It took no petty celebration gestures or taunting. Four of the Jacksonville Jaguars starters got over $ 39k in fines for simply playing old-school, physical football.
NFL fined Jaguars’ Arik Armstead, Antonio Jones, Nate Boerkircher, and Robert Hainsey for several plays made during their Week 3 matchup vs. the New England Patriots.
Four Jaguars Starters Receive About $39k in Fines for Patriots Game
According to Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union, all four of them received fines in the NFL’s latest disciplinary sweep.
TE Nate Boerkircher (low-block penalty): $8,625
DL Arik Armstead (facemask): $11,941
C Robert Hainsey (low-block): $6,750
S Antonio Johnson (roughness – penalty for punching at the football): $12,537
Johnson took the heaviest hit of the bunch. Late in the third quarter, Rhamondre Stevenson was already wrapped up in a pile when Johnson came flying out of the secondary. Instead of a standard strip-attempt, he threw a full-force, closed-fist right hook directly into the scrum. Strip-attempts are standard procedure. Throwing haymakers inside a pile gets your paycheck gouged.
Armstead wasn’t far behind. On a third-down pass rush, he beat his man inside and reached for the QB, hooking his fingers straight into the lower bars of the helmet cage and twisting him to the turf. Accidental or not, grabbing the grill on a passer triggers an automatic five-figure tab every single time.
Boerkircher’s fine hits a lot harder on a rookie deal. On a second-half run play, he swept across the formation and targeted a defensive tackle who was already locked up high with a Jaguars guard—diving straight at his knees. The league enforces high-low chop blocks religiously, making this an easy call for Park Avenue.
Hainsey rounded out the $39K bill with a classic open-field violation. Pulling out on a perimeter run, he launched a cut-block straight into the shins of an oncoming linebacker. The rules lock cut-blocks inside the interior trench at the snap; taking out legs in space is a guaranteed flag and a fast ticket to a fine envelope.
Patriots Aren’t Too Far Behind Either in the Total Fines
Yet, as costly as Jacksonville’s old-school tactics were, they weren’t the only ones paying the price. Across the field, New England took an even heavier beating, where receiver Mack Hollins turned a single third-down rep into a masterclass in double-dipping.
Catching a nine-yard pass with 13 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Hollins first lowered his helmet straight into safety Eric Murray. Before the dust could even settle, he stood over Murray, pointed down, and hit him with a “too small” gesture.
On-field officials flagged the taunt, moving New England back 15 yards and turning a manageable fourth-and-1 into a fourth-and-16.
But the league wasn’t done.
Upon film review, the league slapped Hollins with a double penalty: $11,941 for the taunt and an eye-watering $22,500 for the helmet crown, according to PFT. Two fines on the same play.
One snap, two infractions, and a $34,441 dent in his paycheck—proving that whether you’re playing dirty in the mud or running your mouth after the whistle, the NFL’s always watching.
NFL Docks Four Jaguars Starters With $39K in Fines Following Week 3 Patriots Game