Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tom Brady is denying he left Bucs camp to be a contestant on the newest season of "The Masked Singer," but the show is definitely leaning in to the possibility he DID exactly that!!!

Check out this clip from the upcoming season TMZ Sports obtained ... it shows Ken Jeong, a judge on the show, guessing that TB12 is one of the new undercover, crooning celebs this year.

In the footage, you can see Jeong trying to guess who's in the Hummingbird costume. The comedian says the look and performance is "screaming out like a football legend."

Initially, he believes it could be Peyton Manning, but then he moves on to a different theory -- "I think this could be the greatest of all time."

Ken even adds ... "He just got fined for not showing up to training camp because he is here on 'The Masked Singer'. This is seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady!"

Of course, the clip cuts off before we see who the contestant actually is ... we're not THAT good. Season 8 officially wrapped taping on Aug. 20, but the show won't start airing until Sept. 21 -- and Fox notoriously keeps all the celeb IDs under lock and key.

For what it's worth, Tom just happened to show up at Bucs camp on Aug. 22 ... 2 days after taping ended.

Brady, though, has insisted it ain't him ... saying on his Twitter page Monday that despite disappearing from Bucs training camp for 11 days earlier this month, "[I] wasn’t on the masked singer last week."

The first rule of the show is ya don't talk about the show ... so could it really be him?!

Tom Brady says he did NOT leave the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to shoot episodes of "The Masked Singer" ... saying the wild conspiracy is flat-out wrong.

TB12 had social media in a frenzy last week ... when one user speculated the QB was taking a break from training camp to appear on Fox's singing competition.

There were several points that had people convinced -- one being Brady's post-retirement TV deal with Fox Sports ... and another being the show is currently recording new episodes for the next season.

On top of that, Brady's absence had been a mystery ... and considering 'Masked Singer' is all about secrets, it would make sense for him to be hush-hush about what he was doing.

It was later revealed Brady used his time away from football to go on a Bahamas vacation with his wife, Gisele ... and based on his tweet just minutes ago, no masked singing was involved.

The G.O.A.T. is back ... Tom Brady is practicing with the Buccaneers once again -- after he took 11 days to deal with a "personal issue."

The Bucs just posted video of Brady out at training camp -- proving he has, indeed, made his way back to Tampa following an extended off period.

The 45-year-old looked good, weaving in and out of bags while hurling footballs to wide receivers.

Brady initially left camp back on Aug. 11 -- with Bucs head coach Todd Bowles explaining to reporters at the time that the QB was dealing with "some personal things."

"It's a personal issue," Bowles said. "That's all I can tell you."

"It's something he needed to handle," Bowles added. "We trust him. We talked about it. It was scheduled way before training camp, and he will not be here until after Tennessee."

Brady has yet to comment publicly on the brief departure.

The Bucs, meanwhile, played 2 preseason games while Brady was out ... losing to Miami on Aug. 13 and to the Titans on Aug. 20.

Tom Brady was apparently all set to become a Raider after leaving the Patriots -- that is, until Jon Gruden stepped in and shot it down ... this according to Dana White.

The UFC honcho broke down the story Saturday during the UFC 278 broadcast ... telling Rob Gronkowski and a bunch of other panelists that TB12 was, in fact, gunning to join the Las Vegas Raiders ... something DW had been pitching him on for a long time at that point.

This was all happening during Tom's free agency period in 2020, BTW, and per Dana ... the GOAT was actually already scoping out houses in the area. So it sounds like it was just about a done deal -- with Dana working behind the scenes to make it all happen.

Not just that ... but Rob himself was apparently going to join Tom there in Vegas under this would-be move. The reason it fell apart, so says Dana, is because of the ex-head coach.

Gruden allegedly blew it up last minute, saying he didn't want Tom and co. -- and, apparently, the ownership listened to him. Tom ended up joining the Bucs instead, and went on to win the Super Bowl later in 2021 ... with none other than Gronk by his side for the glory.

Dana later elaborated a bit on the tale, telling reporters Brady wasn't happy about it at the time ... but wouldn't get into the exact details of what Gruden's beef was.

Of course, he ended up getting canned by the organization amid a racism controversy from prior emails.

Gruden ended up suing the league and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, claiming the leaked correspondence was part of a coordinated character assassination.

