NFL charged players over $12M in fines in 2024, including 27 fines for 'obscene gestures'

The NFL fined its players a total of $12,434,762 in 2024, during a season filled with finger guns, crotch-grabs, and at least one “Make America Great Again” hat.

The NFL openly posts its game-day accountability numbers, listing a week-by-week summary of all enforcement against the players.

For example, the last week of the season (week 18) saw a total of 2,587 plays, resulting in 24 fines, a rate of 0.93%.

The final week was below average, however, likely due to a lack of intensity with teams who had already secured a playoff spot. For the entire season, a total of 43,866 plays drew 508 fines, or 1.16%.

Among the $12 million in fines were several high-profile incidents, including one involving San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa, who wore a white and gold “MAGA” hat for a brief second during a postgame interview his teammates were conducting.

Bosa was fined $11,255 by the NFL over the political message, reportedly violating league rules.

Superstar Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was fined over $14,000 for pointing his finger like a gun after throwing a touchdown pass in November. This, despite CBS immediately using it as a highlight before going to commercial.

Mahomes was just one of several players who were hit with finger-gun-related fines; five players were docked pay for such gestures in just the first four weeks of the season alone.

Mahomes’ fine was considered unsportsmanlike conduct and was one of 37 total fines the NFL handed down for unsportsmanlike conduct in 2024.

Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown was fined $5,481 by the NFL for unsportsmanlike conduct in a bizarre incident with a long history. Brown was fined for jumping into a giant red kettle, a novelty Christmas decoration from the Salvation Army.

The league has flip-flopped for years on this celebration, which Brown described as “bait” for players to get fined since the kettles are placed around the end zones.

Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images

In September, New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr was hit with a $14,069 fine for a crotch-grab celebration in the end zone.

Other players like Seattle Seahawks safety Coby Bryant drew similar crotch-grab-related fines. The celebration was an homage to former Seahawks great Marshawn Lynch.

The NFL punished players 27 times for these “obscene gestures,” totaling $305,174 in fines.

There were also 44 fines for taunting, 38 fines for striking/kicking/kneeing, and two fines for celebrations.

Fines for “conduct detrimental to the league” typically resulted in larger sum, with many incidents worth over $500,000; there were 13 fines total in this category.

The largest fine of the year by far was given to Houston Texans defensive tackle Denico Autry, who, in July, was suspended for six games and fined $2,176,470 for performance-enhancing drugs. This was one of six PED fines by the league in the 2024 season, totaling $2,853,343.

The league total for fines, overall, amounted to more than the average salary of any position in the NFL, the highest being for left tackle at $8,952,680 (2023).

Accusations about the NFL being no fun will have to wait, however. The league fined players more than $7 million less than it did in 2023, which saw $19,138,601 in fines, according to Spotrac.

Previous fine totals in other years: