Football

Travis Kelce took a pause from Taylor Swift on Tuesday to cruise around Los Angeles with a pal -- but don't worry, Swifties ... he was probably on his way to her pad here.

Paps snapped photos of the Kansas City Chiefs star while he was riding in a fancy Range Rover on a sunny afternoon in Beverly Hills ... and as you can see, there was no Taylor in sight for this outing.

Kelce was riding shotgun as his buddy steered ... and, yeah, the back seats were all empty.

The tight end looked pretty stoic without his GF ... rocking a pair of dark sunglasses covering up his eyes.

However, there were several people on the ground near his vehicle who swore it was on its way to see T-Swift -- if you don't know, the pop star's got a sweet pad in that hood ... so he for sure might've been heading in that direction here.

It's probably a safe bet, if we're being honest. After all, Kelce just traveled across the globe last week to see her perform in Singapore -- and the duo jetted all the way back to the States to hit Madonna and Guy Oseary's Oscars after-party in Hollywood Sunday night.

Some thought the couple might skip it all and have a whirlwind Spring overseas -- as Kelce's currently in his offseason and Swift's "Eras" tour is on a month-plus break right now. Alas, they came on back to the States and seem inclined to hang here in L.A. for a bit.

Still no sign of Taylor herself here in L.A. just yet -- but we're sure she'll surface eventually, with or without an umbrella covering her up. Trav seems more chill being photographed.

NFL superstar quarterback first ... Vice President of The United States of America next?

If things go the way Robert F. Kennedy Jr. hopes, that could be how life turns out for Aaron Rodgers, because the presidential hopeful confirmed Tuesday the Jets' signal-caller is at the "top" of his running mate list.

According to the New York Times, RFK Jr. said he's been communicating with Rodgers for most of the last month, and they've talked about the role ... and Rodgers is said to be interested.

Of course, the two -- who share similar stances on vaccines and other issues -- have grown close recently, with Rodgers throwing his support behind the independent candidate publicly multiple times in the last few months.

It's unclear, however, just how Rodgers would do his New York Jets job if he were to join the ticket with Kennedy.

The election is in November ... when football is in full swing.

The NYT also reported Tuesday that former WWE star and actor Jesse "The Body" Ventura is a strong candidate to be on the ticket.

The 70-year-old -- who has reportedly also considered Andrew Yang, Rand Paul, and Tulsi Gabbard for the role -- is expected to name his official running mate within the next few weeks.

Whoever RFK Jr. ultimately chooses, he's got an uphill battle ahead, despite polling strongly for an Independent.

Josh Allen and Hailee Steinfeld are now apparently so serious ... one of the NFL star's closest teammates just said he believes the quarterback is "in love" with the actress.

Buffalo Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins broke it all down while appearing on Kay Adams' "Up And Adams" show on Tuesday alongside Taylor Lewan.

The 29-year-old offensive lineman -- who's great pals with Allen -- was talking about how the signal-caller famously split his pants in Paris last week ... when he insinuated the QB's obsession with Steinfeld led to the now-viral moment.

Dawkins explained that because he thinks Josh is so smitten with Steinfeld, he's been open to trying out a new wardrobe ... which culminated in the pants malfunction.

Then, he dropped the L-word into the conversation.

"You know your quarterback, man," Dawkins said. "And I know Josh, and I know Josh is not a product of his environment, but, you know, Josh is in love."

"Josh is in love," Dawkins continued. "So, if his girl is shopping and she's like, 'Joshee, try these on!' Josh is going to say, 'All right. I'll try these on!'"

Lewan's eyes got super big when "love" got thrown around ... but it sure doesn't seem like Dawkins was speaking in hyperbole.

After all, Allen and Steinfeld have been dating for around a year -- and while they've largely kept out of the public eye, they've seemed to spend a ton of time together. In fact, Steinfeld was seen traveling to L.A. this past December to watch Allen's game against the Chargers, before she jetted back to Buffalo to presumably spend the holidays with him.

Neither has publicly commented on the other much -- if at all -- but it sure looks like behind closed doors, a real-deal romance is brewin'.

Antonio Brown is hoping to get business boomin' on a whole new field these days ... he's hawkin' T-shirts now -- that feature the letters "CTE" all over them.