Antonio Brown is changing his tune on Tom Brady ... unleashing on the 7-time Super Bowl champ for being MIA at training camp, claiming he's manipulating the game.

Brady is currently taking time away from the Bucs to "deal with personal things" ... an absence that has been approved by team honchos in advance.

AB was super complimentary of his former QB to TMZ Sports last week ... saying he misses Brady and the Buccaneers.

But something set Brown off in the couple days since ... because he's clearly not happy with both TB12 and his trainer, Alex Guerrero.

"Tom brady manipulate the game gets 14 days go home get his mind rt lol," he said. "Now u see the difference. Put that s*** on."

He also took aim at Guerrero, who is Brady's longtime trainer and co-collaborator for the famous TB12 method.

"Alex Guerra (sic) You think i won't have u smacked at TB12 boy stop playing with me !" AB added. "Boy getting paid by bucks (sic) n taking players money too."

The GOAT is GONE in Tampa -- at least for the next roughly two weeks -- the Buccaneers revealed on Thursday that Tom Brady is now out of training camp while handling a "personal issue."

Todd Bowles was just peppered with questions about his star QB -- who left training camp Thursday and is not expected to return until sometime in late August -- but the Bucs head coach declined to get into specifics of it all.

Instead, Bowles would only say Brady is out dealing "with some personal things."

"It's something he needed to handle," Bowles said. "We trust him. We talked about it. It was scheduled way before training camp and he will not be here until after Tennessee."

The Bucs are slated to play the Titans in a preseason contest in Nashville on Aug. 20 -- which means a return date for Brady won't come until at least Aug 21.

And, it seems the 45-year-old's absence could extend longer than that, 'cause Bowles wouldn't guarantee the signal-caller would be under center for their season-opener against the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 11.

But, Bowles did say his confidence is "pretty high" that Brady will be there.

"It's a personal issue," Bowles said. "That's all I can tell you."

Brady didn't appear to be hampered by any injuries at all while attending Bucs practices earlier this week -- throwing completions and touchdowns with regularity throughout the workouts.

Tom Brady turned 45 today ... and the star QB's wife, Gisele, made sure to shout out her man on his special day, reminding him he's loved as he celebrates another year of life!!

Gisele -- who's been married to Tom since 2009 -- took to Instagram to pen the romantic post to her 7x Super Bowl-winning hubby QB ... posting a photo of Brady in his Bucs uni with two of his three children.

"Happy birthday to one of the most focused, disciplined, and fashionable person I know! @tombrady" Gisele wrote on social media.

"You are so loved and we are always here cheering for you and wishing you all the most wonderful things in life! ❤️"

Tom and Gisele have been one of the most powerful and well-known couples in sports and entertainment for quite some time now, and Bundchen has always made sure to support him.

Of course, Tom's super focused on the NFL season ahead ... but it's nice to see Gisele took the time to publicly show her appreciation for him.

Happy Birthday, Tom!!

Tom Brady and the Buccaneers certainly don't appear to need any more magic on the field -- but just in case they do, Mike Evans clearly has them covered!!

The star wideout unveiled at Tampa Bay training camp practice on Thursday that he got yet another Harry Potter tattoo recently on his body ... showing off new wizard ink on his calf.

The piece features Daniel Radcliffe -- lightning scar and all -- staring with a fierce expression on his face.

The Bucs posted a pic of it -- and Evans laughed about it, captioning it with a funny quote from Harry and Hermione.

"Hermione -- 'she's only interested in you because she thinks you're the chosen one,'" Evans wrote. "HP -- 'but I am the chosen one.'"

Evans has made it clear over the years he's a MASSIVE HP fan ... this is at least his second Potter tat -- he previously got the Deathly Hallows symbol inked on his elbow.

The 28-year-old also had a Harry-themed cake at his wedding back in 2016 -- and has called the films ... the greatest of all time.

Future Hall of Famer Rob Gronkowski is out of Tampa ... but future Hall of Famer Julio Jones is in -- and Tom Brady's wasting no time using him, already throwing TD passes his way!!

TB12 and his new wideout hooked up for six for the first time ever at Buccaneers practice on Thursday -- and video from the field shows the duo sure made scoring look easy.

