The New York Jets season keeps getting weirder. The NFL has been cracking down on player safety over the past decade. This season, the league has fined a slew of players, both offensive and defensive, for hits they deem unnecessarily rough. Week 17 had plenty for the league to review. The Cowboys and Eagles had a fight that led to ejections. Seattle Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf headbutted an opponent. The Kansas City Chiefs had two celebrations that were against league policy. In another bizarre event for the Jets this year, quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been fined for his late hit in week 17 against the Buffalo Bills.
New York Jets QB Aaron Rodgers Fined
With the New York Jets trailing 12-0 in the third quarter, Aaron Rodgers threw a pick to Christian Benford. Near the end of the return, Benford was going out of bounds, and Rodgers pushed him in the back after he had clearly stepped out. The four-time MVP was flagged for unnecessary roughness, but the league thought a fine was also necessary. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported the league has fined Rodgers $11,255 for unnecessary roughness.
Rodgers admitted after the game that this was a first for him. Quarterbacks are not usually in positions to get unnecessary roughness calls. The foul was clearly out of frustration. The whole season has been a series of unfortunate events. This was a game the Jets were in until the third-quarter collapse. Untimely interceptions and poor offensive output have caused the New York Jets to wonder what they should do next year.
Should This Be A Fine?
It’s a foul. Benford was out of bounds, and Aaron Rodgers shoved him in the back. However, the hit wasn’t to the head. It didn’t result in a devastating injury and ultimately won’t be remembered as a dirty hit by anyone. Fining him seems a bit extreme. We’ve seen many more vicious hits go unflagged. The push caused the player to fall down, but that was it. I suppose the push could have caused Benford to collide with other players on the sideline, but that’s about it.
Ultimately, this fine may have been more about sending a message to all players rather than one specific one. The NFL is showing that no one is above being fined for late hits. They want these types of actions to stop. Even small pushes out of frustration will not be tolerated. I get what the NFL is trying to do, and for Rodgers, this fine is a drop in the bucket. However, for many players, this is significant money, and fining them for a small push seems a little extreme.
Final Thoughts
New York Jets fans cannot wait for this nightmare season to be over. There have been bad seasons before, but ones where expectations were high going in can feel worse when those expectations aren’t met. Many fans had this team in the playoffs, fighting for a Super Bowl. Instead, the team is trying to find a new head coach, a new GM, and possibly a quarterback. The team has many decisions to make this offseason as they look to break their playoff drought.
