NFL Announces Decision on Baker Mayfield Punishment for Lions Remarks
The Detroit Lions had a bye week in Week 8, and that gave them a week to celebrate their 24-9 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Ford Field on Sunday, October 19. The Week 7 victory was a statement win for the Lions and gave them a strong record of 5-2 going into their week off.
But, the week off also gave people more time to think about some of the things that went down during, and after, the game. NFL games are usually filled with controversy, and that was certainly the case with the the Lions vs. Buccaneers game. Some of the NFL players on the Tampa Bay side weren’t happy with how the refs made calls, and Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield made his thoughts known about it after the game.
“A third down defensive holding call that wasn’t called, and also I’m still pretty damn confused about the double review,” Mayfield said after the game, according to NBC Sports. “A lot of things in that game that were a little questionable.”
He added, “A lot of frustration at the end of that. It might be displaced onto John Hussey in the moment, but I work my… off and I put a lot into this game, so when things I don’t seem are deemed fair, I’m gonna let somebody know.”
Baker Mayfield Gets Final Resolution on Penalty for Detroit Lions Game
The NFL doesn’t like it when players complain about the refs after the game. They often crack down on players and staffers who criticize the officials.
Who can forget when the NFL fined Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes for criticizing the officials following a loss to Bills in 2023? According to the NFL’s official website, “Reid received a $100,000 fine for publicly criticizing the officials, while Mahomes’ $50,000 fine was due to unsportsmanlike conduct for abusive, threatening or insulting language to officials, plus publicly criticizing the referees.”
Every week during the regular NFL season, the league penalizes players for their actions in the previous week’s games. The NFL notes on their website that these actions are “to protect players from unnecessary risk and preserve competitive balance and game integrity, the NFL and NFL Players Association have agreed on a set of game-related rules violations that may result in accountability measures.”
So, Mayfield certainly could have been fined. But, the NFL has made its final decision, and they didn’t fine him.
Detroit Lions Does Get Punished
However, one Lions play did get fined. In the NFL’s report for Week 7, defensive end Tyrus Wheat was given a $5,722 fine for “unnecessary roughness” and “striking/kicking/tripping/kneeing.” Wheat tripped Tampa Bay Buccaneers Mayfield in the pocket while trying to make a pass. In the game, the refs didn’t call it as a foul against the Detroit Lions and instead gave Wheat the sack.
According to the NFL, those fines will go to the Professional Athletes Foundation to “support legends in need and the NFL Foundation to further support the health, safety and wellness of athletes across all levels, including youth football and the communities that support the game.”
The Detroit Lions just ended their NFL bye week, and their next game is against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, November 2. The Minnesota Vikings are in quarterback purgatory right now, which should only help the Lions.
Detroit Lions missing 3 players from practice, but get a handful of others back
ALLEN PARK -- In the first practice open to reporters after the bye week, the Detroit Lions were missing four players but got a handful of others back.
Those back at practice were safety Daniel Thomas, linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez, defensive back Avonte Maddox and running back Sione Vaki. Thomas (forearm) and Rodriguez (knee) had their 21-day return windows opened this week on the road to returning to action. Both defenders remain on injured lists and have the next two-plus weeks of practice to get activated.
Vaki has been out for the last month-plus, but the Lions hope to get him ready to go against the Minnesota Vikings this weekend. Maddox has missed the last two games due to a hamstring injury. His return would boost the nickelback and safety depth.
The Lions also saw the return of safety Brian Branch from his suspension on Tuesday. Cornerback Terrion Arnold was back at practice as expected after returning for one session last week. Arnold has missed two games with his re-aggravated shoulder injury.
They were missing All-Pro safety Kerby Joseph (knee), running back Craig Reynolds (hamstring) and pass rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad (undisclosed). Taylor Decker was not initially spotted by reporters during the open window. But the veteran left tackle was at Tuesday’s practice.
Decker is also expected back at practice to end the week, too. The Lions are off on Wednesday, so they plan to work him back into action after more time to rehab and get ready. Decker was back in the starting lineup before the bye week on Monday night after missing two straight games. At this point, he is no stranger to playing despite limited practice reps.
It’s not clear what’s going on with Muhammad. He wasn’t listed with an injury coming out of the win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so we’ll know more when the team releases the official practice report later this afternoon.
Joseph didn’t play in the game heading into the bye week as the Lions tried to get him and his injured knee extra time to heal. The safety has been dealing with knee issues dating back to training camp, and his missed game against the Bucs was his lone absence of the campaign. Dan Campbell and Joseph were confident the bye week would do the safety a lot of good. Now, it’s just about getting him back on the practice field to see how he feels before Sunday.
The safety has three interceptions through seven games despite the lingering knee injury. Jim O’Neill, the team’s safeties coach and a defensive assistant, credited Joseph for the dedication he’s shown to work through the issue and try to get it right.
“He’s working coaches’ hours because he’s here early in the morning getting treatment,“ O’Neill said. ”He’s in the meeting rooms after getting treatment. He’s doing everything. I know last week he spent the whole week, you know, taking care of himself and doing some things out on his own.
“Just how he’s attacked it professionally, and how he’s helped some of the young guys that have come in, too ... But when he goes, I haven’t seen a drop. I think he’s been the same Kerby that we’re all used to seeing. I’m sure there are a few plays this year that he would like to have back. You know what I mean? But that’s with everybody.”
Reynolds (hamstring) and cornerback D.J. Reed were spotted working to the side with trainers. Reed still has one game left to serve for his minimum stay on injured reserve before he can return to practice.