Of course, fans have weaponized the medical term against Brown throughout the last few years ... accusing the former NFL star of having the trauma-induced brain disorder anytime his behavior goes against traditional societal norms.

Lately, however, Brown has embraced the barb ... and used it in hashtags on his social media posts.

And, now, it's clear he's trying to make some coin off it too.

Brown revealed on his X page on Tuesday that he's selling "CTESPN" shirts ... for $40 a pop.

The tees are black with red lettering ... and they feature an image of him shirtless from when he quit on the Buccaneers during the middle of a game against the Jets in 2022.

The shirts also have a pic of Brown when he was on the Steelers -- as well as a screen grab of one of his 2023 tweets that referenced his version of "CTE" ... "Catch The Energy."

"Pre order now," Brown wrote on X with an emoji of a purple devil. "#CTESPN."

Sabrina Ionescu is officially off the market ... the star NY Liberty guard just married her longtime boyfriend over the weekend, Raiders center Hroniss Grasu!

One of the wedding guests, Dallas Wings forward Satou Sabally, shared photos and videos from the beautiful ceremony ... showing Ionescu and Grasu dancing, as friends and family watched.

"To an everlasting bond of love 💗," Sabally wrote in the IG caption.

"What an amazing wedding of two very special people, a weekend full of smiles and happy tears 🥹"

Vanessa Bryant, along with her daughter Natalia, was also in attendance. Remember, Ionescu was mentored by Kobe before his tragic death in 2020.

"Congratulations to Sabrina and Hronnis!" Vanessa said ... "Such a beautiful couple. Wishing you both the very best, always!!! Xo"

Ionescu and Grasu -- who revealed their relationship to the public in 2021 -- are both of Romanian descent and University of Oregon alum.

Sabrina, heading into her 5th season with the Liberty, and Hroniss, who has been in the NFL since 2015, got engaged last January ... as the big man got down on one knee in front of a massive floral arrangement on the roof of a high-rise in the city.

Luke Combs is done trying to make sense of what the Carolina Panthers are doing with the team -- the last straw was the Brian Burns trade -- and now the country music star is going in on the squad!

"Panthers, WHAT ARE WE DOING?!?!?" the 34-year-old said in a message to the organization on X.

"No first-round pick for McCaffrey a few years back and now none for Burns?!?! Are we just firebombing the whole team here or what?"

If you missed it, the New York Giants traded for the 2x Pro Bowl pass rusher on Monday (and then signed him to a massive $150 mil contract), sending the Panthers a 2nd and 5th-round pick in return in the upcoming NFL Draft (they also swapped 5th rounders in '24 and '25).

Clearly not the haul Combs would expect for a premiere player who can get to the quarterback.

This trade comes almost two years after the Panthers sent Christian McCaffrey, one of the NFL's best running backs, to the 49ers ... and Luke's had it!

To add salt to the wound, Panthers fans had to watch their former RB star in Super Bowl LVIII in February.

"I usually don’t comment on these kinds of things but it’s just becoming slow torture at this point," Combs said to end his message.

Puka Nacua put his hoops skills on full display at the NBA's All-Star festivities last month ... and he tells TMZ Sports if he ever needed basketball to pay his bills, he could probably get it done professionally overseas!!

The Rams wideout put on the show on Feb. 16 at the All-Star Celebrity Game in Indianapolis ... scoring 16 points while throwing down two highly impressive dunks. It was so eye-opening, many wondered if the football player could actually transition just fine into the sport if he wanted to.

So, when we got him out at LAX this month ... we asked the question -- and he didn't say no!!!

While he was sure he could never get it done in the NBA, the 22-year-old didn't rule out other pro leagues across the pond ... telling us, "Maybe in another country!"

Nacua, however, doesn't seem interested at all in pursuing another career anytime soon -- telling us straight up, "I'm a lot better at football, that's for sure."

Of course, there's really no reason whatsoever to even explore at this point. The former BYU standout just had one of the greatest rookie seasons in NFL history, catching 105 passes for 1,486 yards and six touchdowns.

Dak Prescott claims a woman is threatening to go public with false sexual assault allegations against him if he doesn't pay her $100 million ... and now, he's suing to try to put a stop to it all.

