the complimentary Bud Light Seltzers HARD.

Check out video from the locker room ... backup QBs Nick Fitzgerald and Taylor Heinicke grabbed the cans and went to work.

Fitzgerald went with the semi-traditional shotgun route ... biting into the can before pouring it down his throat. Meanwhile, Heinicke went straight-up Stone Cold Steve Austin style with his two cans!!!

Seriously, the footage is amazing.

As for the XFL's opening weekend as a whole ... seems most of the games went off without a hitch, which has gotta make Vince McMahon pretty happy.

Colin Kaepernick's salary demands to play quarterback in the XFL were "exorbitant" ... so says new league commissioner Oliver Luck.

"We spoke with his representative," Luck said of Kap. "And the salary requirements that were broached in that conversation were exorbitant and certainly out of our range."

Luck claims the conversations with Kap's camp all went down about a year ago ... but he says talks with the QB after initial interest on the XFL's side never got far at all.

"We have some pretty significant salary restrictions, you know," Luck said in an interview with NPR over the weekend. "We're a start-up league, so we want to make sure that we can be fiscally responsible and fiscally prudent."

"And the, you know, salary requirements that some folks, you know, shared with us were in our case exorbitant, so we, you know, couldn't go down that path."

Of course, Kaepernick made over $40 MILLION in his 6 NFL seasons. Reportedly, the average salary for XFL players is roughly $55,000.

Roger Goodell, listen up ... Rams star left tackle Andrew Whitworth says he HATES extra points -- and wants them banned from the league ASAP!!!

We got the 4-time Pro Bowler leaving Craig's in L.A. this week ... when we got into a conversation with the big man about the XFL's new rules.

That's when Whitworth told us he loves the league's idea of getting rid of field goal attempts for a point after touchdown tries ... saying they straight-up hurt his body!!!

"I get tired of getting ran into," Andrew says. "I don't need an extra opportunity to get hit."

Of course, as an O-lineman, it's Whitworth's job to protect the kicker ... which means he's got to throw his body in the way of pass-rushing defenders EVERY TIME the Rams go for an extra point!!!

Yeah, ouch.

Shawn Oakman is officially back on the gridiron ... and he tells TMZ Sports despite being sidelined while fighting for his freedom, he's ready to kick start a Hall of Fame career.

Oakman -- once projected as a top NFL draft pick -- had his football career derailed when a fellow Baylor student claimed the football star raped her in 2016.

The case went to trial ... and Shawn was found NOT GUILTY (the jury only needed 45 minutes to deliberate) earlier this year. Still, the allegation caused him to go undrafted ... costing him time in the NFL and millions of dollars in salary.

Now, Oakman -- who's 27 years old -- is getting a new opportunity to play big-time football with the XFL's Los Angeles Wildcats.

We talked to Oakman ... and it's clear he's not content just collecting a paycheck -- he wants to go down as literally one of the greatest players of all-time.

"It only takes one great year," Oakman says. "A year here, a year there, next thing you know, they're gonna be talking about gold jackets."

"In 5 years I'll be 32? Why not?"

If you're not familiar with the 6'9, 280 lb. Oakman -- aside from destroying dudes on the field -- he also shot to internet superstardom a few years back when a photo of Shawn in his Baylor uni went viral ... sparking endless hilarious memes.

He was a beast then ... and Oakman says he's gonna be even BETTER now.

"I'm definitely ready to show the world that I got a lot more to give to the game than I did before."

As for how it feels to finally put the pads back on ... Oakman says "It's definitely surreal. It's a surreal feeling that you really can't explain. It's like, Cinderella with her glass slipper, you just turn into a beautiful princess. Something like that."

"I'm definitely back in my environment. It feels great."

Oakman and the Wildcats take the field February 8.

Heads up, quarterbacks.

Forget the football hangover ... the XFL has announced it's official kickoff date -- Feb. 8 -- just 6 days after the NFL wraps up the 2019 season.

The Super Bowl goes down on Feb. 2 ... and the following weekend, the XFL will debut with a prime-time game on ABC featuring ex-Ohio State QB Cardale Jones.

Cardale -- a 4th-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft -- is the face of the D.C. Defenders, which takes on the Seattle Dragons, coached by Jim Zorn.

The Defenders also feature WR Max McCaffrey -- brother of Carolina Panthers star running back Christian McCaffrey.

The Dragons roster features former NY Jets tight end Jace Amaro, a 2nd-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.

Later that day, a 2nd XFL game will air on FOX featuring the Houston Roughnecks vs. the L.A. Wildcats.

