Vikings S Harrison Smith given news he didn’t want to hear after potentially playing his final NFL game

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.