Broncos OLB Jonathon Cooper Fined by NFL for Hit on Jameis Winston

The NFL just pinched the Denver Broncos' veteran linebacker.

Dec 2, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos linebacker Jonathon Cooper (0) celebrates a defensive touchdown scored by linebacker Nik Bonitto (15) (not pictured) in the second quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Empower Field at Mile High. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

On the heels of the Denver Broncos' Week 13 win over the Cleveland Browns, the NFL has levied a fine on rush linebacker Jonathon Cooper for a hit on Jameis Winston. The play happened early in the fourth quarter when Cooper and fellow Broncos rush linebacker Nik Bonitto shared a sack on Winston.

The Denver Gazette's Chris Tomasson reported on Cooper's fine.

"Broncos outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper was fined $12,668 by the NFL for roughing the passer with a blow to the head/neck area in last Monday's game against Cleveland," Tomasson wrote.

No penalty flag was called, and yet, the NFL is fining Cooper. The league is getting into Cooper's now considerably larger pocketbook because, as Tomasson wrote, the hit on Winston was around the head and neck area.

Sometimes those calls will get missed or the refs will show restraint because of exentuating circumstances of a given play or situation. In this case, Winston was fighting hard not to let Bonitto take him down, and it's possible had Cooper not gotten there when he did, the Browns quarterback could have squirted out of the Broncos' grip.

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So with Winston battling like a ball-carrier, not a quarterback, so to speak, the refs opted to keep the yellow laundry in their belt. Not the NFL, though. The league places a premium on quarterbacks for obvious reasons, and player health, especially relative to concussions and traumatic brain injuries, has taken precedence in recent years.

Cooper is having himself a year opposite of Bonitto. They're both killing it for the Broncos.

Cooper has eight sacks this season, with four games to go. His career high came last year with 8.5, so there's a very good chance he'll eclipse it.

Meanwhile, Bonitto has 11 sacks, ranking second in the NFL behind Cincinnati's Trey Hendrickson (11.5). Bonitto became the first Bronco to reach double-digit sacks in a season since both Von Miller and Bradley Chubb did in 2018.

The Broncos are poised to once again boast a pair of double-digit sack artists in Bonitto and Cooper, even if the latter's bank account is a little lower thanks to the NFL's zealous protection of quarterbacks. But remember, that zealotry cuts both ways.

Broncos fans are happy when the NFL and officials protect Bo Nix from unnecessary shots, especially to the head. It cuts both ways, and when the blade falls on the Broncos' pass-rushing stable, charge it to the game.

Cooper just signed a four-year, $54 million extension last month, with $33 million guaranteed. $12.6K is now chump change to him. The question now is: What kind of money is Bonitto in line for?

2025 will be Bonitto's contract year, so the Broncos will have to figure out how to get him locked up and keep this prolific pass-rushing duo producing on the edge.

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