L.A.'s roster features ex-Baylor star Shawn Oakman, who is reviving his pro football career after being found NOT GUILTY in a sexual assault case.

During his college career, Oakman was at one point projected to be a high 1st-round NFL Draft pick ... until the criminal allegations derailed his career.

As for Houston, their QB is ex-Michigan State star Connor Cook, a 4th-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

Ex-Auburn star WR Sammie Coates, a 3rd-round NFL Draft pick, is also on the Roughnecks.

This will be the first XFL season since version 1.0 in 2001 ... and Vince McMahon insists he's doing everything in his power to make it work this time around.

Ex-Baylor superstar and NFL prospect Shawn Oakman is making his return to the football field -- the defensive end just got drafted by the XFL's Los Angeles Wildcats.

27-year-old Oakman was destined for the NFL before he was accused of sexual assault days before the 2016 Draft. He went undrafted and spent the next 3 years fighting to prove his innocence.

Oakman was exonerated back in February -- with a jury deliberating 2 hours before finding him not guilty. Oakman had long argued the sex was consensual.

Oakman has been training like a maniac ever since his court battle ended in hopes of getting his football career back on track ... and now the XFL has given him his chance, with the Wildcats drafting him in the Open Phase of the draft on Wednesday.

"Look what god made I'm god like (prayer hands)," Oakman said. "The Rebirth Continues."

3:19 PM PT -- ROD SMART HAS BEEN FOUND SAFE!!

Family and police sources tell us Smart has been located and he's safe.

We're told Smart is surrounded by family and in the process of getting professional treatment.

Story developing ...

Rod Smart -- who shot to fame in the XFL using the nickname "He Hate Me" -- has gone missing and his family is extremely worried for his safety.

The Lancaster County Sheriff's Office in South Carolina has issued a Missing Person Advisory -- noting 42-year-old Smart was last seen on June 12 around 10:30 AM.

Cops say his family is "worried about his safety and well-being" -- adding, "It is unusual for him to be out of touch for this long."

He was last seen driving his silver 2016 Nissan Maxima with North Carolina tags.

Rod Smart -- real name Torrold Smart -- was a star running back at Western Kentucky back in the day ... and joined Vince McMahon's XFL football league when he wasn't selected in the NFL Draft.

In 2001, Smart was signed by the XFL's Las Vegas Outlaws -- which encouraged players to select a fun WWE-style nickname to rock on their jerseys ... and Smart famously picked, "He Hate Me."

Why the nickname? Smart told reporters at the time, "Basically, my opponent is going to hate me. After I win, he's gonna hate me."

Smart was so good in the XFL, he got looks from NFL teams and eventually signed with the Carolina Panthers ... where he played from 2002 to 2005.

After his football career, Smart reportedly worked as a personal trainer and a high school guidance counselor.

Vince McMahon, listen up ... Rick Neuheisel is offering advice to the XFL in the wake of the AAF's colossal collapse -- "Start with enough money!!!"

"At the end of the day, you gotta have enough financing," the former Arizona Hotshots' head coach says.

Of course, the AAF just folded a few weeks ago ... and Neuheisel tells us it pretty much boils down to they just didn't have enough cash to keep it going.

So, when we asked for his message to McMahon's XFL -- which is set to kick off in 2020 -- he told us his advice is simple ... be sure to have enough green to start!!!

As for if Neuheisel thinks the league can succeed once it does that -- the ex-UCLA coach says he thinks there's certainly a place for a pro league in the NFL's offseason.

"I think there's room and need for spring football," Rick says ... "There's a gap between college and NFL and it allows players to show they're capable."

Seems Vince McMahon's XFL could be having a change of heart when it comes to Johnny Manziel -- because the XFL's commissioner says he hasn't ruled out a roster spot for the QB.

Of course, when Vince announced he was resurrecting the XFL back in January 2018, he was adamant players with any history of "criminality" would NOT be eligible to play in the league.

When he was asked specifically about Johnny Manziel in 2018, McMahon said -- "You want someone who does not have any criminality whatsoever associated with them."

The problem for Manziel ... he DOES have criminality associated with him.

Manziel was indicted for misdemeanor assault stemming from a 2016 domestic violence incident with his then-girlfriend.

The case went in front of a judge -- and Manziel ultimately cut a deal where he agreed to take an anger management course and keep his nose clean and in exchange, the charge would be dropped.

Manziel successfully completed his end of the bargain -- and it seems the XFL is satisfied too.

