How much Bears’ Austin Booker was fined for illegal hits on Jordan Love

The NFL has fined Chicago Bears defensive end Austin Booker a total of $11,636 for two illegal hits on Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love during Week 16. The fines, announced on Saturday, resulted from separate incidents in the Bears’ 22-16 overtime victory at Soldier Field.

Booker was penalized for a first-quarter hit in which he landed on Love with his full body weight following a completed pass. This play drew a 15-yard roughing-the-passer penalty and a $5,818 fine. Later in the second quarter, Booker made a helmet-to-helmet hit while sacking Love, knocking the quarterback out of the game with a concussion. This second penalty also cost Booker $5,818. Both fines fall under the NFL’s gameday accountability guidelines.

Love immediately entered concussion protocol following the second hit and remains out. Malik Willis, Love’s backup, stepped in and completed 9-of-11 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown while rushing for an additional 44 yards. Despite Willis’ strong showing, Chicago rallied from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter, with quarterback Caleb Williams leading a game-tying drive and ultimately connecting with DJ Moore for a 46-yard overtime touchdown.

Booker, a fifth-round pick in 2024 out of Kansas, has started eight games this season. He has recorded 29 combined tackles, 3.5 sacks, and a forced fumble, all career highs. The league did not issue a suspension, and the fines are consistent with prior enforcement for similar plays. Booker had previously been fined $5,818 in Week 10 for using his helmet against the New York Giants.

The NFL also fined Bears linebacker D’Marco Jackson $6,111 for a late special-teams hit in the first quarter. However, Green Bay wasn’t off the hook either: the league fined rookie defensive lineman Warren Brinson $4,981 for a facemask on Williams and wide receiver Jayden Reed $10,880 for taunting. Surprisingly, the NFL did not fine Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon even though he committed a late, blind-side hit on Moore. The wide receiver left the field for one play before returning and eventually scoring the walk-off touchdown.

Week 16 was a reminder of how heated the Bears–Packers rivalry can get, especially with several roughing-the-passer calls and fines. Although costly, Booker’s fines reflect the league’s enforcement of rules against head contact and excessive body weight on quarterbacks. It’s another example of the tightrope defenders have to walk when balancing aggressive play without violating the league’s safety rules.

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