Jones, rocking #85 after signing with Tampa on Wednesday, ran a slick corner route, and Brady dropped him a dime that Jones eventually snagged while deep in the endzone.

Even though defenders weren't on the field yet -- fans in attendance went crazy, 'cause Jones' raw athleticism -- and Brady's pinpoint accuracy -- oozed during the play.

The 33-year-old receiver reportedly picked Tampa over a slew of other teams this week due to the big-time odds of winning a Super Bowl this season.

Leonard Fournette is slamming the door on a report he showed up to Bucs minicamp weighing 260 lbs., pissing off the coaches -- saying it's all cap -- 'cause he was actually only 245 lbs.

The story came from Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times ... who reported on his Sports Day Tampa Bay podcast Monday the team was displeased with their RB because of his elevated weight.

"Coaches were not happy," Stroud said, "and that’s an understatement, when [Fournette] didn’t participate in the OTAs, but then he shows up at the mandatory minicamp weighing damn near 260 [pounds]."

“And that’s not a good sign for a guy that you’ve just spent a three-year contract on."

Well, Fournette -- whose new deal is worth $21 mil -- went on Twitter shortly after and called it fake news.

"No I weighed 245," the 27-year-old tweeted, "y’all say anything."

Fournette also retweeted a video of him cleaning 325 pounds from earlier this month -- obviously trying to prove a point.

Last season, Leonard was listed at 228 lbs. ... 17 pounds lighter than the 245 he says he weighs now. Fournette rushed for 812 yards and rushed for 8 TDs. He also had 69 catches for 454 yards and 2 receiving TDs.

Talk about first-world problems ... Tom Brady just revealed the toughest thing he has to deal with as a parent is trying to keep his kids grounded despite their rich and famous lifestyle.

TB12 opened up about being a dad to Ford honcho Jim Farley on the "DRIVE" podcast earlier this month ... and he explained one of his biggest parenting struggles is teaching humility to his kids while also being one of the most wealthy families in the nation.

"We have people that clean for us," said the Tampa Bay Buccaneers star, who's made over $300 MILLION in NFL contracts alone. "We have people that make our food. We have people that drive us to the airport if we need that. We get off a plane and there's people waiting there for us and we get ushered in."

"And it's just, that's my kids' reality. Which is the hard part to say, 'Guys, this is not the way reality really is.'"

Brady -- who has two sons and one daughter -- called balancing it all "probably the hardest thing for us as parents."

Of course, the words were met with immediate backlash -- as there are certainly millions of people across the globe who would happily take those issues.

But, Brady said they are real problems for him and his wife, Gisele -- and they're things he says he has to deal with daily.

"I know that I've screwed up a lot of things -- that's the reality of being a parent," he said. "You just hope you can show them enough things to realize that when they are doing things that are selected for Mom and Dad to make our lives more convenient that that is a treat. You know, that is something that is not what every kid goes through."

Tom Brady's on-again, off-again friendship with Donald Trump is apparently on ice once again ... the quarterback just revealed he doesn't talk with the former president anymore, and hasn't spoken to him in "years."

The NFL superstar made the revelation during a recent interview with Variety ... after being asked if he still keeps in touch with No. 45.

"No," Brady said. "I haven’t talked to him in a lot of years."

Of course, Brady and Trump used to be good pals. The two golfed often, spoke regularly -- and, at one point during DT's initial run for president in 2015, the ex-Patriots signal-caller had a "Make America Great Again" cap in his locker.

But, Tom and Trump grew apart shortly after Donald got in office -- Brady famously skipped out on a visit to Trump's White House in 2017, and later slammed Trump's criticism of Colin Kaepernick as "just divisive."

The two had appeared to mend fences in 2020, when at a coronavirus update press conference, Trump said he had recently spoken to Brady -- calling him "a great guy."

The speculation can be put to rest -- Rob Gronkowski says his football-playing days are officially behind him ... and not even Tom Brady can change his mind.

The 33-year-old future Hall of Famer doubled down on his decision to walk away from the game just minutes ago ... saying he's excited to focus on new opportunities after 11 seasons on the field.

"Yeah, I'm done with football," Gronk said Tuesday. "Love the game. Definitely blessed with all the opportunities the game of football has given me and the relationships I’ve met, obviously, here in New England for nine seasons and down in Tampa for two."