Because, when XFL commish Oliver Luck appeared on the "PFT PM" podcast this week, he didn't slam the door on hiring Manziel.

"If he is able to meet our standards and if our coaches think he’s one of the top quarterbacks out there that can help us,” Luck said ... “Certainly we have no reason not to believe he couldn’t be in the mix."

"But, again it’s really up to our coaches in terms of the quarterbacks they wanna take a look at."

You gotta think XFL officials have discussed Manziel -- he's probably the biggest name out there that the league could realistically get.

The XFL could be a great option for Manziel who's had a rough football life after washing out of the NFL. He's been subsequently banned from the CFL and recently lost his job in the AAF when the league folded.

Johnny Manziel NEVER really wanted to play in Canada ... and might've purposely violated the terms of his contract to force his way out of the CFL -- so says Warren Moon.

"Maybe he did that on purpose," the Hall of Fame QB tells TMZ Sports ... "Because now there's other options out there."

Of course, Johnny was banned from the CFL on Wednesday after the league announced he failed to live up to the terms of his contract -- which required, among other stipulations, mandatory doctor and therapist visits.

For his part, Manziel didn't deny the claims, saying, "I want to thank Coach Sherman, my teammates, and the CFL fans. My time there reestablished my love for the game of football and the work that goes into it."

Now ... Moon is suggesting it was all part of a bigger plan to get Johnny back playing ball in America for either the newly formed AAF or the upcoming XFL.

"There's more opportunities for him to play in the United States than play in Canada, so maybe that's part of the reason why he violated some of those restrictions in his contract."

Manziel reportedly had minor talks with the AAF ... but the San Antonio Commanders will get the first crack at signing the former Heisman Trophy winner when those talks progress.

Vince McMahon's XFL now has a boss ... and it's the same man who happened to raise one of the NFL's best quarterbacks -- Oliver Luck!!

Andrew Luck's daddy will be the new commissioner and CEO of the WWE honcho's rebooted league -- McMahon announced Tuesday.

It's not a gimmick ... Oliver's resume is legit. The 58-year-old's been president of NFL Europe, athletic director for West Virginia and recently served as one of the top execs in the NCAA.

In his first-ever statement as commish, Luck says he's going to "reimagine" the game of football as the boss of the XFL -- which will kick off in 2020 -- and give fans a "dynamic version" of the sport.

Remember, the XFL is doing away with all the shtick it used to have ... and is trying to be legit.

Tim Tebow, Dwayne Bowe and even a Gronkowski have expressed interest in playing in it.

Here's another episode of "Playing It Coy," starring Tim Tebow ... who says he really doesn't know whether he'd consider signing with the XFL.

Tebow was gentlemanly as ever when we got him at LAX on Tuesday -- but when the topic of Vince McMahon's XFL offer got brought up again, he gave us the ol' Heisman stiff-arm.

"I don't know -- that's a long way from now."

He does have a point. The XFL doesn't launch til 2020.

Timmy did give us a clear answer when our photog -- a Chicago guy -- asked about him potentially playing for the Cubs.

Vince McMahon's XFL just got its first big name athlete to commit, with former NFL Pro Bowler Dwayne Bowe telling TMZ Sports he's ready to make a comeback when the league relaunches in 2020.

Bowe is 33 and hasn't played in the NFL since the 2015 season -- but when we got him out at Bootsy Bellows in Hollywood, he said he could be ready for a comeback and the XFL is a real possibility.

"I'd definitely do the XFL ... if the money's right I'd definitely do it."

There's just one small problem with Bowe's XFL dream -- Vince McMahon stated he won't hire anyone with any sort of "criminality associated with them whatsoever."

Bowe was arrested for possession of marijuana back in 2013 when cops found 2 small containers of weed in his car during a traffic stop.

He later struck a deal with prosecutors in which he plead guilty to lesser charges of littering and defective equipment and paid $610 in fines and court costs. In exchange, the weed charge was thrown out.

So, would Vince REALLY pass up the opportunity to sign a big star like Bowe over some littering?!

Vince McMahon called him out by name ... so, when we saw Tim Tebow in L.A. over the weekend, we had to ask if he'd ever consider joining the brand new XFL.

Tim signed autographs and was his usual friendly self on the way out of Craig's in L.A. -- but when the topic came to the XFL, Tim shut down like the Vikings' offense in the NFC championship.

Seems Tim doesn't want to breathe life into the possibility he would leave his baseball career and go back to football. In fact, he talked to us about the Mets when we saw him last week in Bev Hills.

Sorry Vince ...