As expected, there were plenty of fines handed out following a very ugly, penalty-laden Seattle Seahawks win over the Los Angeles Chargers. Also as expected, most of those fines went Seattle’s way, but there’s one fine that is potentially significant in the long term.
Cornerback Josh Jobe and Chargers wide receiver Tre Harris were each dinged for their offsetting personal foul penalties in the first quarter. It’s just a minor scuffle that sees Jobe fined more than Harris, presumably because the latter
is on a rookie contract and CBA rules don’t allow for a player to be fined more than 10% of their game check for a first-time offense. Jobe’s fine is the standard first offense.
DeMarcus Lawrence was fined $17,911 for his roughing the passer penalty against Justin Herbert. He went below Herbert’s knees, which is an automatic flag even though the hit was borne out of Lawrence being tripped by the Chargers’ keystone cops routine. That’s consecutive weeks of Lawrence losing money due to hitting the quarterback illegally.
But the main story of Seattle’s fines is Nick Emmanwori. His ill-conceived headbutt of Chargers guard Cole Strange, which helped gift the Chargers a short field goal to close the first half, resulted in a $14,648 fine for use of helmet. Emmanwori’s other $14,648 fine was for an uncalled hip-drop tackle on Oronde Gadsden II, which is something to pay closer attention to for the rest of the season.
Why Nick Emmanwori is now closer to a one-game suspension
The NFL has made it a point of emphasis to crack down on several types of personal fouls, implementing a new rule in 2026 that mandates a one-game suspension if there are three offenses committed for any of the following infractions:
-Hip-Drop Tackle
-Horse Collar Tackle
-Launching
-Hit on a Defenseless Player
-Blindside Block
Repeated hip-drop violations resulting in a suspension is not new, as Washington Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu was initially suspended for a game last season before the league rescinded the ban. What has been consistent thus far is NFL officials not flagging hip-drop tackles during the game, while the league office deals with punishment after the fact.
Emmanwori can appeal this fine in hopes of getting his money back and zero strikes on his ledger. Otherwise, two more hip-drop tackle fines without any successful appeal will mean he automatically misses a game.
