Las Vegas Raiders

Was Darren Waller traded because his head coach Josh McDaniels wasn't invited to his wedding?!

Well, maybe. At the very least, McDaniels is anti-love.

Of course, 30-year-old Waller was traded to the New York Giants Tuesday, prompting Robert Griffin III to fire off a tweet.

"Darren Waller JUST GOT MARRIED to Kelsey Plum of the Las Vegas Aces and Josh McDaniels’ wedding present was to trade him to the New York Giants. McDaniels is NOT a romantic."

Plum saw RG3's tweet and responded ... "Prolly cause he wasn’t invited to the wedding lol"

FYI, Waller and Plum married just 11 days ago, and officially became Mr. and Mrs. following a beautiful ceremony on March 4.

Now, it's entirely possible Kelsey and Darren had a small/intimate wedding, and no one from the Raiders attended.

However, there are reports there was tension between Waller and McDaniels.

In fact, Waller -- who played four seasons with the Raiders -- was upset with McDaniels, according to Vic Tafur from The Athletic ... after the new coach leaked news of their private wedding to reporters at the NFL Combine.

Whatever the reason for trading an elite player, Plum says they're stoked to be coming to the Big Apple!

"Actually couldn't be better, we're so excited," Plum said on Instagram after the trade. "NY let's get it 💙."

Darren Waller is no longer a Raider ... and there's one guy who's crushed over the superstar tight end getting traded to the Giants -- with his now-former teammate Josh Jacobs tweeting his frustration over the move.

"S***s sad fr," the All-Pro running back said just minutes after the trade news broke ... which makes it pretty clear he did not approve of the transaction.

Waller was shipped to the Big Apple for the 100th overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft ... which means the G-Men essentially turned Kadarius Toney -- who was traded to the Chiefs last season -- into a top tight end talent and a 6th-round pick.

Jacobs isn't the only one pissed -- Raiders offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor also went to social media to give his reaction, saying, "Bro Wtf."

Waller, meanwhile, appears to be on his honeymoon with his new wife, Kelsey Plum ... so it might be a bit before we get his reaction to the move.

Derek Carr has found a new home ... the former Raiders quarterback is signing with the New Orleans Saints after spending the past nine seasons with Oakland/Las Vegas.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport broke the news Monday morning ... saying the Saints are giving the 31-year-old NFL veteran a new, four-year deal.

Carr confirmed the news in a tweet -- sharing a video of a raucous scene at the Superdome, while writing, "Who dat."

Carr -- a four-time Pro Bowler -- was released by the Raiders last month after being benched at the end of the season. The signal-caller finished his Raiders career with a 63-79 record.

Carr had flirted with several teams following his release -- including the New York Jets -- but ultimately landed with the Saints ... who Rapoport reported Monday were always the favorite for the QB.

Carr will be the Saints' latest attempt to replace Drew Brees ... since the future Hall of Famer's retirement, they've tried combinations of Jameis Winston, Andy Dalton and Taysom Hill without much success.

Raiders star tight end Darren Waller and WNBA champion Kelsey Plum officially tied the knot ... the two Las Vegas stars got married Saturday in front of family and friends!

Plum posted a series of pictures on Instagram ... of her and the Pro Bowl TE kissing each other, and the two looked extremely happy after saying "I do."

Kelsey captioned the pics of her and Waller, "Him 🖤 3.4.23."

Waller wore a cream-colored jacket with black slacks, a black bow tie, and black shoes ... while the bride wore a traditional white dress for the big occasion.

Of course, Darren and Kelsey's marriage is a big deal ... after all, the power sports couple are among the top athletes in their respective sports.

Superstars across the sports world congratulated Waller and Plum after they tied the knot ... Odell Beckham Jr. and Candace Parker showed them love on their wedding day.

"Congrats man you look beautiful," Parker wrote on Plum's post, followed by the Super Bowl champ, OBJ, who wrote, "congrats to yallll!!"

Waller and Plum have reportedly been dating since last year ... and filed for a marriage license on January 22, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Kelsey -- drafted with the first overall pick in the 2017 WNBA Draft -- won a title with the Aces last season ... and now, she's added another ring to her finger.

Move over Tony Gonzalez, Gronk and Shannon Sharpe -- Travis Kelce will go down as the greatest tight end EVER ... so says Raiders star Darren Waller, who tells TMZ Sports the Kansas City Chiefs TE is on his way to G.O.A.T. status.

Of course, the debate has become a hot topic recently ... with 33-year-old Kelce skyrocketing to the top of some lists with his incredible play over the course of his 10-year career.

Waller is definitely Team Kelce -- 'cause he says when it's all said and done, #87 will be the best to ever do it.

