10 Most Expensive Fines for Celebrations in NFL History
A touchdown usually feels like the big exhale after a sprint, with a roar from the crowd, excitement, and spirited celebrations. The NFL has long allowed the theatrics, but the line between celebration and fines has never been sharper. What happens when a moment meant for joy turns into a five-figure penalty slip? The numbers will surprise you, and you’ll see how these celebrations became cautionary tales.
Chad Johnson’s $30K Sombrero Show
Image via Wikimedia Commons/Keith Allison
Before fines became social-media fodder, Chad Johnson, better known as Ocho Cinco, turned touchdown celebrations into performance art. The man once pulled out a sombrero and poncho after scoring and earned a $30K fine that proved humor isn’t free in the NFL.
Jimmy Graham’s Goalpost Dunk Disaster
Jimmy Graham found out the hard way that physics and the rulebook don’t mix. In 2014, after scoring two preseason touchdowns, he slammed the ball over the goalpost and was fined $30,000 for violating the league’s new “no goalpost dunk” rule, a rule inspired by his own infamous bent-goalpost celebration the year before. Graham became the accidental poster child for excessive enthusiasm.
Joe Horn’s Cellphone Call
New Orleans Saints wide receiver Joe Horn pulled off one of the most memorable and expensive celebrations ever in 2003. After scoring, he reached into the goalpost padding and pulled out a hidden cellphone, pretending to call someone mid-touchdown. The stunt went viral long before TikTok existed and cost him $30K. Horn later said he just wanted to make his kids laugh.
Antonio Brown’s “Hip Thrust” Chronicles
Antonio Brown’s celebrations were as famous as his routes. In 2016, he was fined $24,309 for hip thrusts. The league labeled it “indecently suggestive,” which only made fans talk about it more. Brown shrugged it off, calling the fine “a write-off.” Love him or not, he made the end zone feel like a stage.
Jarvis Landry’s Two-for-One Fine
Miami Dolphins receiver Jarvis Landry learned that enthusiasm has its limits and comes with a price tag of $48,618. In 2016, he celebrated a touchdown with both an inappropriate gesture and a helmet slam, and was fined $24,309 for each incident. Landry later said it was pure adrenaline. The NFL called it “unsportsmanlike conduct.”
Jameson Williams’ Marshawn Lynch Tribute
Detroit Lions receiver Jameson Williams found himself in hot water after a touchdown tribute to his idol, Marshawn Lynch. During a game against Jacksonville, Williams executed a backward dive into the end zone, complete with Lynch’s famous groin grab. The gesture earned him a $19,697 fine for “unsportsmanlike conduct.” Williams said it was meant as a sign of respect, not rebellion, but the league stood firm.
Marshawn Lynch’s $20K Gesture
Marshawn Lynch and his celebrations carried that same fearless energy. During the 2014 NFC Championship Game, he scored and grabbed his crotch, an echo of his earlier “BeastQuake” glory days. The league fined him $20K, calling it obscene. Lynch didn’t care. The gesture became a meme, and his “I’m just here so I won’t get fined” press-conference line turned prophetic.
Davante Adams and the “Unlucky 16”
During the 2016 crackdown on celebrations, Green Bay Packers receiver Davante Adams joined 15 other players in getting fined $12,154 each for end-zone theatrics. That season became infamous for the league’s overcorrection. Fans called it the “No Fun League” era, and Adams’ penalty was one of many that highlighted how inconsistent and excessive the enforcement had become.
Josh Allen and the Finger Guns
Image via Wikimedia Commons/All-Pro Reels
In 2025, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen found himself on the wrong side of a “violent gesture” fine. After scoring against the Chiefs, he exchanged finger-gun gestures with teammate Elijah Moore. The league saw “violence”; fans saw harmless excitement. The penalty was $14,491, but for Allen, it barely dented his paycheck.
Von Miller’s Dance Move
Von Miller, one of the NFL’s most animated defenders, got fined $11,567 in 2015 for what officials described as a “Ravishing Rick Rude-style pelvic thrust twirl.” He laughed it off, but fans remembered it as peak Von. The move didn’t slow his career; by 2017, he was one of the league’s top-paid stars.