NFL lets Deshaun Watson slide but takes low-paid Steelers player's entire paycheck

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1970-01-01 08:00

The NFL handed out several fines from this past Monday night's matchup between the Browns and Steelers.

The NFL issued several fines from this past Monday night's Week 2 rivalry matchup between the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday, including three to Deshaun Watson.

Given Watson's hefty salary, however, the fines essentially mean nothing.

But that's not the case for the Steelers' Jaylen Warren. Not only did the second-year running back incur the largest fine from Monday's game, he lost his entire paycheck for the week.

Browns QB Deshaun Watson's wallet didn't take a big hit, but Steelers RB Jaylen Warren's certainly did

As mentioned in the intro, Deshaun Watson was hit with three separate fines stemming from the Browns' 26-22 loss this past Monday night.

The three-time Pro Bowler was flagged twice for unnecessary roughness, both of which involved him grabbing the facemask of a Pittsburgh player, penalties for which he was fined $10,927 each.

Watson was also fined $13,659 for unsportsmanlike conduct stemming from a gun-themed celebration following Pierre Strong Jr.'s third-quarter touchdown. Browns tight end David Njoku was fined an equal amount.

In total, Watson is losing $35,513. But while that's a lot of money to the average person, the amount really doesn't affect a guy with a $230 million guaranteed contract.

On the flip side, however, you've got Steelers rookie running back Jaylen Warren, who was hit with a $48,333 fine for illegal use of his helmet at the end of his 30-yard reception early in the second quarter.

What that means for Warren is that he essentially played the game for free.

Warren is in the second year of the three-year/$2.572 million he signed with the Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2022. His base salary for this 2023 campaign is $870,000, which means he gets a weekly game check for $48,333.33 -- before taxes, of course.

So, again, this fine affects Warren's bank account a lot more than Watson's affects his. And it's even more interesting that Warren's infraction wasn't even flagged during the game. But he'll certainly know better than to lower his head next time, won't he?