Jaycee Horn fined by NFL for taunting that wasn't even flagged vs. Cardinals

Panthers star cornerback Jaycee Horn takes a sizable hit to his wallet for a taunt that the officials didn't even bother penalizing.

Aug 21, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn (8) talks with Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Connor Heyward (83) after the second half at Bank of America Stadium. | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

You've got to hand it to the NFL, they know how to make money. As if the billions they bring in on TV deals weren't enough, on top of millions in ticket sales and merchandise, the league manages to make another nice chunk of change at the expense of its own players every year in the form of fines.

Some fines are necessary - you don't want to encourage helmet-to-helmet hits and other personal fouls that can seriously hurt another player. However, the league office's penchant for fining players for taunting is about as cheap as it gets.

You can bet Carolina Panthers star cornerback Jaycee Horn is feeling the sting of it right now. According to Joe Person at The Athletic, the league has fined Horn over $11,000 for taunting in last week's game against the Arizona Cardinals that wasnt' even flagged. Inside linebacker Claudin Cherelus also drew a smaller fine that wasn't flagged.

NFL fines Jaycee Horn, Claudin Cherelus

Panthers CB Jaycee Horn fined $11,593 for taunting in the second quarter of last week's loss at Arizona.
Special teams ace Claudin Cherelus fined $5,722 for a blindside block on a kickoff return in 3Q.
Neither player was penalized.

— Joe Person (@josephperson) September 20, 2025

This is part of the new emphasis the league has put on cracking down on "taunting" this season, which apparently wasn't already big-brotherly enough.

The Panthers fell behind the Cardinals 27-3 and rallied late, but Bryce Young's final drive fell short and they wound up losing 27-22. That makes today's home opener against the Atlanta Falconsa must-win game, but the sad truth is it may already be too late. According to at least one model, Carolina's odds of making the playoffs are already lower than 1 percent.

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