Football

4:05 PM PT -- The NFL says they're continuing to prepare as if Monday night's playoff game will go down at SoFi in L.A. ... however, the league says they're locked down an alternate site -- State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ -- in the event they're forced to move the game because of the wildfires.

The NFL says it's keeping a close eye on the wildfires that are currently ripping through Los Angeles ... as a huge postseason game is slated to be played in the city in just a few days.

The Vikings are scheduled to travel to Inglewood for a "Monday Night Football" matchup with the Rams later this week at SoFi Stadium ... but flames are now roaring just a few miles from the venue -- potentially putting the game in jeopardy.

For now, the arena and its surroundings are safe -- the blazes are all currently north of it -- and the game is still going on as planned ... but an NFL spokesperson told multiple media outlets Wednesday that certainly could change.

Cincinnati Bengals receiver Jermaine Burton is accused of choking a woman days before he was left out of his team's travel plans for the Steelers game ... an incident in which he allegedly threatened to take his own life.

Cops were called to the woman's residence around 8:45 AM on Dec. 30 ... after she reported an assault took place.

The woman -- who casually dated Burton since September -- said they got into an argument after going out for drinks the night prior.

Tom Brady might very well be public enemy No. 1 in Chapel Hill this year ... 'cause he's reportedly trying to lure Bill Belichick away from UNC -- and straight toward the Las Vegas Raiders.

The new part-owner of Mark Davis' franchise just recently put in a call to his old boss to talk about Sin City's head coaching position, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero said Wednesday.

It's unclear if Brady formally made him an offer or anything like that ... but with Vegas opting to fire Antonio Pierce on Tuesday -- there certainly is a vacant role Belichick is more than qualified to fill.

Travis Kelce has clearly given some thought to wedding dates as his romance with Taylor Swift continues to smolder ... he just revealed he's not the biggest fan of tying knots in the fall.

The Kansas City superstar and his big brother, Jason Kelce, were roped into the nuptial talk on their Wednesday episode of "New Heights" ... when a listener called in and asked for their thoughts on ceremonies during a season that's typically reserved for watching football.

Travis made it apparent he's not the biggest fan of hearing wedding bells instead of gridiron whistles ... explaining he doesn't know anyone who's gotten married in the months of September, October, November or December.

The New York Giants won't have a new head coach or general manager this offseason -- and at least one person in Big Blue Nation is just fine with that ... former NY star running back Brandon Jacobs!!

The ex-tailback -- who won two Super Bowls with the G-men in the early 2000s -- told TMZ Sports on Tuesday he's pleased with his old team's decision to keep Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen for 2025 ... explaining, "You can't keep getting new coaches every three years."

"I believe that's the right move," Jacobs said.

J.D. Vance and Ted Cruz have a lot more than bragging rights on the line when Ohio State and Texas face off in the College Football Playoff ... 'cause both politicians just placed a friendly wager on the Cotton Bowl -- with both hoping their team trumps the other.

The Texas senator laid out the challenge to the Vice President-Elect and Ohio native on Tuesday ... days before the Buckeyes and Longhorns duke it out at AT&T Stadium.

The terms were pretty simple -- the loser would have to deliver food and beer to the winner's front door, all while they rock the opposing team's jersey.

Tyreek Hill's days in Miami aren't over just yet -- the team's head coach and general manager say they never got a formal trade request from the Dolphins' star receiver after he seemingly told reporters he wanted the hell outta town.

Chris Grier and Mike McDaniel met with the media on Tuesday -- two days after learning they'd be back for the 2025-26 season -- and fielded questions about Hill's future with the org. after he said, "I'm out, bro," following Sunday's loss to the Jets.

The third-year head coach said he met with Hill for an hour ... and he felt the frustration from a lackluster season and game got the best of the 30-year-old receiver at the time of his comments.

Lucky enough to grab an NFL playoff ticket this month? Better come to the stadium hungry ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned a few teams are offering up some new items for the games -- and they're HUGE!!

The Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles and Houston Texans are putting out three new dishes -- in partnership with Aramark Sports + Entertainment -- for their January games ... and each is probably going to take fans more than one fork to finish.

