Football

If Taylor Swift wants to draw up some plays for the Chiefs, so be it ... so says ex-NFL star Nate Burleson, who tells TMZ Sports the pop superstar being hands-on in Travis Kelce's career will only bring good results.

The All-Pro tight end recently confirmed his lady has fully immersed herself in football since they started dating ... and it's gotten to the point where she's been working on her Xs and Os and designing some Kelce-focused routes.

Burleson -- who now stars in front of the camera for CBS -- has no issue with the "Karma" crooner getting involved in her man's day job ... especially considering the Chiefs have continued their dominance amid her presence on gamedays.

Forget Santa ... Miami Dolphins star Jevon Holland is hoping Tua Tagovailoa heads down his chimney this Christmas -- banking on the quarterback gifting him something real nice after signing a $212 MILLION contract this summer.

Of course, if the signal-caller doesn't send a present Holland's way on Dec. 25 ... the Fins' starting safety clearly won't be upset -- as he tells TMZ Sports he's absolutely pumped his pal was rewarded for all of his hard work over the past five years with a big deal.

Holland told us Tua's worth every penny ... especially when you consider he's had to dodge dudes like Jadeveon Clowney and Myles Garrett in order to have success on the gridiron.

The new Netflix documentary on Steve McNair's murder has left fans with more questions than answers ... and a former cop tells TMZ Sports that in order to fully get to the bottom of it all, police should now reopen the case.

The man who's desperately trying to figure out what actually happened to the ex-NFL star is Vincent Hill -- who briefly appeared in "Untold: The Murder of Air McNair," a Netflix doc that explored the life and death of McNair.

In the program, Hill -- a former Nashville Police Dept. officer who's since become a private investigator -- made a case that McNair might have been gunned down in his Tennessee condo by a male assailant ... not his mistress, Sahel "Jenni" Kazemi.

Diondre Overton -- a former college football standout at Clemson who helped them win two national championships -- has died after an early morning shooting, cops say.

The Guilford County Sheriff's Office released a statement minutes ago ... saying officers responded to a call about a disturbance at around 2:30 AM in Greensboro, North Carolina Saturday.

When they arrived at the scene, they say they found a shooting victim, identified as Overton. Officers administered medical aid, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Donald Trump took a beat from bashing his opponent Kamala Harris in the upcoming presidential election to turn his ire elsewhere ... blasting the NFL over a newly instituted rule change.

Here's the deal ... this season, kick-offs have dramatically changed to allow for fair catches and to designate when players on defense can go after the ball carrier ... the point being to reduce the possibility of severe injury on the high-risk play.

It seems DT is among those who think the change sucks ... bitching about it on Truth Social as the 2024 season gets underway this weekend.

Travis Kelce didn't get the game ball after the Kansas City Chiefs won their season opener, he got something better ... a kiss from Taylor Swift.

In new photos from the postgame celebration Thursday night in K.C., Taylor is smooching Travis on the cheek.

Taylor and Travis are cheesing for the camera next to another Chiefs couple ... wide receiver Mecole Hardman and his fiancée, Chariah Gordon.

The Chiefs sure looked like the best team in the AFC once again on Thursday night -- but Shawne Merriman tells TMZ Sports anyone who thinks the Chargers can't knock them off is simply delusional.

The Bolts legend didn't mince words when we caught up with him on Friday -- just hours after Kansas City knocked off Baltimore in a thrilling season-opener -- saying straight up, "If you're looking over the Chargers in this division, you're crazy."

Of course, Merriman's a bit biased -- he's remained a huge Chargers supporter even in retirement -- but he's adamant the feeling around this year's Los Angeles team under Jim Harbaugh is just different.

Taylor Swift may not have had her BFF Brittany Mahomes by her side on Thursday night, but that didn't stop her from letting loose at the Chiefs game ... check out new video TMZ Sports has obtained from her evening in her suite seats -- she was going nuts!!

Swift -- who eschewed one of her normal chairs at Arrowhead Stadium next to Patrick Mahomes' wife for a spot adjacent to Travis Kelce's parents -- was seen throughout Kansas City's opener rooting on her man and his teammates vs. Baltimore very enthusiastically.

Before the start of the game, she could be seen pressing her hands against the luxury box's glass to get pumped up.

