TMZ Sports - Page 50

Shannon Sharpe says Sean Payton is the perfect fit for the Broncos ... telling TMZ Sports Denver is moving in the right direction with the Super Bowl-winning head coach at the helm.

"I think Sean Payton is the right guy for the job," Sharpe said when we spoke to him at LAX this week ... adding he hopes most players come back and give it another shot with a new coach in town.

The Pro Football Hall of Famer -- who won three Super Bowls with the Broncos -- says he believes Payton will revamp the culture in Denver and get Russell Wilson back on track.

"Sean understands quarterback. [He] had Drew Brees. He's a no-nonsense type of guy. Some of that stuff that flew last year under Nathaniel Hackett is not going to cut it this year."

"His system and the way he conducts business is not for everybody. You're either gon' do it his way, or you're going to hit the highway and I love that."

Sharpe, though, knows the Payton hire won't result in an easy road to the Super Bowl ... he admits the Broncos will have their work cut out for them in the star-studded AFC West when they go against Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert.

As for Russ, the former tight end told us he doesn't think Wilson is broken ... and is optimistic the union with Payton can result in success for his former squad.

Super Bowl Sunday is finally here ... but before we get to the big game and Rihanna's must-see halftime show, let's meet the wives and girlfriends of the athletes taking the field!!

Kansas City Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes' wife, Brittany, is making her third trip to the Super Bowl ... but this time, their 1-year-old daughter and newborn son will be tagging along to check out the action.

Even though Shane Buechele won't be starting over Mahomes, the backup quarterback's wife, Paige Lorenn, still deserves a big shout-out.

We're sure Orlando Brown Jr.'s fashion influencer GF Holly Luyah, will be dressin' fancy for the big game ... as well as Juan Thornhill's new fiancée, Reagan Elizabeth.

"Fly, Eagles Fly" is something we expect Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts' girlfriend, Bry Burrows, to be yelling when her bae takes the field ... alongside Kelsey Holmer, who hopes her man Lane Johnson protects the QB from the Chiefs defense.

Speaking of defense, Ndamukong Suh's wife, Katya, is gonna be stoked that her man is in his second Super Bowl ... just like Fletcher Cox, whose lady, Kaycee Marchetti, will get her usual pregame smooches.

Vernon Davis says he wouldn't be shocked if Tom Brady goes from hoisting Lombardi Trophies to picking up Oscars ... telling TMZ Sports he was impressed by the QB's role in "80 For Brady."

The former 49ers tight end -- who's turned himself into a super successful actor in his life after football -- told us out in Arizona this week that Brady legitimately showed him something in the new flick.

In fact, Davis said Brady did such a "great job" in the movie about a group of women who traveled across the country to catch him in Super Bowl LI -- he could envision the 45-year-old turning into a real-deal actor someday.

"I could see him having longevity," said the 39-year-old, who just recently worked with Morgan Freeman in the movie "Muti."

"He knows about discipline. He knows about hard work. He knows what it takes to be great at anything. So, with that, he can only go up."

Steve Young's looks over the years are hands down the MOST valuable!

Here is a 32-year-old version of the pro footballer with his chiseled game face on full display ... ready to take on the Denver Broncos in SF back in 1994 (left). This was the same year he was named MVP (in addition to 1992) and just a few months before he and his fellow 49ers won the Super Bowl XXIX.

And 29 years later ... the NFL Hall Of Famer recently took his winning looks to Vegas and commentated on the Kansas City Chiefs vs. the Las Vegas Raiders game (right).

Whether on or off the field, Mr. Young is still scoring points in the 'looks' department.

The question is ...

Rihanna has A LOT of songs to consider as she finalizes her 13-minute Super Bowl set -- but if she's curious what her peers think she should sing ... she might wanna watch this.

We got Christina Aguilera and Winnie Harlow heading into Drake's SB party Friday in Scottsdale -- and, of course, we asked them about RiRi's many options in terms of tracks she could perform Sunday ... and what exactly they'd like to hear during the Halftime Show.

Check it out ... each of them gives us a response, and they're quite different. CA says she wants to see Rihanna's take on an ODB classic -- while going on to tell us she thinks Ri's gonna kill it.

