Player discipline is rapidly becoming the NFL’s newest growth business. Fines skyrocketed from 20 in Week 1 to 38 in Week 2, and the intense Chiefs–Colts battle didn’t escape notice. On a crucial third-and-4 in the first quarter, Colts QB Daniel Jones connected with Josh Downs near the goal line. But Chiefs safety Jaden Hicks hit Jones late, drawing an instant roughing-the-passer flag. Two plays later, Indy scored. The real sting came afterward: the league rewatched the tape and slapped Hicks with a heavy fine for hitting the QB.

The fine, reported by Indianapolis Colts reporter James Boyd, is $6,707 for what the league classified as a “blow to the head/neck” involving Jones. Hicks’ actions gave the Colts a fresh set of downs. Two plays later, Jones found tight end Tyler Warren for a 1-yard touchdown that put Indianapolis ahead 7-0.

The NFL fined him after reviewing the play. The league’s 2026 fine schedule puts the first-offense amount for a hit on a quarterback at $17,911, and a repeat violation at $23,882, so Hicks’ fine came in well below that figure.

This penalty is yet another frustrating reminder of the tightrope defenders must walk, striving to play at the highest level while navigating rules heavily skewed toward protecting quarterbacks and fueling offenses. In a league where CTE and concussion risks spark instant panic, any high hit makes fans hold their breath. Take Minnesota’s Kyler Murray in Week 1 against Green Bay. Scrambling late in the first quarter, Murray went into a slide, only to take a punishing hit from Packers safety Javon Bullard and edge rusher Lukas Van Ness.

Murray lay motionless on the turf for several minutes before being ruled out with a concussion that sidelined him for Week 2. Yet, while Bullard drew a 15-yard unnecessary roughness flag, he escaped without a fine. Because Murray slid at the last split-second, the NFL likely deemed the hit unavoidable, though as usual, the league offered no official explanation. Hicks wasn’t as fortunate. Unlike Bullard, Hicks launched at Jones long after the ball had left his hands, leaving no room for leniency.

For Hicks, this wasn’t his first run-in with league discipline. The Week 2 fine marks his second documented offense, following a $5,151 hit for a taunting penalty against Pittsburgh on Christmas Day in 2024. That brings his career fine total to $11,858, a growing tab that proves the NFL’s enforcement office is watching his every move.

Head coach Andy Reid had been talking about penalties before this fine was handed down. After Kansas City’s preseason opener against the Los Angeles Rams in August, he made it clear that his team needed to clean up those mistakes.

“The No. 1 thing we need to clean up,” Reid said, referring to the penalized mistakes.

Hicks finished the game with a career-high ten tackles, including five solo, according to CBS Sports. The third-year safety also remained involved later in the contest, including a tackle on Jones during overtime. That final period eventually ended with Harrison Butker hitting the game-winning field goal as Kansas City escaped with the victory.

Hicks wasn’t the only defender fined for a QB hit that same week. Carolina’s Derrick Brown and Green Bay’s Lukas Van Ness were each fined $17,911 for similar violations, while Houston’s Mario Edwards drew an $8,263 penalty and the Los Angeles Rams’ Tyler Davis was fined $6,225, placing Hicks’ fine near the bottom of that particular group rather than as an outlier on its own.

Yet, what blew open the entire conversation wasn’t Hicks’ fine in isolation; it was how his penalty for a high hit on a starting quarterback stacked up against an incident in the very same game. Just a few plays after Hicks’ flag, Colts right guard Matt Goncalves found himself hit with an even heftier $8,847 fine for a completely non-contact act.

“The fact that Colts RG Matt Goncalves was fined $8,847 for pretending to chug a beer — which is $2,140 MORE than Hicks — is CRAZY,” Boyd wrote on X.

Why Goncalves’ Celebration Became Part of the Conversation

Goncalves’ fine came after Warren’s first-quarter touchdown, which was set up by Jones’ completion on the opening drive. Warren handed the football to the offensive lineman, who briefly acted as if he were opening a can and drinking from it.

“Your imitation of chugging a beer constituted an offensive demonstration and could reasonably be construed as being in poor taste,” the NFL wrote.

“It’s disappointing. What are you gonna do? We’re all celebrating out there, having a good time. I’d like to think it’s an ice-cold Coca-Cola,” Goncalves said.

His teammates also joined the conversation. Tight end Mo Alie-Cox joked on X, “It was a soda,” while running back Jonathan Taylor added, “It was a fresh league-sponsored Pepsi.”

Their reactions turned Goncalves’ fine into a talking point beyond Indianapolis, especially because the NFL has commercial ties with the beer industry while simultaneously penalizing players for celebrations that imitate drinking.

The incident also connects to a separate fine issued to San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk for a similar celebration against the Miami Dolphins. Juszczyk was fined $14,926 after pretending to chug a beverage following his touchdown, and he said afterward, “And I don’t even drink beer.” He has said he plans to appeal that fine.

With the punishment now settled, Hicks will turn his attention back to the field as the Chiefs prepare for their next game against the Miami Dolphins. Kansas City will look to build on its 2-0 start, while Hicks will have another chance to make an impact in a secondary that has already leaned heavily on him early in the season.