The Dallas Cowboys superstar filed the lawsuit in Collin County, Texas on Monday ... alleging the woman, Victoria Shores, spelled out her extortion plot in a letter to him and his representatives back on Feb. 13.

Prescott claims Shores alleged in her letter that he assaulted her in Feb. 2017 -- just after his rookie season with the Cowboys had concluded. He said in the suit that if and only if he paid her $100 mil, she'd stay silent about it all.

The quarterback's attorneys, however, said emphatically in the lawsuit Monday, "Mr. Prescott has never engaged in any nonconsensual sexual behavior with anyone."

In fact, they wrote, "the timeline of events and [Shores'] actions in the years since the alleged assault are consistent with being involved with only consensual actions with Mr. Prescott."

"The fact that Mr. Prescott did not hear a single negative thing about this supposed interaction from nearly a decade ago is truly telling of" Shores' motives.

Prescott is now suing the woman and her lawyers for defamation, slander, civil extortion/duress and more.

Prescott's attorney, Levi McCathern, wrote in a statement to TMZ Sports on Monday evening, "Lies hurt. Especially, malicious lies. We will not allow the Defendant and her legal team to profit from this attempt to extort millions from Mr. Prescott."

3:32 PM PT -- Saquon Barkley is firing back at Tiki Barber ... accusing the NYG legend of hating on him even years before he opted to leave for the rival Eagles.

"you been a hater since I got to New York," Barkley said in a message to Barber on X. "… and all the 'Dead to me' talk don’t smile in my face when you see me."

Barkley added, "lol yup you’re the prime example of loyalty to a team.. I got the deal I wanted, secured more gm which wasn’t given to me before… so if fans are gonna hate me for that so be it! But I never turned my back on my teammates and always had theirs."

Tiki Barber is furious with Saquon Barkley for leaving the New York Giants in favor of the rival Philadelphia Eagles ... saying straight up Monday, "You're dead to me!!"

The NYG legend unleashed the harsh words on WFAN's "Evan and Tiki" just minutes after it was reported that Barkley will ink a three-year deal with Philly worth around $37 million when the new NFL year kicks off later this week.

"He's dead to us now," Barber said of Barkley. "You're dead to us, Saquon."

Tiki was hardly the only Big Blue supporter livid with the move -- numerous fans sounded off all afternoon on X as well.

Even Barber's cohost on the show, Shaun Morash, threw some shade Barkley's way too.

"By the way, Philly," he said, "enjoy the nine games he'll play next year. Enjoy, Philly. Enjoy."

Barber -- who played his whole 10-year NFL career with the Giants -- wasn't just mad at Barkley over the situation, though. He also admitted that the Giants mishandled the matter -- particularly by not franchise-tagging him this year.

Barkley was on Barber's mind even before Monday's news ... as just days ago he warned the 27-year-old tailback not to sign with the Eagles ... claiming it would be an insult to the Giants' legacy.

"Go to Baltimore!" he said. "Go to Houston! Go to L.A. Chargers! Do not go to the Philadelphia Eagles because if you do, that appreciation and respect and reverence that we all have for you, Saquon, will be lost. It will be gone"

"You’re going to turn into one of those people that we hate, and we don’t want that. We don’t. We’ll respect you, but we’ll hate you, and that’s not a good thing."

Sure doesn't seem like Tiki was lying.

Kim Kardashian and Odell Beckham Jr. are looking more like a couple by the day -- and they seemed to soft-launch their relationship this weekend ... that's what this video suggests.

Check out this footage, obtained by TMZ, that shows Kim and OBJ at Jay-Z and Beyonce's Oscars after-party Sunday night at the Chateau Marmot in L.A. -- and you can see them mingling in a lobby-like area of the venue ... getting touchy-feely with each other.

As you can see ... Kim was chit-chatting with Odell in a pretty flirty manner -- going back and forth with him and seemingly comparing their outfits. At one point she actually puts her hands on Odell too ... going up and grabbing his face, almost as if she's going in for a kiss.

You never actually witness them lock lips ... but this is the most we've seen them interact with one another in public since they've been rumored to be dating ... going back months now.

Doesn't look like they knew they were being filmed either -- but at this point ... it's pretty obvious they're together as a couple. They even showed up together for all the post-Oscars shindigs ... first hitting the Vanity Fair after-party, and later swinging by Jay and Bey's thing.