Winnie had her own pick for a Rihanna song she'd like to see performed -- a fan fave, no doubt -- but she also had a lot to say about the fact that Rihanna is one of the first Afro-Caribbean women to take the big stage. Winnie is of Jamaican descent, BTW.

High praise from Peyton Manning ... the NFL legend says Patrick Mahomes has already done enough in his short career to eventually be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

The former Indianapolis Colts QB seemed to think there wasn't much doubt about it either ... telling TMZ Sports out in Arizona on Friday, "The answer to that question is yes."

The debate is an interesting one ... Mahomes is just 27 years old and has only played for six seasons -- one of which he logged time in just one game.

But, in his five years as a full-time starter, he's made five Pro Bowls, won MVP twice, and earned a Super Bowl win. He'll have a chance for a second title when the Chiefs take on the Eagles in SB LVII on Sunday.

Clearly, no matter what happens in the game against Philly -- Manning believes Mahomes could hang it up afterward and someday have a bust in Canton.

But Manning said he knows Mahomes isn't focused on any of that -- telling us, "That's just not on his radar and it shouldn't be. He should be in the moment and kicking butt for the Chiefs."

Damar Hamlin has big plans for the millions that were donated to his foundation after his cardiac arrest medical emergency ... telling TMZ Sports he's "gonna change the world."

Remember, over 240k contributors showed the Buffalo Bills' safety love in the form of U.S. dollars, donating over $9M to his Chasing M's Foundation following the terrifying incident during the Bengals game on Jan. 2.

The initial goal of the fundraiser, originally a holiday toy drive, was only $2,500 ... so when we caught up with Hamlin at the Etta restaurant in Phoenix on Friday, we had to ask what he planned on doing with all the cash.

"I'm gonna change the world," the 24-year-old said. "Change the world."

Of course, Hamlin's world has already changed since the Monday Night Football incident ... the former 6th-round pick is one of the most recognizable people in the league. And, he's already doing good ... Damar partnered with the American Heart Association. He also received the NFLPA's Alan Page Community Award.

Hamlin, who gives the most praise to God, also credited Bills' athletic trainer Denny Kellington for saving his life.

"He was literally the savior of my life, you know, administering CPR on me," Hamlin told Michael Strahan on "Good Morning America".

Machine Gun Kelly got himself a new hair-do during his performance at PGA ... but maybe not the one he wanted.

The rocker-turned-rapper says he got "electrocuted" onstage as he performed at the Coors Light Bird's Nest in Phoenix ... a Super Bowl weekend bash.

As he's singing, you see his hair go from flat to standing straight up on end. It's unclear if something really did happen or if it's just a stage prank. We're leaning toward prank, because he seems unfazed. Also, no EMTs showed up.

MGK performed for nearly 2 hours and, unsurprisingly, it was sold out. Among the guests -- A-Rod and his GF.

After the show, MGK met up with fiancée Megan Fox to hit up Drake's party.

Drake hit the stage for a pretty spectacular pre-Super Bowl bash, with a little help from Cardi B.

Drake performed at Hanger 1 in Scottsdale Friday night, recreating his show at the Apollo last month in NYC.

Several tons of stars were there to watch, including Machine Gun Kelly, Megan Fox, Cher and BF Alexander Edwards, Lil Baby, Tyga, H.E.R., Serena Williams, Meek Mill, Devin Booker, Odell Beckham Jr., Sauce Gardner, Kyler Murray, Davante Adams, Winnie Harlow, Rich the Kid, Christina Aguilera, George Kittle and Druski.

Drakes got skin in the game for sure ... he's betting nearly a million bucks total on the game and prop bets. That includes $700k on the Chiefs, $50k that Mahomes and Smith-Schuster would score the first Chiefs TD, and $50k the Chiefs would score in both halves of the game.

Alexander Volkanovski doesn't plan to abandon the featherweight division -- the weight class he's dominated for years -- after he wins the lightweight title at UFC 284, telling TMZ Sports he's committed to being active across both divisions.

