NFL hits Antoine Winfield Jr. with news he doesn’t want to hear ahead of Bucs’ key Week 4 matchup vs. Eagles

Deion Jones received some bad news, too.

Evan Winter — NFL Managing Editor
Add as preferred source on Google
Sep 7, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (31) reacts after a play against the Atlanta Falcons during the fourth quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Antoine Winfield Jr.’s wallet is a bit lighter after the NFL fined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ star safety for a “blow to the head/neck” on New York Jets quarterback Tyrod Taylor in Week 3.

The league docked Winfield Jr. $17,389 for the hit. Per the NFL’s Gameday Accountability log, it happened at 11:42 in the first quarter of last week’s game. Taylor hit wide receiver Garrett Wilson for an eight-yard gain on third and 5 when Winfield Jr. came flying in on a safety blitz and leveled the Jets QB.

It wasn’t flagged, but the Jets obviously got the first down and eventually kicked a field goal to score the game’s first points and go up by three points.

Deion Jones also gets hit with a fine

Winfield Jr. wasn’t the only defender to lose a chunk of change. Veteran linebacker Deion Jones will have to pay the NFL $6,972 for a facemask he committed at 5:50 in the second quarter.

Like Winfield Jr., Jones wasn’t flagged, and he was lucky the refs didn’t see him literally rip off Jets linebacker Marcelino McCrary-Ball’s helmet on a punt return. The Bucs were up by four points at the time, so it wasn’t a very big lead, and an unnecessary roughness penalty on the punt return would’ve given the Jets an automatic first down, and it could’ve led to more points.

Who knows if that would’ve made a big difference in one of the year’s wildest games, but I can promise you the Bucs wouldn’t want to find out.

Charlie Heck is the only other Bucs player to get fined, so far, after he accrued an $8,722 charge for a leg whip in Week 2. In other words, the Bucs have been one of the league’s better-behaved teams through three weeks.

Related Articles