NFL

Robert Kraft poured his heart out while reflecting on the end of Tom Brady's career in New England ... admitting he knew the quarterback's departure would pull the plug on "the greatest cycle in the history of the NFL."

The Patriots owner opened up on TB12's 20-year run with his franchise in the latest episode of the Apple TV+ doc, "The Dynasty: New England Patriots" ... reminiscing on his first memory with the future 7-time Super Bowl champion.

Kraft said upon his arrival in Foxborough, Brady approached him and said it was "the best decision the organization has ever made in drafting him #199 in the sixth round" ... and it's safe to say the guy backed his words.

Over the next two decades, Brady led the franchise to six Super Bowl victories ... and Kraft acknowledged how special it was to watch him develop into the leader he became.

But, of course, all good things come to an end ... and when it came time for Brady to leave his first NFL home for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020, Kraft knew the impact it would have on the organization.

"'I thought, 'Wow, the greatest cycle in the history of the NFL is ending,'" Kraft said.

Brady previously opened up on his decision to switch teams for the final three years of his career ... saying he was ready to split off from Bill Belichick over how things transpired in recent years.

The Bucs won it all the next season ... and the Patriots have struggled to find the same success in the post-Brady era.

Patrick Mahomes is connecting with Travis Kelce for another off-field highlight -- the pair of Chiefs superstars are getting in the restaurant industry once again with a new steakhouse in Kansas City.

The hot spot is named 1587 Prime (a nod the duo's jersey numbers) ... but their business partners over at the Noble 33 hospitality group say their involvement goes far beyond that.

Entrepreneur Tosh Berman -- who runs several popular restaurants with Noble 33 -- says Mahomes and Kelce have been "instrumental" with input about the place's concept ... and have shared cool, original ideas to bring to the business.

The two-story, 10,000-square foot eatery -- which will be located inside the Loews Hotel in downtown -- is slated to open in early 2025 ... and it sounds super fancy, with a meat display as the focal point of the whole thing, as well as "hyper-subtle" nods to the Super Bowl champions' on-field accomplishments.

There will also be a massive wine collection, which will be one of the largest in the state.

Mahomes -- who also teamed up with his favorite target by investing in Chicken N Pickle -- spoke about the decision to join forces with Kelce again ... saying, "Travis and I have become frequent visitors of Noble 33 restaurants in other cities so it only made sense to bring something special to our own community in Kansas City."

Kelce added ... "We're excited to be a part of this journey with Noble 33 to create a one-of-a-kind dining experience, and what better place to start than our very own, Kansas City."

The guys are essentially attached at the hip both on and off the field ... and now they got the perfect place to double date with Brittany Mahomes and Taylor Swift!!

Aaron Rodgers is attempting to clear up his position on Sandy Hook, a day after a scathing report claimed the superstar QB denied the horrific shooting ever happened, saying that's simply not true, calling it "an absolute tragedy."

"As I’m on the record saying in the past, what happened in Sandy Hook was an absolute tragedy. I am not and have never been of the opinion that the events did not take place," 40-year-old Rodgers tweeted from Costa Rica.

"Again, I hope that we learn from this and other tragedies to identify the signs that will allow us to prevent unnecessary loss of life. My thoughts and prayers continue to remain with the families affected along with the entire Sandy Hook community."

The statement comes after CNN published a report on Wednesday citing two people who claimed AR was adamant the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, CT was fake, attributing the following quote to the 4x NFL MVP.

"All those children never existed. They were all actors.”

Rodgers tweet seems to directly contradict the CNN story ... but not all of it. The network also reported Aaron believes, or at least did in 2013, that the shooting was an "inside job" perpetrated by the United States government.

The Jets signal-callers message does not address whether he ever claimed the shooting was an inside job.

Jon Gruden is back to work ... but it ain't in the NFL -- or America, for that matter -- it's with a European football team as an advisor.