We talked to the UFC's featherweight champion/#1 pound-for-pound fighter ahead of his highly anticipated main event fight against Islam Makhachev, lightweight champ, in Perth, Australia ... as Volk attempts to be the latest double-champ.

Historically, champ-champs have not been able to defend both belts, something Alex is adamant he'll do.

"I made a promise that I'll keep both divisions busy and I'm a man of my word. I've always been a man of my word and that's just who I am and that's what I plan on doing."

"Obviously, you never know what happens, right? You break bones and all that type of stuff. I mean, I want to be active. I want 2023 to be active and this is the year that will define my legacy. This is the one that everyone's gonna be talking about. This is what I really want so I need to be active. So I want to do both divisions. I really do. I said I was gonna do it and I'm gonna try my best to actually do that."

Now, beating Islam is easier said than done. He's right behind AV when it comes to the P4P list, and he's been nothing short of dominant on his way to the 155-pound title.

But, Volkanovski believes he has the blueprint to win the fight ... but readily admits if he employs the wrong gameplan, he could lose.

"If I have the wrong strategy, if I do things wrong, [Islam] could win. He could get a decision. He could submit you. So you need to fight a great, great fight and you need to capitalize on the feet. You're gonna see me really, really wanna capitalize on the feet."

Often, fighters don't want to reveal their strategy ... Volk isn't the average fighter. He flat out says he's looking for the knockout.

"You're gonna see me really go and get him on the feet. Really go for it, really try to take that head clean off, you know what I mean? And look for that chin and do what I need to do. I need to capitalize on the feet so I really do believe that I can get the finish."

We also talked to Alex about his ascension to the top of the pound-for-pound list, if he would ever go up to welterweight on the quest to be the UFC's first-ever triple champ, and much more.

Master P is confident his sons, Mercy and Hercy, can BOTH be NBA stars ... telling TMZ Sports he's dreaming of seeing them team up on the New Orleans Pelicans one day.

We spoke to P in Beverly Hills last week on the heels of Mercy throwing down a monster dunk against Bronny James' Sierra Canyon team ... and he told us Mercy isn't the only budding superstar in the Miller fam.

"Mercy Miller, my son, he been a star," P said. "My other son, Hercy Miller, been a star. He in Louisville. Mercy at Notre Dame High School. They [are] the best-kept secrets in basketball."

"You seen the dunk and [Mercy] not just a dunker. He can shoot the three. He can rebound. He had like ten assists that game. He helped his team win and it was a blowout."

P said even though Mercy's highlight dunk came against Bronny's team, it's all love between the two ballers -- adding that they are friends with LeBron James and his family.

In fact, he said his kids work with Chris Johnson, who trained LeBron, and a slew of NBA stars including Ben Simmons, Dwyane Wade, Jimmy Butler, and Andrew Wiggins.

So when it comes to Mercy and Hercy's ceiling, P has his eyes on NOLA.

Of course, both were born and raised in Louisiana, so it makes sense the rapper-turned-business mogul wants him and Hercy to play for the hometown Pelicans.

"Two brothers on the same team. That'd be crazy."

Antonio Brown took a break from taking shots at Tom Brady and starring in music videos this month to buy some new jewelry ... copping some epic bling on a shopping spree in Atlanta!!!

Sources tell TMZ Sports the seven-time Pro Bowler spent his cash on some drip at Ice Box, the famous jewelry spot that celebs like Ja Morant and Lil' Baby hit up regularly.

We're told the 34-year-old dropped six figures during his trip to the store ... with some of his haul including two skull rings that were each filled with 4 carats of white and black VS diamonds.

AB also bought massive solitaire earrings that had about 6 carats of diamonds in 'em!!

The earrings alone were worth $100k ... and with the rings clockin' in at $8,300 apiece, AB spent over $116,000 during the visit.

And, to celebrate the big purchase, we're told Brown popped an expensive bottle of Armand de Brignac Ace of Spades champagne with the store owner.

Anyone looking to watch hard-hitting football should've tuned in to a dating show instead of the Pro Bowl ... so says ex-NFL star Shawne Merriman, who tells TMZ Sports he was blown away after watching "Bachelor" contestants duke it out on the gridiron.