Remember, they were also spotted out together in Vegas last month during the Super Bowl -- and there, too, they seemed to be trying to lay low ... and distance themselves a bit.

Same vibe here when they were outside heading into a party -- namely, trying to stagger a bit -- but they're not doing a very good job at throwing people off the scent anymore. Now with this new video -- it seems cat's outta the bag ... they're straight up dating each other.

Rumors of Kim and Odell being an item have swirled for months -- and all reports thus far have suggested that it's not that serious. However, they seem pretty into each other ... and the fact they continue to hang out all this time later indicates this might be the real deal.

Kim has yet to publicly declare anyone as her official significant since splitting from comedian Pete Davidson in August 2022. Of course, she was previously married to Kanye West, who she shares kids North, Saint, Chicago and Psalm with ... but that's over.

As for Odell ... he split from his longtime girlfriend Lauren Wood earlier in 2023, and has been single since.

While Kim and Odell have yet to confirm the rumored romance on paper (or on IG, more like) ... it's clear they enjoy each other's company. Perhaps a little bit more than that, TBH.

Saquon Barkley's playing days in New York are over ... the former Giants tailback just revealed he's signing with Philadelphia in free agency.

Barkley confirmed the news on his X page just minutes ago ... sharing two emojis of Eagles.

"Thank you to everyone who has shown me love and support over the past 6 years…," he wrote in a separate tweet. "Forever grateful! Excited for the next chapter."

According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, Barkley will put pen to paper on a three-year, $37.75 million deal when the new league year kicks off later this week.

Saquon was taken by New York with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft ... and, outside of 2020 when he injured his knee, he's been arguably the team's biggest star.

In his six years with the team, Barkley racked up 5,211 rushing yards, 2,100 receiving yards and 47 total touchdowns.

But, his time in NY wasn't without drama -- at least when it came to contract negotiations.

Barkley made it clear last offseason he wasn't thrilled with his situation -- after the team couldn't get him a long-term deal following their franchise tag application.

Bill Belichick won't be a head coach in the NFL this year ... and it wouldn't surprise former NFL exec Marc Ross if he's NEVER one again.

"As far as a head coach," Ross tells TMZ Sports, "yeah, I think this might be the end of the road for him."

It's a pretty shocking reality to think about ... considering arguably no one has ever found more success on an NFL sideline than Belichick.

In his 24 years as Patriots head man, he won 266 regular season games and six total Super Bowls. He earned Coach of the Year honors three times -- and if you include his five seasons as the coach of the Cleveland Browns, he left New England just 26 wins away from Don Shula's all-time mark of 328.

But, when we spoke about the 71-year-old's future this week to Ross -- an NFL Network analyst who previously spent 11 seasons working for the New York Giants ... he wasn't sure if The Hoodie would ever get the chance to be the big boss again.

"I think, unfortunately," Ross told us, "the head coaching career could be over for Belichick."

As for why ... Ross made it clear the hard-nosed way Belichick operated in New England might cause NFL owners to look elsewhere.

If Roger Goodell reveals next month that the Colts have drafted Braden Fiske ... don't be surprised to see the Florida State superstar going crazy -- 'cause he tells TMZ Sports playing for his childhood favorite squad "would be pretty surreal!"

Although he's spent the past year down in Tallahassee soaking up the rays in the Sunshine State ... Fiske says he'd have no problem moving back to the cold if Indianapolis took him in the draft.

After all, he grew up in Michigan City, Indiana ... and idolized Peyton Manning, Edgerrin James, Marvin Harrison and the rest of the legendary 2000s Colts.

"I think it'd be really cool to go back and represent Indiana and just play in my home state," he told us. "That'd be super cool."

There's just one small issue with the hypothetical, however ... and it's that the entire league now no doubt wants the 24-year-old on their team after what he did at the combine last week.

The 6-foot-5, 297-pound defensive lineman ran an explosive 4.78 in the 40-yard dash. He also clocked a 4.37 shuttle time that beat a record Aaron Donald had set. He looked great in drills too.

It's all culminated in a bunch of teams showing interest in him ... with nearly every one telling him they'll be at his Pro Day later this month to watch him on the field again.

