Tampa Bay Buccaneers

It's now official ... Cam Newton is THE starter in New England!!!

The Pats announced the move in a team meeting Thursday ... finally crowning a successor to Tom Brady.

Of course, it's not exactly shocking -- even if Cam had to wait to sign with the team until June ... he's a former MVP and the rest of the Pats QB roster, well, isn't.

The Patriots also announced Newton is a 2020 team captain -- alongside RB James White, center David Andrews, safety Devin McCourty, corner Jason McCourty, linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley, DL Lawrence Guy and special teamer Matthew Slater.

Newton comes at pretty good value for the Pats now ... he's one of the lowest-paid starting QBs in the league -- slated to earn just $1.75 mil this season.

Newton has said repeatedly this summer he's on a mission to prove he's still elite after several injury-plagued down seasons ... even saying back in July he's "about to motherf***in' ROAR!"

Seems he's already got the stamp of approval from his top wideout ... 'cause just a few days ago, Julian Edelman said the two were like Batman and Superman now.

Tony Gonzalez is predicting BIG THINGS for Tom Brady's squad in 2020 -- telling TMZ Sports he's already got 'em pegged as early Super Bowl contenders!

Of course, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are pretty loaded on offense -- with TB12 at the helm and stars like Rob Gronkowski, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin catching passes.

"I think that whole team is gonna be AWESOME," Tony told us on his way out of Erewhon market in L.A. ... "They're gonna be real good."

The "NFL on FOX" star clearly believes the guys in "Tompa" have insane potential -- and he's super geeked to do the pregame breakdown for their season opener against Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints on Sept. 13.

By the way, props to Tony for putting on his mask on the way out of the market ... NO ONE WANTS COVID TO RUIN FOOTBALL!!!!!

Tom Brady says he'll look to his teammates to help him address social issues ... saying he'll "listen and learn" from their experiences to face them head-on.

TB12 was asked about the protests, boycotts and other actions taking place around the league and throughout the world of professional sports ... and Brady did his best to give the safest answer he possibly could.

Brady didn't offer his opinion on the Jacob Blake shooting -- nor did he reveal his personal feelings about superstars like LeBron James refusing to take the court for NBA playoff games this week.

Players around the league look to Brady as a leader and we know there are people looking to take their cues from him as the most high-profile athlete in football.

But so far, he's not really saying much.

Meanwhile, Drew Brees wore Jacob Blake's name on his helmet during practice this week in a show of support with his New Orleans Saints teammates.

Hell, even Cincinnati Bengals rookie QB Joe Burrow offered a strong opinion this week, saying, "How can you hear the pain Black people are going through and dismiss it as nothing?"

Tom Brady is fitting in just fine as the new guy down in Tampa Bay ... so says his new star wide receiver Mike Evans -- who absolutely GUSHED over the QB on Tuesday!!!

"He's the G.O.A.T. on and off the field," Evans said. "It's crazy. He's a superstar. The most accomplished player in our game in history. And. he's just like everybody else."

"He just works extremely hard. He's always taking care of his body. He loves his family. He loves family time. And, he's just cool."

Evans added, "He's a real down-to-earth guy. And, he's already up there as one of my favorite teammates."

It's huge praise from the 3-time Pro Bowl wideout ... considering the guys just became teammates about 5 months ago and have only had a few official practices as Bucs.

But, Evans says he truly means it ... saying, "I'm learning a lot from him. And hopefully, we tear it up this year."

Seems Brady's having a blast with Evans too ... Tom told NBC's Peter King earlier this week he's "so happy with the decision I made" to bolt from New England to Florida.

Good times in Tampa, huh?!

"They ask my advice, I tell them, and then they don't take it."

Joe Montana says Tom Brady told him that was a real issue in New England ... and Joe Cool believes it's one of the biggest reasons why TB12 is no longer a Patriot.

"I think that was one of his beefs up there," Montana told USA Today Sports on Wednesday ... "I think he would like a little bit of input."

Joe said in another interview Wednesday with SportsMap Radio that Brady broke it all down for him when the two were at NFL 100 ceremonies at the Super Bowl in February.

"I don’t think he was happy with the way things were progressing there and his ability to have input," Montana said.

Of course, Brady has never publicly explained what made him leave New England for Tampa ... but it's clear, Montana believes if Bill Belichick had given the QB more say in the offense, he might still be a Patriot.

