Steelers RB Fined Massive Amount for Non-Penalized Play

Steelers running back Jaylen Warren was fined $48,333 for illegal use of helmet against the Browns, according to the NFL’s gameday accountability weekly update. Four other Steelers players also received fines — linebackers Kwon Alexander and Elandon Roberts were each fined $43,709 for unnecessary roughness. Safety Damontae Kazee was fined $11,806 for unnecessary roughness, while DeMarvin Leal was fined $6,549 for the same violation. In total, Steelers players were fined $154,106 in the win against the Browns.

Warren lowered his helmet and hit Browns free safety Juan Thornhill at the end of a 30-yard catch-and-run early in the second quarter Monday night. The play didn’t draw a flag in the game. Warren’s agent David Canter posted on X that they planned to appeal the fine. Warren has a base salary of $870,000 this season. That is the entire week’s worth of pay for Warren. The NFL has a system to lower those fines for guys like Warren, but it remains a hefty fine for a play that was not penalized on the field.

During the preseason, Steelers linebacker Kwon Alexander was fined $43,709 for lowering his helmet against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Chase Edmunds in a preseason game, but he appealed the fine and it was rescinded. Last year, the Steelers were the most fined team in the NFL. They continue to be well on that trend with the fines they racked against the Browns.

One notable of those fines is safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. He did not get fined for hitting Nick Chubb in the knee, causing Chubb to suffer a season-ending injury in his left knee. Called by many as dirty, the league seems to have determined that the hit was completely clean. Multiple Browns players over the week came to the defense of Fitzpatrick, including star edge rusher Myles Garrett and safety Grant Delpit.