In case you missed it, Lights Out and Antonio Gates coached up Zach Shallcross' ladies for a full-contact football game (dubbed the "Bachelor Bowl") during last week's episode ... with the winning team getting extra time with the bachelor.

We spoke with Merriman about his appearance on the popular show ... and he says he was shocked to find out the ladies were going to play REAL football.

"I thought it was gonna be like a two-hand touch, flag football kinda thing," Shawne told us in Phoenix. "I had no idea it was like a real game."

Of course, the NFL recently decided to switch the annual Pro Bowl to a flag football format ... which has fans split on whether it's as entertaining.

One thing's for sure -- Merriman says anyone tuning in to "Bachelor" got their fix of big hits and brutal blows.

"The Bachelor game was more physical than the Pro Bowl, which is crazy!!"

Merriman said he got to know all the women competing for Zach's love ... and admits "he's gonna have a problem" because every candidate is a great pick.

"He's gonna have a real issue."

Shawne -- who went to three Pro Bowls during his career -- went into detail about the NFL's all-star game ... and he said the event simply isn't as big of a deal as it used to be.

"It's unfortunate," Merriman said. "I hate to sound old school or sound like one of the older guys, but when we went to the Pro Bowl, it meant something. You wanted to showcase your talent. You were the best at that position."

PGA Tour star Tony Finau ain't too proud to admit it -- he misses some of his golfing pals who defected to LIV ... telling TMZ Sports he hasn't been able to see his buddies in a long time due to the creation of the new league.

Finau told us he used to be super close with guys like Carlos Ortiz, Abraham Ancer and Brooks Koepka ... but when they all left the Tour, it put a serious strain on their friendships.

"Man," he said out in Arizona this week, "I haven't seen them in literally like a year."

He added that it all sucks.

Of course, Finau's had his opportunities to head over to LIV and join his bros ... but he's been against it.

The 33-year-old has said in the past he'd rather stay on the Tour and compete there for glory ... as opposed to chasing money in the Saudi-backed LIV.

Stunning model Ivana Knoll says she's been getting a ton of business offers after being dubbed the "World Cup's Hottest Fan" ... but there's one venture she's never going to explore -- OnlyFans.

The Croatian supporter joined Michael Babcock and Lucas Widman at the TMZ office to talk about her chaotic rise in fame ... and Ivana says her inbox has been flooded with potential money-making opportunities -- but she's picky about who she works with.

"I usually don't take everything that they offer me, because I like to work with brands who I like, and not many of them, because I like to present what I really like, not just what is paid to me."

"If I don't smoke, I cannot promote cigarettes."

Ivana says during the World Cup, she received about 10 calls a day and 20 emails from agencies trying to get her on OF ... but makes it clear no dollar amount would get her to do adult content.

"I was like, 'I don't know why they cannot accept that I don't want to open one,'" she added.

"I don't judge, I'm just not that kind of person. It's not for me. I tried to explain that it's not about money always, I care about reputation."

Ivana says despite the immediate money she'd make on the subscription-based platform, it would also hurt her chances with other brand deals in the future ... and that's a risk she's not willing to take.

Jeffree Star has finally revealed his "NFL Boo" ... and it's veteran offensive lineman Taylor Lewan ... but despite teasing a romantic relationship, it appears to be strictly business.

The cosmetic mogul has been teasing fans, and upsetting NFL wives and girlfriends, since the season ended ... hinting at a romance with a pro football player ... but ultimately, it's just been promotion for a podcast.

Jeffree and Taylor made the big reveal Friday, two days before the Super Bowl ... and Jeffree hopped on Taylor's podcast, "Bussin With The Boys," which the Tennessee Titans star hosts with former NFL player Will Compton.

In late January, after 28 of the 32 NFL teams had finished the season, Jeffree began making it look like he was seeing an NFL player ... first posting a picture holding someone's hand on a private jet and hinting he was off to Wyoming with his "#NFL boo."

The mystery continued a few days later, when Jeffree posted another picture concealing the man's identity, along with the caption ... "His team didn't make it to the #SuperBowl but he's 6'6 and plays perfect in the bedroom❤️."