Buffalo Bills defensive end Landon Jackson now awaits an NFL punishment for tripping Jahmyr Gibbs, and a preseason strike already sits on his record.
The league’s second-offense rate for tripping runs $18,507, and nobody outside the NFL office knows yet whether the second-year pass rusher will be billed as a repeat violator.
The foul came with six seconds left before halftime of Buffalo’s 41-31 Thursday night win over the Detroit Lions on Sept. 17. Jared Goff handed off to Gibbs, who churned 7 yards to the Buffalo 33 before Jackson made the stop, according to EssentiallySports.
Bills’ Landon Jackson Awaits Fine Decision
Officials saw a trip, not a tackle. The flag tacked on 13 yards, though the Bills already held a 27-10 cushion and the clock had all but expired. The on-field cost was minor. The financial one is still pending.
The NFL’s 2026 fine schedule sets the striking, kicking, tripping and kneeing category at $12,537 for a first violation and $18,507 for a second. Neither figure is automatic. League officials must first rule the play fine-worthy, then slot it into a category.
Tripping also falls outside the three-strike system that can trigger suspensions for hip-drop tackles, horse-collars, launching, hits on defenseless players and blindside blocks. Jackson’s exposure is financial. A suspension is not on the table.
The NFL’s officiating department screens every snap from every game and forwards possible violations to Football Operations for a closer look. A flag thrown on the field simply guarantees the play lands on that desk.
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Jackson already owns a line in the league’s discipline ledger. The NFL docked him $8,190 for an unnecessary roughness foul in that same category during the second quarter of Buffalo’s preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers, according to SI.com. Only two players league-wide drew bigger preseason fines.
The league discounts preseason discipline, with no game checks yet on the table. Even so, Cleveland Browns lineman Tytus Howard absorbed $12,537 for an August tripping foul, according to Pro Football Talk.
Any player who contests a fine gets a hearing before an appeals officer selected jointly by the league and the players union, according to Pro Football Talk. This season’s panel includes Derrick Brooks, Jordy Nelson and James Thrash.
Regular-season discipline drops on the Saturday after each week of games. That puts Jackson’s verdict on Sept. 26, one day before Buffalo hosts the Los Angeles Chargers.
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Buffalo drafted Jackson 72nd overall in 2025 out of Arkansas, using a pick acquired from Chicago. He appeared in three games as a rookie before MCL and PCL damage against the Miami Dolphins in Week 10 ended his season.
Jackson piled up 16 sacks across three seasons with the Razorbacks and earned first-team All-SEC honors from the conference’s coaches in 2023. Through two games this fall, he has three tackles and no sacks.
Gibbs knows the league’s accounting office too. The Lions running back was fined $23,027 for lowering his helmet on a Week 1 touchdown against the New Orleans Saints, a play that drew no flag, according to NFL Network‘s Mike Garafolo. That hit stood as the costliest fine of the opening week.
Bills’ Landon Jackson Already Faces Second NFL Punishment of 2026