Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby drew the biggest penalty of the NFL’s Week 5 discipline list on Saturday, October 17: $23,882 for lowering his helmet into an opponent during Las Vegas’ 45-17 loss to New England.
Crosby’s fine headed a week in which the league singled out helmet contact. Six players were fined for use of the helmet, and two of the three largest amounts went to players who were never penalized on the field, a reminder that the league’s review of game film can reach plays officials missed. Every player on the list can appeal.
The #Raiders’ Maxx Crosby was fined $23,882 for use of the helmet on this play that was flagged early in the game against the #Patriots. pic.twitter.com/MMEdUrvBLH
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) October 17, 2026
Helmet contact dominates the list
Crosby’s foul was flagged in the first quarter, on the extra point that followed a Drake Maye touchdown. The two players behind him on the list were not so lucky with the officials’ blind spots:
- Maxx Crosby, Raiders edge rusher: $23,882 (use of the helmet, flagged)
- Jordan Battle, Bengals safety: $21,623 (use of the helmet, no flag, first quarter at Miami)
- James Cook, Bills running back: $21,167 (use of the helmet, no flag, first quarter against the Rams)
- Carson Schwesinger, Browns linebacker: $14,899 (use of the helmet, 4:27 of the second quarter against the Jets)
- Erick All Jr., Bengals tight end: $7,073 (use of the helmet, flagged, first quarter at Miami)
Battle’s collision came on the opening drive in Miami, when he drove receiver Malik Washington out of bounds at the end of an 18-yard catch. Cook, a ball carrier, is a rarer target for this foul, which the league usually enforces against defenders.
#Bills RB James Cook was fined $21,167 for use of the helmet on this play. No flag.
In all, six fines across the league for use of the helmet in Week 5. pic.twitter.com/NPQoJEwnqU
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) October 17, 2026
The rest of the Week 5 fines
- Minkah Fitzpatrick, Jets safety: $17,911 for the hit that knocked Browns receiver KC Concepcion out of the game, plus $11,941 for an earlier facemask
- Bradley Chubb, Bills edge rusher: $14,329 (taunting, in the postgame exchange with Rams tackle Alaric Jackson)
- D.J. Wonnum, Lions defensive end: $12,611 (hip-drop tackle, no flag, second quarter against Arizona)
- Amik Robertson, Commanders cornerback: $12,537 (low block in overtime against the Giants)
- TreVeyon Henderson, Patriots running back: $12,537 (chop block)
- Dorance Armstrong, Commanders linebacker: $11,941 (facemask, first quarter against the Giants)
- Malik Mustapha, 49ers safety: $6,998 (hit on defenseless receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba on Seattle’s final drive, no flag)
- Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Eagles linebacker: $6,428 (fight after the opening kickoff in London)
- Bryan Thomas Jr., Jaguars defensive end: $4,972 (the same fight)
Fitzpatrick’s two fines total $29,852, the most for any single player in Week 5. It is his second straight week on the list: he was docked $17,911 for a hip-drop tackle in Week 4.
The NFL fined Jets safety Minkah Fitzpatrick $17,911 for the hit that knocked out Browns WR KC Concepcion last week, plus another $11,941 for a facemask earlier in the game. pic.twitter.com/sqgPnNuMNM
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 17, 2026
Trotter and Thomas were both ejected before a single offensive snap in London. Chubb’s fine stems from the same postgame scuffle that cost Jackson a game; the tackle’s suspension was cut from two games to one on appeal, and Tom Pelissero reported that the one missed game still takes nearly $1 million out of his pay.
Why the totals matter
Player-safety fines are not a one-off cost. Repeat fouls in the same category escalate in price, and a third fine in one category brings an automatic one-game suspension, which is why the list is read as closely in locker rooms as on payroll sheets. Week 4 produced a season-high 10 safety fines, five of them for hip-drop tackles; Week 5 shifted the emphasis to the crown of the helmet. Fine money goes to charities that support current and former players.
What comes next
Several of the fined players are in action on Sunday, October 18: Crosby’s Raiders face Cook, Chubb and the Bills, and Schwesinger’s Browns play Baltimore. Robertson, Armstrong and Washington visit unbeaten San Francisco on Monday night. The league will review every Week 6 game, and its weekly discipline list usually arrives on the following Saturday.
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