NFL players have always found creative ways to celebrate touchdowns, but several stars appeared to take a more cautious approach in Week 3. Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Amon-Ra St. Brown all kept their celebrations relatively simple after being hit with multiple fines the previous week, with the NFL’s crackdown on certain gestures becoming a talking point around the league.
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“Some NFL stars are changing their celebrations after getting hit with surprise fines,” Front Office Sports reported on X. “Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Amon-Ra St. Brown all appeared to adjust their touchdown celebrations Sunday after receiving a combined 10 fines in Week 2.
The Bengals were on the wrong end of a 30-27 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but Chase and Higgins still gave Cincinnati’s offense something to celebrate. Both receivers found the end zone, although their celebrations looked noticeably different from what fans had seen from them earlier in the season.
Chase scored Cincinnati’s first touchdown and immediately broke out a new routine. He tucked his left arm under his right armpit and moved his right hand in a wave-like motion. CBS play-by-play announcer Ian Eagle even pointed out the change, saying, “Touchdown, Cincinnati. And a new celebration for Chase.”
Higgins had an equally impressive touchdown, hauling in a 28-yard pass from Joe Burrow while falling into the end zone. CBS analyst Ross Tucker reacted to the difficult catch by saying, “Are you kidding me? That 6-foot-4 guy just caught that on his b***.”
But after the spectacular grab, Higgins kept things simple. He celebrated with Chase through a brief handshake rather than breaking out one of the more elaborate routines the two have used previously.
Amon-Ra St. Brown appeared to take a similar approach for Detroit. After catching a touchdown, the Lions receiver celebrated with his teammates without repeating the gesture that had landed him in trouble the previous week.
The reason for the caution goes back to Week 2, when the NFL handed out a series of fines for celebrations and gestures.
Chase and Higgins were fined a combined $89,556 after repeating their version of The People’s Elbow, the wrestling move associated with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. According to The Athletic’s Jonathan Jones, the league classified the celebration as an obscene gesture because it could be interpreted as resembling a “phallus”.
Higgins received four fines totaling $59,704, while Chase was fined twice for a combined $29,852.
St. Brown was also fined four times after a celebration in which he pretended to smoke a blunt before appearing to pass it to Jahmyr Gibbs. Gibbs then appeared to pass it to Jameson Williams, with all three players involved in the sequence receiving fines. St. Brown’s four fines totaled $59,704, while Gibbs and Williams were each fined $14,926.
That left several prominent receivers with a reason to think twice before adding anything too elaborate to their next touchdown celebration.
Ja’Marr Chase and other NFL stars push back against the fines
The players weren’t happy about the league’s interpretation of their celebrations. Higgins explained that the intention behind The People’s Elbow was never meant to be explicit.
“I’m a fan of WWE, the People’s Elbow, and we just threw in a first-down celebration with it,” Higgins explained on the Up & Adams Show. “Unfortunately, we did get the letter. Everybody on the internet is making it seem like something that it isn’t.”
Chase was more direct when discussing the fines and said he wanted to appeal them.
“We got fined for the people’s elbow stuff,” Chase said, according to AP’s Jay Morrison. “I would love to appeal it. It’s something we made up, and then everybody else saying what it is. Everybody’s gonna have their own opinion of what it looked like.”
Chase also encouraged players to work with the NFL Players Association to challenge the fines. He brought up San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk, who was fined $29,852 for a celebration in which he pretended to chug a drink. Juszczyk had explained that the gesture was a reference to “Juice,” his nickname.
St. Brown was also among the players interested in challenging the league’s decision. Front Office Sports reported that the NFLPA was in discussions with the league regarding Juszczyk’s fine and that players and the union had not been informed of the stricter approach to certain celebrations beforehand.
For now, the response from Chase, Higgins and St. Brown has been visible on the field. Rather than risk another expensive fine, the receivers have opted for celebrations that leave less room for interpretation.