The Milano Seamen of the European League of Football announced the hire on Wednesday ... saying the former Super Bowl-winning coach has joined the staff to "help us to improve our organization in every aspect."

The team also shared a pic of 60-year-old Gruden decked out in Seamen gear ... and revealed he's already started to work with current staffers.

It's Gruden's first full-time gig since his controversial departure from the Las Vegas Raiders in October 2021 ... after it was revealed he used homophobic, racist and misogynistic language in past emails.

Gruden sued the NFL a month later ... accusing the league and commissioner Roger Goodell of orchestrating a campaign to torpedo his career.

A United States House Oversight and Reform Committee report later alleged it was the Washington Commanders that released the messages to the media.

Gruden has long maintained his desire to remain in coaching ... and he will now at least be back in the sport with the Italian team.

Gruden spent a bit of time with the New Orleans Saints in 2023, but ultimately did not join the staff with a full-time position.

FYI -- the ELF is relatively new. It was founded in 2020 and currently houses 17 teams across the continent.

Travis Kelce se tomó un descanso de Taylor Swift el miércoles por la noche para ir al concierto de Justin Timberlake en Los Ángeles, donde vio una actuación especial de *NSYNC.

El jugador estrella de los Kansas City Chiefs apareció en el show y vio la primera actuación en vivo del grupo desde los VMAs 2013.

Junto a Justin, JC Chasez, Joey Fatone, Chris Kirkpatrick y Lance Bass le mostraron sus numerosos pasos de baile a las entusiastas chicas del público.

Resulta que Travis es tan fan como todas las teenyboppers. Echa un vistazo a este video publicado por un productor musical en Instagram stories, que captura a Travis mirando fijamente al escenario, aparentemente cautivado por la banda.

Travis pudo disfrutar de los cantantes, quienes interpretaron algunos de sus mayores éxitos como "Bye Bye Bye" y "It's Gonna Be Me," así como su nueva canción, "Paradise."

Fuentes con conocimiento nos dicen que Travis saludó a los chicos después de su actuación detrás del escenario.

Después del concierto, Travis fue visto en el asiento del pasajero alejándose del show, probablemente para ir a ver a su famosa novia en su lujosa morada.

Taylor ha estado teniendo algún tiempo libre de su gira internacional "Eras" después de sus recientes actuaciones en Singapur, donde Travis estuvo a su lado.

Travis Kelce took a break from Taylor Swift Wednesday night, getting his groove on at Justin Timberlake's concert in Los Angeles -- where he saw a special performance by *NSYNC.

The Kansas City Chiefs star tight end popped in for the show and saw the pop group's first live performance since the 2013 VMAs.

Alongside Justin, JC Chasez, Joey Fatone, Chris Kirkpatrick and Lance Bass showed off their many dance moves to all the screaming girls in the Wiltern theater audience.

Turns out Travis is a huge fan too -- it IS his era, after all. Check out this video posted by a music producer on IG showing Travis staring at the stage, looking pretty captivated by the surprise *NYSYNC reunion.

Travis got to enjoy the singers performing some of their biggest hits like "Bye Bye Bye" and "It's Gonna Be Me," as well as a new song, "Paradise."

Sources with knowledge tell us Travis greeted the guys in a hallway backstage after the performance.

Travis was seen leaving the Wiltern in the passenger seat of a vehicle, probably to go see his famous girlfriend at her ritzy abode.

Taylor has been taking some time off from her international "Eras" tour after her recent performances in Singapore, where Travis was right beside her.

The lovebirds then jetted back to stateside to attend Madonna's Oscars after-party in the Hollywood Hills last Sunday. While both have stayed in L.A., they haven't been seen out much with each other in the last few days.

Aaron Rodgers' VP bid won't last long, but the Democratic party's still taking him plenty seriously ... at least, according to some high-ranking party members.

Top officials of the Democratic National Committee tell TMZ ... they're not taking any chances with Rodgers, even though they're expecting his VP candidacy to last as long as his first season with the New York Jets.