Whatever franchise he ultimately ends up on, Fiske said he's got some names he's looking to sack ... with the early list including Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow and Aaron Rodgers.

Taylor Swift y Travis Kelce están oficialmente de vacaciones y los tortolitos fueron a celebrarlo el viernes por la noche en Singapur con parte del equipo de Taylor.

Dio la impresión que la pareja tuvo una cita casual cerca de un centro comercial, donde algunos fans los divisaron siendo escoltados en un carrito de golf. Uno de los Swifties gritó, "Felicidades, Travis", tal vez refiriéndose a su victoria en el Super Bowl el mes pasado, ¡pero más probablemente por estar saliendo con Taylor!

Traylor ha estado muy ocupado desde que Travis aterrizó en Singapur para ver sus dos últimos shows allí. También fueron a cenar a un elegante restaurante japonés llamado KOMA, al que se sumaron algunos compañeros de su banda.

Los shows de Singapur dieron por cerrada la etapa del "Eras" tour en el sudeste asiático y ahora ella tiene un par de meses libre para viajar y/o relajarse con su novio, quien también está en modo de vacaciones por el receso de temporada.

Donde quiera que vayan, siempre atraen toneladas de atención, incluso mientras caminaban por un centro comercial aparentemente vacío, alguien los vio mientras se abrazaban y paseaban de la mano.

Como informamos, Travis lo pasó de maravillas en el concierto de TayTay la noche anterior. Él y sus amigos fueron pillados bailando como locos en una suite de lujo del estadio y, más tarde, el jugador de los Kansas City Chiefs la estaba esperando con un abrazo y un beso apenas se bajó del escenario.

El próximo show de Taylor es en mayo, en París, así que tienen un buen tiempo para hacer lo que quieran.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are officially in their vacay era -- something the lovebirds eased into with a night of celebrating in Singapore with her band.

The couple looked to be having a casual date night near a mall, where some fans spotted them getting escorted around the grounds in a golf cart. One of the Swifties shouted, "Congrats, Travis" ... perhaps referring to his Super Bowl victory last month -- but, more likely, giving the NFL star props for dating Taylor!

Traylor's been busy as ever since he touched down in Singapore to catch her last 2 shows there. They also did dinner at a fancy Japanese restaurant called KOMA, where they were joined by some of her bandmates.

The Singapore shows wrapped up the Southeast Asia leg of her "Eras" world tour, and now she has a couple months free to travel and/or chill out with her BF ... who's also in off-season vacay mode.

Wherever they go, they're sure to draw tons of attention -- even as they walked through an apparently empty mall, someone spotted them as they hugged and walked hand-in-hand.

As we reported, Travis was having the time of his life at TayTay's concert the previous night. He and his buddies were dancing their asses off in a stadium luxury suite ... and, later, he was waiting for her with a hug and kiss as soon as she ran off the stage.

Taylor's next scheduled show isn't until May, in Paris, so they've got time to do whatever the hell they choose.

Forget Russell Wilson, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye ... JuJu Smith-Schuster says he wants Mac Jones to return as the Patriots' starter in 2024.

"Honestly, man," the New England wideout told TMZ Sports out at LAX this week, "my boy Mac, that's my guy."

"I know at the end of the day," he continued, it's "whatever the coaches decide to do. But I think Mac's still got it."

Of course, there are plenty in Foxborough who vehemently disagree with JuJu ... as Jones was only 2-9 in the 11 games he started last season.

In those contests, he threw for just 2,120 yards, 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. His quarterback rating dipped all the way to 77.0 too.

To make matters worse for the former first-round pick, it was the second straight year he appeared to regress ... leading plenty in Patriots Nation to urge the team to move on to a draft pick or a veteran like Wilson. In fact, NFL Network inside Ian Rapoport reported Friday the team itself is exploring trading the 25-year-old.

But, Smith-Schuster made it clear to us he's hoping the ex-Alabama star -- and his backup, Bailey Zappe -- get another chance in '24.

"I'm riding with Mac," said the receiver, who signed a three-year deal with the Patriots last offseason. "I'm riding with my boy Zappe. Those are my boys. I came in throwing with those dudes."

"But, whatever happens, happens."