Texans LB Azeez Al-Shaair Quietly Fined for Another Big Hit

The NFL has fined Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair for one of his tackles in Week 9's game against the Denver Broncos.

According to NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero, the NFL fined Al-Shaair $17,389 for unnecessary roughness during a tackle on J.K. Dobbins.

The NFL fined Texans LB Azeez Al-Shaair $17,389 for unnecessary roughness (hit on a defenseless player) last week.

It’s the second fine this season for Al-Shaair, who was suspended three games last season for repeat violations of safety rules. No flag was thrown on this play. pic.twitter.com/8WocM94HZa
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 8, 2025

The play happened with less than five minutes left in the fourth-quarter of Houston's matchup vs. the Broncos, and a flag was not thrown on the field.

It's Al-Shaair's second time having to deal with a fine from the league office throughout the course of season.

The first instance came during Week 4 in the Texans' 26-0 shutout win over the Tennessee Titans, when the Houston linebacker had a helmet-to-helmet hit on quarterback Cam Ward. Now, he can add on further to his tally, and makes for his ninth fine throughout his NFL career.

Texans' Al-Shaair Fined $17K for Hit vs. Broncos

Sep 21, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (0) celebrates a play in the second quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images | Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

Al-Shaair, who's in his eighth season of being in the NFL, has faced his fair share of criticism and discipline from the league, especially since his time in Houston, for his intense, hard-hitting style of play as a defender.

That criticism hit its peak in the 2024 season during their second matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars, when Al-Shaair had a helmet hit on quarterback Trevor Lawrence that caused a concussion that effectively ended the Jaguars' signal caller's season, and for the Texans' linebacker, led to a three-game suspension from the league.

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This hit, clearly, isn't of those same heavy proportions that kept him off the field for multiple weeks. But, as a repeat offender in the NFL's eyes for those same types of hits, he catches a $17,000 bill from the league office for his tackle against Denver, even though it wasn't flagged at the time from officials on the field.

Al-Shaair has remained a focal point and a noteworthy team captain of the Texans' defense and front seven throughout the course of this season. In the eight games he's played so far, he has 51 total tackles, five passes defended, one tackle for loss, and a forced fumble.

His hit from last week won't cause any sort of suspension for this week against the Jaguars, but if the fines keep adding up across the second half of the season, those suspension talks could heat up if Al-Shaair gets called for one too many hits that cross the bounds of what the NFL deems acceptable.

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