"He's that good," Waller told us this week. "I feel like he'll finish as the greatest tight end of all time. I don't think that's farfetched. It's awesome to see what he does."

We also asked Waller about Patrick Mahomes, who lost Tyreek Hill in the offseason to the Dolphins ... and he praised the SB champ for Kansas City's offense remaining at the top of the league.

"It's incredible," the 30-year-old said. "I heard a lot of people saying his job was going to get a lot harder this year with no Tyreek Hill and he wouldn't have the same level of success."

Of course, Mahomes and Hill created magic over the course of the five years they played together in Kansas City, routinely torching opposing defenses in the regular season.

Some thought Mahomes and the Chiefs offense would regress without Hill, but that wasn't the case for #15, who put up MVP-caliber numbers all season en route to the Super Bowl.

Speaking of the SB ... Waller says the game is a toss-up, but he predicts the Eagles will get a lot of pressure on Mahomes when they need it most and believes Philadelphia will win.

Waller got into some non-football talk ... telling us he has some new music on the way.

Derek Carr out ... Aaron Rodgers in?

If No. 4 is definitively on his way to being traded from Vegas this offseason ... Raiders star Darren Waller is making it clear, he wants Rodgers to replace him.

In fact, the tight end is downright recruiting the Packers star to Nevada while under the assumption that Carr's a goner ... saying at Jay Glazer's Super Bowl party in Arizona this week, "If you come, it's gonna be lit!"

Waller added in his pitch that Las Vegas is a better place to be than Green Bay "in most cases."

"If he comes," Waller said of Rodgers, "I'd be a happy camper."

Of course, there's a lot of pieces that would have to fall into place to make Waller's wish come true. First, Carr would have to be traded. Then, Vegas would have to make a swap with the Packers for Rodgers.

But, Carr already appears to be on the verge of being moved -- he just met with the Saints this week. And, all signs seem to be pointing toward Rodgers being jettisoned from Green Bay too (that is, if his isolation retreat leads him to one more year of football).

Las Vegas Raiders star, Darren Waller pulled up to the 2023 Pro Bowl with some new tats you absolutely could not miss ... because they were both on the sides of his head!!

The NFL tight end got the scalp ink on Saturday while the Pro Bowl games were going down at Allegiant Stadium ... and TMZ Sports has learned he flew out his go-to guy, Kali from Atlanta, to make sure it was all done right.

You can see in one of the pieces, there's an angel playing the trumpet. In the other, there's a falcon taking flight. Both are HUGE -- occupying most of the 30-year-old's cranium.

No word on what the images mean to Waller ... but Kali, who has done basically all of the tats on Waller, tells us the football player didn't complain once while the ink was going into his head.

"Sat like a champ," Kali tells us. "Always does."

Kali said it took a total of three hours to do the overall head piece -- and, when it comes to the healing process, the artist said it'll be just like any other tattoo ... as long as it's kept clean and moisturized.

If Aaron Rodgers gets traded this offseason, apparently it won't be to the 49ers ... the star quarterback said Thursday he's "not going to San Fran."

The Green Bay Packers star made the proclamation while getting set to tee off on a Par-3 at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am ... after a hole announcer had asked if he had any news to share.

Of course, Rodgers was smirking ear-to-ear as he made the statement -- so it's hard to determine whether or not he was being serious ... or just trolling the Northern California crowd.

Rodgers has been rumored to be on the trade block for weeks -- and with the health issues in the 49ers' quarterback room, many thought SF might be an ideal landing spot for the future Hall of Famer.

Then again, the New York Jets and the Las Vegas Raiders -- whose best player, Davante Adams, openly recruited Rodgers in a tweet on Wednesday night -- also make a ton of sense for the QB.

Green Bay has yet to say publicly if it's shopping the 39-year-old signal-caller ... but either way, a decision's gotta be made within the next few months, if not weeks.

Raiders star defensive end Maxx Crosby ripped Joey Bosa for complaining about NFL officials after the Chargers' playoff loss, and vowed himself to never act like a "f***ing crybaby".

"A couple of games ago, when f***ing dude had a meltdown and blamed the refs," Crosby said of Bosa on Barstools' Bussin' With The Boys, saying, "I see dudes blaming, oh, f*** it, O-linemen hold all the time. Refs don't call it."

"I'll never be that guy. S*** like that is so weak to me. You're going to get held. I know I get held all the time. You watch the Rams' last drive against us. I was getting literally tackled."

Crosby continued ... "I'm not going to go and double down and look like a little f***ing crybaby," he added. "That's not me."

Of course, Maxx took aim at Bosa after the star pass rusher complained about the refs following his team's 31-30 collapse to the Jaguars in the Wild Card Round.

