$200 million worth Aaron Rodgers’ fined $11,255 for ‘ugly’ late hit on Bills player
Aaron Rodgers has to pay a fine worth $11,255 because he pushed Bills' Christian Benford after he intercepted his pass in week 17 loss.
Follow Us
Aaron Rodgers fined (Image via IMAGO)
Quarterbacks rarely pick up fines for unnecessary roughness. Usually, it’s the other way around, but in Aaron Rodgers’ situation, the veteran quarterback not only committed a roughness penalty but the league deemed it bad enough to warrant a fine of more than eleven thousand dollars.
Rodgers experienced one of the worst outings of his two-decade-long career in the week 17 defeat against the Buffalo Bills. The 41-year-old found himself 30+ points behind in the third quarter and removed himself from the game before the final whistle.
Rodgers’ day was so bad- he threw multiple picks and after the second interception, the 4x NFL MVP committed a roughing penalty. The Bills CB Christian Benford received Rodgers’ wayward pass and carried the ball a few yards before going out of bounds.
Rodgers, who recovered from a torn ACL only seven months ago, chased Benford down and pushed him in the Bills dugout. The referee threw a penalty flag for unnecessary roughness and a late hit.
The NFL fined #Jets QB Aaron Rodgers $11,255 for unnecessary roughness — a late hit out of bounds after throwing an interception last week.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 4, 2025
pic.twitter.com/qtjwbcnn4I
Despite the best efforts of Tyrod Taylor, the Jets suffered a blowout 40-14 loss against their divisional rivals. Rodgers completed 12 of 18 tries for 112 yards and 2 picks while Taylor threw 11 completions from 14 for 83 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Reporters later asked the Super Bowl winner about the late hit on Benford.
I don’t think I pushed him very hard. I was just chasing down the play.
Aaron Rodgers replied.
"I don't think I pushed him very hard. I was just chasing down the play."
— Jets Videos (@snyjets) December 29, 2024
Aaron Rodgers was asked if his unnecessary roughness call was out of frustration: pic.twitter.com/NyIJv3On54
Aaron Rodgers can easily pay the roughness fine
Paying $11,255 won’t be much of a problem for Aaron Rodgers who earns $3.1 million each month from his restructured $37.5 million deal with the New York Jets which he signed before the 2023 season. Moreover, his contract guaranteed him $75 million at the time of signing.
Rodgers in reality signed a five-year deal, but the last two years are void, and the bonus money is spread over a 7-year span. Moreover, he will collectively earn around $85 million in 2025 and 2026.
Over the years, Rodgers penned several multi-million dollar deals while playing for the Green Bay Packers. He signed his first major paycheck in 2009 worth $63.3 million for six years before the Packers upgraded the deal in 2013 (two years after winning the Super Bowl in Dallas), worth $110 million over 5 years. The Packers further increased his wages in 2018, signing a four-year $134 million contract, and finally, in 2022 Rodgers bagged a three-year, $150.8 million deal before leaving for the Jets a year later.
Aaron Rodgers’ first year in New York ended after an early ACL tear. The following season he started 16 games but lost 12 of them. However, the Super Bowl MVP still completed 345 passes (63% completion rate), 24 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions.
Stay Updated!
Ishan Misra
(3155 Articles Published)