TMZ Sports - Page 50

A Tom Brady swap for Jameis Winston in New England?!?!

Donovan McNabb is all for that ... the legendary NFL QB tells TMZ Sports he thinks Jameis is the perfect replacement for TB12 in Foxborough.

"I think he would kind of flourish in the New England offense," McNabb says.

As for why ... Donovan tells us he thinks Josh McDaniels and Bill Belichick could finally get Winston to stop throwing interceptions -- something the ex-Bucs QB did 30 TIMES last season.

"It'd be more dink-and-dunk, protect the football," McNabb tells us, "and all a sudden, we're talking about New England again possibly winning the AFC East."

The signing wouldn't be all that crazy ... Winston is likely open to a team-friendly deal now that most QB-needy teams are full -- and the Pats certainly could use his talent level on their depleted QB roster.

Kamaru Usman tells TMZ Sports ... he was all set to fight Jorge Masvidal in July -- until the coronavirus killed those plans. But he's still ready to hand out another ass-whooping, stat!

So, while the UFC tries to line up the next fight for the UFC welterweight champ -- he's talking mad trash to Masvidal, Colby Covington and of course ... Conor McGregor.

First ... Masvidal.

"Honestly, if I'm being honest, do I believe that he deserves the fight next? No, I don't think that he deserves the fight. But at the same time, he's got the hype right now."

"He seriously thinks he's a superstar. He's talking about how I'm the most famous fighter, I'm more famous than Conor and this and that. You are drinking your own Kool-Aid right now. He forgets that literally less than a year ago or two years ago he was just 'Journeyman George.'"

"Now you lost some weight, did a little Spanish reality show and came back and now he thinks he's just Jacques Cousteau or something. My man, relax!"

Next ... Colby.

Remember, Kamaru beat Colby's ass back at UFC 245 in December. Covington wants a rematch.

"Colby I'll be more than happy to put another cannon to your face. Easy as that."

And Conor?

"I'd be crazy if I said I didn't want that fight because Conor is one of those guys that's transcended the sport."

"And of course, I think people would love to see me go in there and spank him any way that I want. So, that's a fight that I always want."

"So, if Conor's feeling froggy that fight could happen anytime. So, that's a wild card right there, that could happen any time. If he's feeling froggy, if he wakes up on the right side of the bed and is like 'You know what? I want to get my ass beat today!' ... that fight could happen any time."

Hall of Famer Andre Reed says he's happy for Tom Brady's move to Tampa Bay ... pretty much only because it means the Bills will FINALLY get a shot at winning the division.

Now that TB12 has officially signed his papers and is officially a Buccaneer, it's time for a new team to run the tables in the AFC East, which the Pats have won 17 of the past 19 seasons.

We spoke with Reed about the Bills' chances at being the team to take over ... and he thinks it's theirs to lose!

"I'm thinking it gonna be the Bills to be the class of that division this year'" Reed tells us. "Ya can never count nobody out but it's a big move for the AFC, for the league, but not for New England.

"I'm sure Tom is gonna be alright wherever he goes, however he finishes his career, whatever team he's with. Just glad it's not the AFC East anymore."

It's an exciting time for Bills Mafia ... the team just picked up superstar Stefon Diggs ... and Reed weighs in on what the big transaction means for 2020.

The Gronk era of WWE is officially here!!!

Rob Gronkowski made his first appearance on SmackDown on Friday ... and the dude went BONKERS right out of the gate!!

Gronk's BFF Mojo Rawley grabbed the mic at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando and gave Rob one of the greatest, most hype intros ever ... despite the fact there were no fans in the stands (because of the COVID-19 pandemic).

The music came on, Gronk busted out into the arena ... AND DANCED HIS ASS OFF!

He even grinded on one of the turnbuckles!!

Once the former New England Patriots tight end made it inside the ring, he took the mic and got even MORE turned up!

"Let me tell you something," Gronk said to the empty arena ... "I've been watching [WWE] since 2nd grade!"

Gronk even joked that despite "zero" people in the stands, "I'm still hype baby!!"

Later on, there was some good ol' fashioned trash talk from Baron Corbin -- who roasted Gronk for being injury-prone ... "I know you know something about getting hurt."

The gloves are off, baby!!!

Next up for Gronk ... he's hosting "WrestleMania 36" -- a 2-night event starting on April 4th which will also take place at multiple locations -- including WWE's training center in Orlando -- with only essential personnel in attendance.

United States military personnel swooped into Honduras to save a U.S. women's tackle football team Friday ... after it had been stranded in the foreign country due to coronavirus closures.

The story of the team is wild ... back on March 11 -- just hours before the American sports world shut down over COVID-19 -- 55 members of a women's football team boarded planes for Honduras to take part in the Americas Women's Bowl.

The tournament featured women from the USA, Honduras, Mexico and Costa Rica -- and a big part of the trip was doing charity work with a local homeless shelter. Things had been going really well for the Americans all the way up until Sunday.

That's when the team learned their flights back home were grounded after government officials in Honduras closed down the country due to coronavirus fears.

The entire team was stranded ... and communication with loved ones in the States wasn't easy. Finding enough cash to pay for hotels and food wasn't any better either.

But, the team got good news Friday ... 'cause U.S. government officials stepped in and got the squad airlifted out of the country and back home safe.

"The @usairforce @US_TRANSCOM and @SOUTHCOM conducted an air mission earlier today taking a group of U.S. women's football players from Honduras to Charleston," a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Defense said.

"We continue to assist @StateDept in repatriating US citizens."

Antonio Brown is fully campaigning to be the next Tampa Bay Bucs WR -- saying he's already been texting with Tom Brady ... and praising head coach Bruce Arians.

"He's one of those guys that have befriended me," Brown said about TB12 during a radio hit Friday on "The Mike Calta Show" ... "One of my close friends around the NFL."

Of course, Tom was a big reason the Patriots signed Brown for the 2019 season -- though he was released after a bunch of horrible off the field issues.

But, they've stayed close ... Brown says he shot a few texts Tom's way after the Bucs signing -- "I congratulated him, wished him well."

Remember, Tom even let Antonio stay in his house with Gisele when he first came to Foxborough -- will he make the same offer in TB??

There could be one big hurdle ... earlier this year, Arians poo-pooed the idea of bringing Brown to TB back in January, saying AB was "too much diva" for him.

"I've heard so many stories -- I like Antonio -- he plays as hard as anybody on Sunday, and he practices hard. He's just gotta make better decisions off the field, be on time, do some of those little things," Arians said on "The Adam Schefter Podcast."

AB, however, doesn't see any problems ... telling Mike Calta he feels he could work very well with Arians.

"I think when I played with him in Pittsburgh, man, I was averaging like 16 yards a catch," Brown said of Arians. "I think he likes me. I think we had a lot of fun together, man."

Of course, Brown has a LOT of hurdles to jump over before the Bucs can even think about signing him ... AB is still under league investigation for multiple incidents -- including allegations he raped his former trainer. He was also arrested in January 2020 for assaulting a moving truck driver.

There will be no drama in Tampa over the #12 ... Buccaneers star receiver Chris Godwin says if Tom Brady wants his jersey, he can have it!!!

"Just out of respect to everything that he's accomplished and everything that he's done, I would kind of have to defer to him," Godwin said on ESPN on Friday. "He's the GOAT, you know?"

It's got to be a breath of fresh air for Brady to hear his new teammate say those words ... Tom's been rockin' the 1-2 for 20 YEARS -- and has built his whole TB12 brand around the number.

And, in even more good news for Brady, it sounds like he might not even have to part ways with a huge chunk of cash for the digits either.

"If he's willing to give it up, then perfect," Godwin said. "But, I mean, if not, then I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there. But, I'm not too worried about it."

Of course, the number does mean a hell of a lot to CG ... he's been rockin' it since back in high school -- and has become one of the NFL's best receivers in the uni.

If anyone knows how Tom Brady is feeling while getting ready to join a new team at 42 years old ... it's Brett Favre!

Of course, Brett left the Green Bay Packers after 16 seasons ... and spent time with the NY Jets and Minnesota Vikings before finally hanging it up after the 2010 season at 41 years old.

So, with TB12 getting ready to join the Bucs, we dug up this clip from January of Brett talking about what it was like to QB for a brand new team on the tail end of his career ... and it's pretty great!

"I remember when Joe Montana was traded from the 49ers to the Chiefs and I said to myself, and in saying this, I had zero inkling that that would ever happen to me. I said if they could trade Joe Montana, they could trade anyone. No one's off-limits. And, then that day came for me."

Favre continued ... "I finally realized that I'm not gonna play here and if I do play, it's gonna be somewhere else and I'm not real sure where that will be. That was really an odd time. I still felt like, yeah, I was older. But, I still felt like, much like Joe did, that you had some juice left in the tank."

"In some ways, it was kind of a renewed excitement starting over again even though there's a lot of apprehension because you gotta learn new guys, the new roads, how do you get to camp, what about buying a house?"

"A lot of stuff that you got so familiar with in Green Bay or San Francisco, it all changed. So, there was a lot of good and a lot of bad. A lot to be excited about, a lot of anxiety that you had to deal with."