"I think there just needs to be more accountability," Bosa said after the playoff game. "I mean if I say something to them I get a $40,000 fine, but if they blow a call that ruins an entire team's season, they're probably back in the locker room after the game like, 'Haha got that asshole. Yeah, got him. Fifteen yards, what a loser.'"

"I guarantee that's what their f***ing talking like in the back. Whatever, power trip. I'm sick of those f***ing people."

Could an Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams reunion happen in Las Vegas?? The Raiders superstar had fans salivating after hinting at the possibility during a Q&A on Twitter ... and now, everyone is freaking out.

#17 dropped the bombshell tweet on Wednesday ... when he was asked, "Which neighborhood is @AaronRodgers12 moving to?"

Adams' response was short and to the point ... but it was certainly enough to send Twitter into a frenzy.

"Mine," the All-Pro receiver said.

Adams and Rodgers were one of the best duos in the league when they played together on the Packers from 2014-21 ... but split up after the receiver was traded to Vegas last season.

As rumors swirl that Rodgers could be the next piece to get traded out of Green Bay, the Raiders are certainly a potential landing spot now that Derek Carr has seemingly played his last down for the Silver and Black.

Adams also talked about a ton of other topics ... including his sneaker game, claiming he can get any pair of Jordans he wants.

He also said he misses the people in Green Bay -- but they can "keep the weather."

Guy Fieri and Tom Brady are friends ... so naturally, we asked the Food Network star if he had any insight into TB12's plans, and while Fieri didn't know if/where Brady plans to play football, he did have a suggestion.

COME TO THE RAIDERS!!!

TMZ Sports talked to Fieri -- a huge sports fan -- the day he announced he was throwing a MASSIVE Super Bowl party in Arizona on Super Sunday (more on that in a minute) ... here's what Guy said about Tom.

"I'm a Raider. You know me. I'm just standing over here, 'Hello! Feel free!'" ... as Guy waved his arms in the air, calling Brady to the dessert.

Wherever he plays, Fieri says he hopes we haven't seen the last the 7x Super Bowl champ.

"Tom, I'm just so impressed, he's such a great guy, such a great athlete, he's been through a lot, and I hope this is not the last snap we saw. I really do hope he's gonna come back. The guy's in amazing shape."

Back to Fieri's Super Bowl bash ... Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Tailgate. It's going down right next to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, where the big game will be played.

"You take the greatest sporting event we have," Fieri said, continuing ... "The Super Bowl is the big dance, so why not throw the big tailgate?"

Typically, tailgating at the Super Bowl doesn't happen ... but Guy's party isn't typical.

"We're gonna make it free. You're gonna get LOCASH and Diplo performing. You're gonna get great DDD restaurants that are gonna be there selling food. We're gonna have a VIP experience you can buy into where you'll get completely pampered, but we're gonna put on a party that recognizes and celebrates how great the Super Bowl is and it's literally right across the street from the Super Bowl."

As for the crowd he expects ... let's just say you should get your tickets soon.

Derek Carr's days as a Raider may be numbered, but the guy was certainly a great teammate in Vegas ... 'cause the quarterback had custom diamond pendants made for Davante Adams and Maxx Crosby!!

TMZ Sports has learned, 31-year-old Carr wanted to show his appreciation for his guys ... so he asked Al The Jeweler from Labelle Jewelry in Totowa, NJ to come up with something extra special.

Al whipped together a pair of awesome pieces for Adams and Crosby -- black and white diamond pendants featuring their respective jersey numbers.

Of course, Carr and Adams go way back to their days at Fresno State ... and their friendship has continued throughout their pro careers.

Carr and Crosby have been teammates for four seasons ... and the two captains formed a tight bond during their time with the Raiders.

As we previously reported, Carr penned a goodbye message to Raider Nation earlier Thursday ... seemingly bringing his 9 years in Silver and Black to an end.

Derek Carr is bidding farewell to the Las Vegas Raiders fanbase ... sending a heartfelt message to his first NFL team amid speculation he's played his last down for the Silver and Black.

"Raider Nation it breaks my heart I didn't get an opportunity to say goodbye in person," Carr said on Twitter. "We certainly have been on a roller coaster in our 9 years together. From the bottom of my heart, I am so grateful and appreciative of the years of support you have to my family and me."

"We had our share of both heart breaking moments and thrilling game winning drives, and it always felt like you were there next to me."

The Raiders benched Carr in favor of Jarrett Stidham for the last two games of the 2022-23 season ... and he was not with the team during that period. After that, all signs pointed to a breakup.

