Not only did the Minnesota Vikings lose brutally to end their season against the Los Angeles Rams, safety Harrison Smith received a fine from the National Football League of $45,020 for unnecessary roughness.

The reason why the fine was for so much is due to the use of his helmet. The play occurred with 4:47 left in the first quarter and was the only fine that the Vikings received on the day.

The amount of $45,020 is a lot of money for an unnecessary roughness fine, especially one that wasn’t called on the field. However, there are two factors at play here:

• The NFL is trying to remove the use of the helmet in the game
• This isn’t Smith’s first offense

Smith was fined for the sam offense in week three of the 2023 season against the Los Angeles Chargers for a total of $21,855. Year over year, that first offense fine has gone up to $22,511, but the second offense essentially doubled that amount.

It’s a brutal fine to be levied on any player, but especially so for Smith. It could have been Smith’s last game in the NFL with retirement a real possibility for him after 13 seasons with the Vikings.

Smith does have the ability to appeal the fine if he so chooses.