Updated January 18, 2026
The NFL has once again drawn a hard line when it comes to protecting quarterbacks — and this time, the message landed squarely on Chicago Bears defensive end Austin Booker.
The league fined Booker $46,371 for unnecessary roughness after he lowered his helmet during a hit on Jordan Love in the second quarter of last weekend’s Wild Card matchup between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears.
According to the NFL’s Office of Gameday Accountability, it was the largest retroactive fine issued to any player during the opening weekend of the playoffs, underscoring the seriousness with which the league viewed the hit.
A Pattern the League Couldn’t Ignore
The severity of the punishment was not accidental.
Another perfectly clean, legal, normal football play from Austin Booker on Jordan Love.
Why are Packers fans so soft, saying this dirty?? Do they wish it was flag football?
pic.twitter.com/8dmuvRlvKw— Tony (@jaycTony) January 11, 2026
Booker has now been fined three times this season for illegal hits on Love, including two separate infractions during the Week 16 matchup at Soldier Field. One of those hits resulted in a concussion that forced Love out of the game late in the first half and sidelined him for the remainder of the regular season.
Those two earlier penalties totaled $11,636 — modest compared to this latest fine — but they established a pattern the league clearly took into account.
Speaking previously with the Chicago Tribune, Booker accepted responsibility for one of those hits but disputed the other.
“The first one I’ll take full responsibility for,” Booker said. “But the second one could definitely go both ways.”
A Season — and Playoff Picture — Altered
Love’s Week 16 injury had ripple effects far beyond one game.
The Bears erased a late fourth-quarter deficit and won in overtime, a result that helped swing the NFC North race. Green Bay ultimately missed out on the division crown, setting up a road playoff matchup — once again — against Chicago.
Even in the Wild Card loss, Love showed no lingering effects, throwing for 323 yards and four touchdowns despite missing more than two weeks of action leading up to the game.
Still, the broader impact of Booker’s hits remains undeniable.
Jordan Love Breaks His Silence
After the league announced the fine, Love addressed the situation calmly but firmly.
“I’m not here to point fingers,” Love said. “Football is a physical game, and I understand that. But there’s a responsibility we all have to protect each other — especially when it comes to head and neck hits.”
Love added that his focus remains on recovery and leadership, not retaliation.
“What matters to me is being available for my teammates and moving forward the right way. I trust the league to handle what it needs to handle.”
Bigger Than One Fine
While the Packers’ playoff run is over, the consequences of those hits continue to shape conversations around player safety, accountability, and postseason fairness.
Booker’s actions — and the NFL’s response — altered the fabric of Green Bay’s season and forced the league to reinforce a clear standard.
For Jordan Love, the response was measured.
For the NFL, the message was unmistakable.
Some hits don’t just change games.
They change everything that follows.