Taylor Swift and Brittany Mahomes may be on the outs ... because they sat in different suites at the Kansas City Chiefs home opener -- and politics could be to blame.

The pop superstar watched boyfriend/tight end Travis Kelce lead the Chiefs to a 27-20 victory against the Baltimore Ravens from inside a crowded suite at Arrowhead Stadium.

Brittany, on the other hand, took in the game with her little daughter Sterling Skye from a different suite, keeping an eye on her hubby -- Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Patrick Mahomes ain't just the best player on the Chiefs, he might be the top teammate too ... 'cause he went to epic lengths to make sure star rookie Xavier Worthy didn't lose his first-ever NFL touchdown ball.

Check out the quarterback's actions following Worthy's 21-yard scamper to the endzone in the first quarter of Kansas City's season-opening win over Baltimore ... No. 15 barely celebrated the six points -- and instead, raced toward an official.

Mahomes had apparently realized the 21-year-old dropped the pigskin in the big moment ... and he went to retrieve it for the 2024 first-round pick before it was lost.

Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely absolutely unloaded on a heckling fan after narrowly losing to the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday ... firing back by screaming out, "f*** you, bitch" -- and it was all caught on camera.

The wild moment went down minutes after the Ravens' 27-20 loss ... a game that ended with Likely's toe landing out of bounds in the back of the end zone when Baltimore tried to tie things up in the final seconds.

24-year-old Likely -- who had a stellar night with nine receptions, 111 yards and a touchdown -- was fuming over the failed comeback ... 'cause when a presumed Chiefs fan yelled out "you stink" as he made his way through the Arrowhead Stadium tunnel, he lost his cool.

Taylor Swift is all in for her boo Travis Kelce’s new NFL "Era" ... because she just showed up in style to cheer him on as the Chiefs face off against the Ravens in the season opener.

The singer’s on break from her epic tour, so she's showing love and support for Travis and his team as they kick off another winning season Thursday night in Kansas City ... and she arrived about an hour before kickoff.

Taylor pulled up to Arrowhead Stadium in a denim outfit ... with red boots rising all the way up past her knees, plus a cute little purse.

Caleb Williams hasn't made his mark on the NFL just yet ... but his college legacy is cemented forever -- as USC announced he's getting his No. 13 jersey retired!!

The school made the move official on Tuesday ... and evoked the help of some Hollywood celebrities for the big moment.

John Legend, Snoop Dogg and more joined in to congratulate Williams on his accomplishment. Some of his former USC team members -- including head coach Lincoln Riley and quarterback Miller Moss -- also gave Williams his flowers in the tribute video.

Megan Thee Stallion has officially centered herself into the 2024-25 NFL season with the kick-off anthem that reimagines arguably the biggest stadium rocker of all time ... Queen's "We Will Rock You"!!!

Ahead of the defending champs Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens opening game on Thursday, the superstar rapper showcased her royal raps for Pepsi's "Roman Empire" ad -- inspired by the upcoming blockbuster hopeful "Gladiator II."

Actors Lamorne Morris and Jake Lacy also star in the clip, as do Travis Kelce and fellow NFL stars Josh Allen, Derrick Henry and Justin Jefferson.

NFLers wringing their hands over Friday night's game in Brazil need to relax ... 'cause Gilbert Burns -- a UFC superstar who's from Rio De Janeiro -- tells TMZ Sports the athletes are going to be just fine in his native land.

The issue has become quite the talking point ever since the NFL announced the Eagles would take on the Packers in a São Paulo season-opening showdown -- especially after Philadelphia corner Darius Slay blasted league officials this week for planning the contest in a place with a reported high crime rate.

But, when we spoke to Burns about what the guys can expect when they finally touch down in South America -- he said it straight up will NOT be "that crazy."

9/5 9:01 AM -- Rael Enteen's remarks just cost him his job ... as the Commanders decided to fire him after a brief investigation.

The Commanders have suspended vice president of content Rael Enteen ... this after the employee made wild accusations about Washington players and fans, the NFL and some of the most important figures in the league.

Enteen's comments were captured on a hidden camera during a presumed date with an undercover O'Keefe Media Group journalist ... when he was asked his opinion on numerous topics regarding his gig.

Enteen claimed the majority of Commanders players were "very low-income African-Americans" who have homophobic beliefs ... and most fans of the sport are "high school-educated alcoholics," even referring to them as "mouth breathers."