"But, no, done with football. Stepping my feet into the business world, the business ventures and just seeing what’s out there and where I can find my place."

The comments come one week after teammate Mike Evans addressed Gronk's status ... saying he was hoping to see him back on the field for the Buccaneers in 2022, but knows it's probably for the best.

"He takes a pretty big beating," Evans told KPRC 2 Houston. "I've seen his body after some of them games and I understand why [he would retire]."

A Rob Gronkowski return to the Buccaneers later this season ain't happening ... at least, that's according to Mike Evans -- who says he believes the tight end is 100 percent retired.

"I feel like he's done," Gronk's former teammate told KPRC 2 Houston this week.

Don't get it twisted -- the Tampa Bay wideout said he'd love to see the future Hall of Famer return ... but he explained he just thinks there's too much wear and tear on the 33-year-old's body for a comeback to be a real possibility.

"I hope he comes back," Evans said. "I mean, with Tom [Brady] and Gronk you never know. I wouldn't be mad if he came back. I'd actually be really excited if he came back, but I feel like he's done."

"He takes a pretty big beating," Evans added. "I've seen his body after some of them games and I understand why [he would retire]."

There has been speculation that Gronkowski could rejoin Tom Brady and the Bucs midseason -- his own agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said on the day Gronk retired last month that "I wouldn't be surprised if Rob comes back during the season or next season."

But, Evans clearly believes otherwise ... and said he expects Gronk's absence to be a big one in 2022-23.

"It hurts to lose Gronk, the best tight end ever," Evans said. "But, we gone have to make up for that in other areas. I have to play better. The running backs have to play better. Collectively we have to play better."

Adorable moment between Tom Brady and Gisele on their Italian vacay this week ... the two lovingly shared an ice cream cone -- but it's got us all wondering, is that avocado flavor?!?!

You'll recall ... the NFL legend is famous for never putting away sweets, and turning to the ultra-healthy avocado ice cream alternative whenever he wants to be somewhat naughty with his diet.

But, it sure seems he deviated from that TB12 Method out in Portofino while on vacation with his wife and fam on Tuesday ... 'cause that definitely looks like a chocolate/vanilla swirl to us!!!

To be fair to the 44-year-old GOAT, it seemed he only had a couple bites of the treat ... so, breathe easy, Alex Guerrero and Bucs fans.

And, yes, if you were wondering, Brady is still working out despite the vacation ... he was spotted getting in a sweat sesh on a yacht on Tuesday before the QT time with his supermodel bae.

FYI -- as for Brady's trademark avo ice cream, our sources tell us it SUCKS.

Rob Gronkowski is once again hanging up his cleats ... the legendary tight end has just retired from football for the second time in his career.

The Tampa Bay star announced the news Tuesday ... this after he initially came out of retirement to play with Tom Brady and the Bucs in 2020.

In his two seasons with TB12 in Florida since, he won another Super Bowl ring ... and caught 100 more passes for 1,425 yards and 13 TDs.

"I want to thank the whole entire first class Buccaneers organization for an amazing ride, trusting me to come back to play and help build a championship team," Gronk said in a lengthy retirement post on his Instagram page.

"I will now be going back into my retirement home, walking away from football again with my head held high knowing I gave it everything I had, good or bad, every time I stepped out on the field."

Gronk first called it quits following the 2018 season ... saying after a 9-year stint with Brady and the New England Patriots, his body didn't feel well enough to keep going.

Gronk had toyed with the idea of coming back for a third season in Tampa Bay this offseason, telling TMZ Sports he was staying "in shape" just in case he got the itch to play again. But, apparently, that itch never came ... and he seemed sure of his decision in his announcement Tuesday.

"From retirement, back to football and winning another championship and now back to chilling out," Gronk said, "thank you to all."

What's interesting ... Gronk's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said there is at least a small chance this isn't the end of Rob's historic career ... telling ESPN's Adam Schefter, "It would not surprise me if Tom Brady calls him during the season to come back and Rob answers the call. This is just my opinion but I wouldn't be surprised if Rob comes back during the season or next season."

But, for now, it seems the 33-year-old is really done.

See ya in five years in Canton!