Regardless, Joe says he thinks Bruce Arians and Co. will be more than willing to give Brady a big role in play-calling and game-planning down in Florida.

"I think they'll probably let him have that," Montana said, "especially with the success that he's had."

This is NOT good ...

Hundreds of people ignored social distancing guidelines and partied their asses off at Devin White's "Trail Ride" charity event over the weekend ... and video of the scene is alarming.

The Tampa Bay Bucs linebacker -- despite surging COVID-19 cases in Louisiana -- decided to press forward with his 2nd annual "Trail Ride" event in Cotton Valley on Saturday.

The problem? Hundreds -- if not thousands -- of people attended ... and even though White said he'd urge hand-washing, mask-wearing and social distancing, it's clear those precautions weren't followed seriously throughout the evening.

Check out footage from the event ... partygoers can be seen mask-less, dancing amid a sea of people. At one point, you can even see 22-year-old White partying without a mask.

We reached out to Louisiana State Police, as well as the Webster Parish Sheriff's Office, for comment on the event ... but so far no word back yet.

But, reps for both departments had told us last week officers would be at or near the scene of the party to assist in traffic control ... although neither said definitively if they'd help enforce social distancing guidelines.

Meanwhile, the mayor of Cotton Valley, C.C. Cox, told TMZ Sports he was allowing the party to happen because, "That's what he wants to do, he can do it, you know?"

Frightening moment for NFL star Shaq Barrett ... he was forced to evacuate his Colorado home Monday after a wildfire threatened to consume it.

But, fortunately for the Tampa Bay Bucs pass rusher, firefighters were able to contain the blaze ... and saved the 27-year-old's "dream home."

"It sucked," Barrett told CBS4's Michael Spencer shortly after evacuating. "That's our dream home, we do not want our dream home to go anywhere."

Law enforcement officials said the fire -- which burned over 400 acres in the Denver area -- was caused by a malfunction on a power pole ... and took several hours to fully contain.

Barrett -- who's kept the home since signing as an undrafted free agent with the Broncos back in 2014 -- was no doubt grateful to hear his place had been saved.

"For it to go that way would be the worst way possible," Barrett said.

Shaq -- who's been franchise tagged by the Bucs this offseason after a monster 19.5-sack 2019 -- joked Tampa Bay needs to sign him to an extension so he can avoid situations like this going forward.

"Tampa needs to help me buy a house in Tampa with a long-term deal!"

It was love at first sight for Rob Gronkowski and his new Tampa Bay Buccaneers unis ... with the superstar giving his threads a big ol' kiss after getting his hands on 'em for the first time.

It's been a rough week for New England fans -- first, the Bucs showed off their new quarterback, Tom Brady, in a non-Patriots jersey for the first time in 20 YEARS.

It was Gronk's turn on Thursday ... with the tight end donning his new uniform, which continues to pile on the pain for Pats Nation.

The Bucs shared video of the moment Gronk saw his threads in person for the first time ... and the dude fell head-over-heels.

"That is beautiful," Gronk says ... "Wow, that's real nice."

Of course, Gronk retired after the 2018 season ... but is making a comeback with his boy, TB12, in Tampa.

But, Gronk won't get back to business without one final party -- he's hosting a VIRTUAL bash with his buddy Shaquille O'Neal to raise money for the NAACP and the Boys And Girls Club.

Gronk and Shaq are planning to face off in a bunch of challenges -- including a dance-off -- with special guests DaBaby, Diplo, Carnage and more ... so yeah, it's a party.

Tompa Bay is officially HERE!!!

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have released the first pics of Tom Brady in his new threads ... and the dude looks good.

It's going to take some time to get used to seeing TB12 in new colors -- after all, he spent 20 years in New England -- but now that we know what it looks like, we can finally start adjusting.

The Bucs have been hyping up the big reveal on social media ... and Brady finally decided to show the world what he looks like in red and pewter on Tuesday.

TB12 dodged a bullet, though ... with the Bucs deciding to go back to a more traditional look just in time for the legend's arrival.

Remember, #12 used to be occupied by star receiver Chris Godwin ... who willingly handed Brady his beloved digits for FREE!!

Let reality sink in, Pats fans. Your 6-time champ is gone.

Rob Gronkowski and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are stepping up BIG for a local high school's football program ... joining forces to replace the team's equipment and storage shed after a tragic fire.

A blaze broke out on Blake High School's campus in Tampa last month ... with an estimated $15k-worth of supplies destroyed, according to tampabay.com.