At Arrowhead Stadium, Travis Kelce supporters can get their hands on "Touchdown Toast" -- a massive French toast feast that includes berry sauce and vanilla ice cream.

Ricky Pearsall is making 2025 a year of forgiveness ... saying he wants to forgive the teenager who shot him during a botched armed robbery in San Francisco, and wouldn't mind talking to the shooter.

The 49ers rookie opened up on his whirlwind rookie season during cleanout day at the team facility -- after his squad missed out on the postseason -- and as harrowing as the August robbery attempt was, the 24-year-old WR isn't making judgments about the teen's character.

"I don't know how he grew up," Pearsall said. "I can't judge him as a man just based off one action that he made. As violent as a crime as it was, god forbid him doing that to somebody else."

Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey is issuing a "my bad" after nailing a cheerleader with his kick on Sunday ... writing a personal note to the woman and wishing her well following the mishap.

Michelle Siemienowski shared the apology on her Instagram ... one day after she was hit in the head during Aubrey's kickoff in the Cowboys' Week 18 matchup against the Washington Commanders.

The incident went viral, and Aubrey -- a pro soccer player before signing with Dallas in 2023 -- did his best to state the obvious and let Siemienowski it was an accident.

Tom Brady's playing days are behind him, but his body didn't get the memo ... 'cause the seven-time Super Bowl champion hit the beach to prove he's still got a rocket arm -- and a shredded physique to go with it!!

TB12 shared a few snaps of his pigskin sesh with his son, Jack, on Tuesday ... days before the NFL postseason kicks off.

The Fox analyst clearly had that on his mind ... as his caption made note of this special time of year -- which he dominated so often during his 23 seasons with the Patriots and Buccaneers.

Whether Zay Flowers is in the game or on the sidelines on Saturday, it appears he will be sporting a new look either way ... 'cause the injured star receiver chopped off his locs!!

The Pro Bowler revealed the results of his recent haircut with his 530k+ Instagram followers on Monday ... a few days before the Baltimore Ravens host the Pittsburgh Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium for their NFL Wild Card matchup.

Flowers shared a snap of cut-up dreads in his hand, a look he's rocked long before being drafted in 2023 ... and naturally, it got his fans talking.

Trevor Lawrence will head into the NFL's offseason as a new father ... he and his wife just revealed their baby girl is here!!

Marissa Lawrence and her Jacksonville Jaguars star hubby announced the great news on their Instagram pages just minutes ago ... saying Shae Lynn Lawrence entered this world on Saturday at 4:01 AM.

Trevor, of course, had more time than usual to spend with his wife and his newborn ... as he remained out of the Jags' season finale on Sunday against the Colts while he continues to recover from a head injury.

If you didn't believe Tyreek Hill wanted out of Miami after his comments on Sunday ... it seems all but certain the NFL superstar is done with South Beach.

The All-Pro WR just updated his X profile pic this morning, replacing his previous photo with a photoshopped image of his mug on Antonio Brown's body during his infamous mid-game walk-off in early 2022.

In case you missed it, after the Fins lost to the lowly NY Jets, 32-20, in week 18, Hill seemed to indicate he wanted to play football elsewhere next season.

Bill Belichick's digital footprint is getting bigger -- the University of North Carolina head football coach just launched his own X account!!

The 72-year-old Tar Heels manager fired off his first post on Elon Musk's platform on Monday ... saying, "'Beat Dook' my first words as a boy are my first words on X! Go Heels!!" while adding in a few hashtags, including #ChapelBill, for good measure.

Coach made sure to prove it's really a legit account and not fake ... taking a break from his first day of recruiting alongside his son, Steve, to hop on "The Pat McAfee Show" to make the big announcement.

If they didn't already, the Cleveland Browns definitely need quarterback help now -- with GM Andrew Berry saying Deshaun Watson experienced some hiccups in his Achilles tear recovery ... and now his 2025 status is up in the air.

Berry shared the news with reporters on Monday ... saying it's too early to speculate the controversial signal-caller's return timeline -- but the team will continue to gather more information on the matter, as they were notified of the setback just hours ago.

Berry said Watson alerted medical staffers that something didn't feel right with his Achilles ... and that's when it was determined he was behind in his recovery.