Saquon Barkley is at the center of a story involving a heavy sanction from the NFL, which decided to fine the Philadelphia Eagles running back. The reason behind the notable financial penalty has to do with a violent play in the victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.
The 2025 Super Bowl rematch between the Chiefs and the Eagles left significant takeaways, such as Kansas City’s 0-2 start to the season for the first time in 11 years. To achieve that, Philadelphia had to play at the highest level, and in Barkley’s case, that meant being involved in a physical action.
Every Saturday the league publishes its report with fines for players across franchises, mostly for unsportsmanlike conduct and excessive violence. While these sanctions don’t affect performance on the field, they do have a clear financial impact, and Barkley received the most expensive penalty of the week.
NFL fined Barkley
Barkley was handed a hefty fine of $46,371 for unnecessary roughness after using his helmet during a play against the Chiefs, making him the player with the largest deduction from his salary among those penalized by the NFL for actions in Week 2.
As NFL insider Tom Pelissero posted on his X account (formerly Twitter), Barkley’s play is disputed because no flag was thrown for his hit. Along those lines, many Eagles fans voiced their discontent. In this case, the league acts as an entity that penalizes beyond what the referee ruled on the field.
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NFL fined Chiefs’ Travis Kelce
The Super Bowl champions were not the only team with a player fined from last week’s game. In addition to Barkley, the NFL also decided to penalize Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce for unsportsmanlike conduct after making obscene gestures, requiring him to pay $14,491.