Basically, sources at the DNC tell us they're not writing off Rodgers or any other celebrity candidate no matter what they may think of them ... just look what happened with Trump.

DNC members acknowledge third-party candidates can easily play spoiler in a close election ... so all the more reason to face Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and possibly Rodgers head-on.

Moving forward, we're told Democrats will be looking through old Rodgers interviews and dredging up the skeletons in the QB's locker. Essentially, they're welcoming AR to a whole new kind of gridiron ... one where Rodgers isn't likely to get an unnecessary roughness call in his favor.

As for how they feel about Kennedy and Rodgers teaming up ... our sources tell us it makes a lot of sense -- since they're both "self-important blowhards," as it was put to us. Sounds like the attack ads are already writing themselves!

Of course, RFK Jr. hasn't officially named Aaron Rodgers yet ... though he is at the top of the presidential hopeful's short list which also reportedly features WWE star Jesse Ventura, Rand Paul and Tulsi Gabbard.

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Zay Jones is off the hook in his domestic battery case -- the charge he was facing was dropped a day before he was scheduled to be arraigned, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

According to a disposition notice from the Florida Assistant State Attorney filed on Tuesday ... prosecutors declined to move forward against Jones after reviewing evidence from the alleged incident back on November 13.

As we previously reported, cops said Jones -- a 2nd round pick out of the 2017 NFL Draft -- and the mother of his child got into a heated argument that turned physical at a Jacksonville condo/apartment after she allegedly told him she was taking their child to Orlando.

Cops said in the report that they "observed several small scratches on the victim's neck, consistent with marks from a fingernail" ... and Jones was arrested for first-degree domestic battery causing bodily harm.

The team had no comment on the situation at the time.

Jones played college football at East Carolina, where he broke several school records including receptions in a game (22) ... and has suited up for the Bills, Raiders and Jags.

Forget luxury cars and diamonds ... Landon Dickerson's headed to Home Depot to cop a new lawn mower after inking a historic extension with the Philadelphia Eagles this week!

The 25-year-old was asked by reporters on Tuesday what he planned to buy with his fat new 4-year/$84 million contract extension, making him the highest-paid guard in NFL history.

His answer ... was unexpected.

"I may go get a new lawn mower," Dickerson said at his press conference on Tuesday. "It's something I've been looking into."

Landon even has his eye on a particular riding mower, a Zero Turn model, which start at over $2k!

With that new deal, get a few!

Jokes aside, it's clear the stud OL is just happy to remain in the City of Brotherly Love.

Landon's also excited to block for Saquon Barkley, the former NY Giants running back who jumped ship for the NFC East rival this week.

"Bringing in a guy like Saquon I think, for us, is adding to the amount of talent that we have and I'm really excited to see what he does," the 2x Pro Bowler said.

The 6-foot-6 athlete -- who played for Florida State and Alabama -- was drafted by the Eagles in the 2nd round of the 2021 draft and has been as dominant as any guard in the NFL over the last two seasons!

Dickerson also shared an aerial shot of his yard ... and it's safe to say the riding mower is a solid investment, 'cause that's a TON of grass.

Travis Kelce isn't sick of Taylor Swift concerts just yet -- the Kansas City Chiefs superstar raved about his girlfriend's latest tour dates in Singapore ... saying it was an "amazing" experience.

The Super Bowl champion -- who was spotted at two of Swift's six sold-out shows in Asia last week -- praised Tay's performance on his "New Heights" podcast with his brother, Jason ... and even though he's seen the same setlist several times, he clearly can't get enough.

Kelce's comments are no surprise -- after all, the guy danced like no one was watching during his appearances ... and the Swifties made sure to show him some serious love as well.

Kelce also gushed over a "cool as f***" greenhouse he visited during his trip ... and it turns out he's not just a zoo dude, he is also a big fan of plants.

Of course, the Traylor romance all came to be after Travis hit up Taylor's show at Arrowhead Stadium back in July ... and the two have written quite the love story ever since.

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.