"It's especially hard to say goodbye because I can honestly say that I gave you everything I had, every single day, in season, and in the off season," Carr added. "It certainly wasn't perfect, but I hope that I was able to leave you with more than a few great memories as Raider fans."

"I once said that if I'm not a Raider I would rather be at home and I meant that, but I never envisioned it ending this way. That fire burning inside of me to win a championship still rages. A fire no man can extinguish; only God."

Carr says he's looking forward to joining a new team and giving 100% in hopes of winning a Super Bowl.

The Raiders selected Carr in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft ... and he went on to accumulate 35,222 passing yards, 217 touchdowns and 99 interceptions.

The Raiders made the playoffs twice during Carr's time under center ... but did not earn a postseason victory.

It clearly pays to be a good person ... 'cause the New England Patriots fan who kept his cool as a Las Vegas Raiders supporter tormented him during Sunday's game is getting the hookup -- with free tickets from Robert Kraft!!

Video of the incident went viral this week ... showing a woman in a Derek Carr jersey berating a man in Tom Brady threads in the Allegiant Stadium stands right after the Pats lost in heartbreaking fashion.

The guy -- Jerry Edmond -- was praised on social media for not stooping to the woman's level ... and Kraft was so moved by his handling of the situation, he decided to give the fan a VIP experience at this weekend's game against the Bengals.

As it turns out, the Pats vs. Raiders contest was Edmond's first NFL experience ... and he said he didn't want to ruin his experience by retaliating toward the heckler.

Not only is Edmond getting free tix to the game, the team says he's going to get a customized jersey and pregame field passes to watch the players warm up.

Cops went in on Damon Arnette throughout the football player's arrest back in July ... with one straight up calling the ex-Raiders defensive back "a f***ing idiot" during the stop -- new police video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows.

The interaction was all captured on an officer's body cam, revealing cops were super ticked off at the former first-round pick after pulling him over in Miami just after midnight on July 26.

The officers appeared to be upset with Arnette because, according to police documents, just hours earlier, they had pulled him over and found he had been driving on a suspended driver's license, but allowed him to leave so long as he didn't drive again until he got his license reinstated.

One cop can be heard in the video telling the former Ohio State star, who was 25 years old at the time of the stop, "We gave you a f***ing break! You knew your f***ing license was suspended."

Arnette responded, "I got practice in the morning," ... but the cops clearly didn't care, saying in the video, "It doesn't matter bro, you're going to jail, bro."

After one of the officers finished putting the cuffs on Arnette, he searched the guy's pockets -- and found what was later described by police in the docs as a "white powdery substance consistent with that of cocaine."

That's when the officer can be heard in the footage going off on Arnette.

"Idiot," the policeman said. "You're a f***ing idiot, bro. You had the chance. You had the chance to go home. You f***ed it up."

On the way to the station, the video shows the cop continued to chastise Arnette ... telling him in the squad car, "Now you're going to jail for what? 'Cause you're stupid."

"Honestly, it sucks," the cop added. "We can't even give people warnings without them f***ing it up for themselves."

Arnette was eventually hit with criminal charges over the incident -- including felony cocaine possession and misdemeanor knowingly driving with a suspended license.

The NFL player, though, entered a diversion program in an attempt to close out the case in September. A spokesperson for the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office told us at the time Arnette must, among other conditions, submit to random drug testing, complete a substance abuse evaluation, report monthly and pay fees as part of the program. If he complies with all of the conditions, the spokesperson said prosecutors would revisit his charges.

Bettor Marco Piemonte correctly picked the first 4 games in a 5 pick parlay -- with only a Raiders win standing between him and $2.88 MILLION

The game was surely going to overtime ... that's until Chandler Jones cashed that huge ticket with one of the greatest game-ending plays in NFL history!

Piemonte laid down $31K Saturday afternoon ... picking 5 games. Some outright winners, some with the spread. His picks went like this. Browns to win (beat Ravens). Dolphins +7 (lost by 3 to Bills). Jaguars +4 (beat Cowboys). Viking to win (beat Colts in greatest comeback ever). And, lastly ... the Las Vegas Raiders to win.

So, Piemonte -- known as "Million Dollar Marco" for 7-figure bets he's won in the past -- was a Raiders win from winning $2,880,263.52.

Of course, the game was tied at 24 all with 3 seconds remaining ... the Pats ran a draw, handing the ball to Rhamondre Stevenson, clearly content to take things to OT.

But, Stevenson, with no time left, pitched the ball to Jakobi Meyers, who inexplicably threw the ball across the field, where it was intercepted by Chandler Jones ... who ran over Mac Jones and scored the game-winning touchdown.

The only person happier than the Raiders players and coaches ... Marco Piemonte.