Gabe Jacas now has a very expensive lesson on his hands. The NFL has fined the New England Patriots rookie for his late hit on Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams during their Week 7 matchup on Oct. 22, which the Bears eventually won 30-24.
The fine came out in the NFL’s Week 7 accountability report on Saturday. It covers a second-quarter play from Thursday Night Football, when Jacas hit Williams well after the ball was gone.
That means Jacas paid for it twice. The officials threw a flag for roughing the passer in real time, and the league’s review decided the hit also deserved a fine of $8,744.
It happened with 2:21 left in the first half and the Bears leading 13-7. Williams found rookie receiver Luther Burden III for 22 yards, and the 15-yard flag moved Chicago to the Patriots’ 33.
Five plays later, Williams hit Burden again for a 24-yard touchdown, and the Bears led 20-7, with Cairo Santos getting the extra point. Chicago went on to win 30-24. Williams finished 22 of 33 for 308 yards and two touchdowns, and he was sacked three times. But both quarterbacks walked away unharmed.
It was not a close call, either. Rate the Refs graded the flag as correct and called it the most impactful one of the night. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel did not argue with the call. Asked about it days later, he said he was not mad at the officials, and then he made his feelings clear.
“That’s the latest roughing the passer penalty I’ve ever seen. It was like five steps.”
Vrabel said the bigger issue was precision, and that his team has to be sharper in every area. Columnist Karen Guregian was just as blunt in her review of the game.
“Jacas crashed into Williams well after he delivered the football.”
The fine could have been bigger. The maximum for a first-time roughing offense is $17,911, so Jacas paid about half. A second offense can reach $23,882. The fine still stings, since Jacas is on his rookie contract after being selected 55th overall this year.
It was a bad spot for Williams to take another shot. He missed three games with a Grade 2 hamstring injury suffered during the Minnesota game, and the Bears went 2-1 with Tyson Bagent and Case Keenum.
Jacas’ hit was at least the third roughing-the-passer penalty on a hit on Williams this season, after the Panthers in Week 1 and the Falcons in Week 6. The Falcons flag came on a hit from LeCale London, a former Bears defensive tackle, who didn’t get any fine.
The same Week 7 accountability report also hit the other side. The NFL fined Bears cornerback Clark Phillips III $11,550 for a helmet hit on Drake Maye in the second quarter of that game. Maye was hit six times that night.
But can Chicago keep its franchise quarterback upright?
Bears fans are not the only ones watching Jacas closely. His own team has seen this problem before.
Gabe Jacas Has Heard This Lesson Before
This was not Jacas’ first costly flag. In the preseason against the Eagles, a roughing call erased a Patriots interception. Vrabel was not shy about his assessment after that game.
“I think [he’s] just still inconsistent. I think that the effort is certainly there. The willingness. He is a very coachable player. We are just putting a lot on him right now as far as special teams, covering kicks, and playing on kick return.”
Jacas took it in stride. He said coaches told him that is just how the league is, and he knew what he needed to fix.
“So it’s a learning lesson for me, but, you know, just got to be careful after he throws the ball.”
The good news is that the rest of his night against Chicago looked strong. Jacas had five pressures, one of which led to a sack, and had 22 pass-rush snaps.
He is a 22-year-old out of Illinois, drafted 55th overall in 2026. A knee procedure after the draft and a late contract kept him limited until August.
His pass rush matters, because the Patriots had 17 sacks through seven games. They also use him on special teams, including punt protection and kick coverage.
For a rookie with this much pass-rush talent, the next step is simple. Pull up once the ball is out. That lesson should finally stick.