The team said it would be nearly impossible to replace all the equipment in time to prepare for the 2020 season ... saying it simply isn't in the school's budget.

But, there's GREAT news for the Yellow Jackets -- the 31-year-old tight end and the Bucs are teaming up to get the program back on its feet ... with Gronk announcing their decision to help out in a WWE promo-style video on Instagram.

"Hey everyone, last week we heard about an unfortunate incident in Tampa where a fire burned down a high school storage shed full of their team's football equipment," Gronk says in the vid. "Sadly, they lost it all."

"Well, the Gronk Nation Youth Foundation and my new team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, are all about helping youth reach their full potential."

"So, we're gonna do just that. To the Blake High School Yellow Jackets, you're getting a brand new storage unit and new football equipment to replace everything that was lost."

Gronk gives the team a bit of encouragement ... and even hints he may hit up a practice with his Bucs teammates.

IT'S ALL OVER, BABY!!!

Rob Gronkowski's run as WWE's 24/7 champion came to a screeching halt on Monday -- when he was pinned by R-Truth while shooting a TikTok video.

Yep, that's a real sentence.

Gronk -- who won the belt at WrestleMania 36 back in April -- has since unretired from football and signed a contract with the Tampa bay Buccaneers. So, it seemed like it was only a matter of time before someone else took his WWE belt.

And, that time came on "Raw" ... while Gronk and his pal Goon began to shoot their TikTok, R-Truth was waiting in the yard while disguised as a gardener.

Suddenly, Goon unzipped his shirt -- revealing an official WWE referee uniform -- and R-Truth came firing in for a surprise pin.

1, 2, 3 -- it's over!!!

"You gotta be serious man," Goon said after he counted Gronk out ... "You got a new career starting! You're with the Bucs now!"

As for R-Truth ... this is the 36th time he's won the 24/7 belt!!!

Wanna ride like the G.O.A.T.? Here's ya chance!

Tom Brady is parting ways with his tricked out Cadillac Escalade -- which is so luxurious, the inside looks like a private jet!

The whip is a super modified 2017 Cadillac Escalade ESV Edition -- which was customized by the folks at Becker Automotive Design in Oxnard, CA.

According to TB12 himself, he picked out "all the customizations of the ESV; from the trim of the seats to the color of the rug."

The big changes he made have to do with the size of the SUV -- it was stretched by 20 inches and the roof was raised by 5 inches.

And, just to make sure everything looks proportionally correct, the rear doors were also expanded by 10 inches.

Why make it bigger? Tom says he needed the room for his custom VIP reclining seats, private jet-like folding tables and a 32-inch HD LCD screen ... plus a 12-inch screen in the back!

Tom says all of the changes were made with one thing in mind -- giving him more time to focus on football.

"With such limited time in my busy schedule the ESV gave me those extra minutes to study my play book, make phone calls and be with my family," Tom says in the listing.

"Immediately my productivity went up and my stress came down."

According to the listing, the SUV is also equipped with "a high end mobile Internet router that allows for multiple service providers, ensuring the very best connectivity on the road."

B.A.D. says the price of the car when new is $350k -- but Tom will let it go for $300k or the best offer ... noting that it's a "collector's car."

Could it actually go for more? Maybe! TB12 memorabilia is hot these days!

Skinny Gronk is no more ...

The future Hall of Fame tight end says he's gained back the 20-or-so pounds he lost after his Patriots retirement ... joking he's "four more protein shakes away from being at my playing weight."

Rob quit the game back in March 2019 ... and almost immediately dropped down to around 240 pounds, causing everyone to wonder if he was really done with the game for good.

"It felt good just to drop that weight," Gronk told CBS Sports HQ on Wednesday. "You know, ease up my joints, let my body free. I kind of felt like that weight was bloated weight, too. So, it felt good to get rid of it."

But, after agreeing to reunite with Tom Brady last month ... he's already bulked back up, saying he only needs a couple more lbs to be NFL-ready.

"I'm about 257 pounds right now," Rob says ... "I'm excited about that. I'll definitely be at my weight when it's time to go. I'll be at 260 to 265 when it's time to roll."

As for how the weight changes will affect Rob -- who says he hadn't previously been under 260 since his senior of HS -- he's confident the cutting and bulking won't spell disaster in a return to the gridiron.

"It's time to build back upon it," Gronk said. "Put lean muscle on my body and get ready for the NFL season like I never have before."

Music to TB12's ears!!!