NFL Fines Vrabel, Sirianni and Glenn $250,000 Each, With Payment on Hold, Sports Illustrated Reports

The NFL has fined three head coaches $250,000 each for their conduct toward game officials. Whether any of them pays a dime is another matter.

Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer reported the fines Wednesday as owners gathered for the league's meetings in New York City. The coaches are Mike Vrabel of the New England Patriots, Nick Sirianni of the Philadelphia Eagles and Aaron Glenn of the New York Jets. ESPN separately confirmed Sirianni's fine through a source.

Breer also reported that the fines are "in abeyance, meaning they'd be on hold, and could be repealed with good behavior." The league has not publicly spelled out the terms. That leaves open how long the probation runs and what a violation looks like.

What each coach did

The NFL has not identified the specific conduct behind any of the three fines. All three coaches, though, have had visible run-ins with officials this season.

Vrabel was flagged for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the Patriots' 29-26 win over the Buffalo Bills in Week 4. He had left the coaching box to confront an official over a defensive holding call against cornerback Marcus Jones. Referee Bill Vinovich said Vrabel was flagged for profanity.

Vrabel's version: "I told him it was a terrible, I'm not going to say effing, call. I've said that 87 times since I've been a head coach. It was nothing derogatory. You'd have to ask him. I think he was a little sensitive."

Glenn was shown on video in a heated exchange with an officiating crew during the Jets' win over the Browns. He has not drawn a flag this season.

Sirianni has had repeated sideline blowups, including one after Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was called for intentional grounding.

Sirianni was asked about the fine Thursday and declined to discuss it. "I won't get into my conversations with the league," he said. He added that he is trying to "get better as a human being, as a Christian, as a father, as a husband, as a son on a daily basis," and that "we all fall." The Eagles are on the first four-game losing streak of his six years in Philadelphia.

The league's message

Troy Vincent, the NFL's executive vice president of football operations, told reporters at the owners meetings that sportsmanship was a discussion item. "We've got to hold the line in that area," Vincent said.

The fines follow discipline of the officials themselves. Referee Adrian Hill was suspended one game for his conduct toward Minnesota Vikings linebacker Eric Wilson, after Wilson was pushed into Hill and the referee fell. Wilson later said he apologized and called the exchange "funny, honestly." Line judge Jeff Seeman was also disciplined after apparently cursing at Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride; reports differ on whether he was fined or suspended.

Real money or a warning shot

If the fines were ever collected, they would rank among the largest the league has handed a coach. A CBS Sports tally puts Bill Belichick's $500,000 Spygate penalty in 2007 at the top, followed by $100,000 fines for the Giants' Brian Daboll (concussion protocol violation, 2025) and the Steelers' Mike Tomlin (interfering with a kickoff return).

NBC Sports called the discipline possibly "more performative than substantive." Its commentary said the amounts were "borderline cartoonish" next to Belichick's $50,000 fine in 2012 for grabbing a replacement official's arm. It also noted 49ers owner Jed York drew a $500,000 fine plus a six-game suspension after a prostitution-related arrest. NBC Sports described the move as "an olive branch" to the NFL Referees Association after the two officials were punished.

The push for official accountability has other backers. Former NFL quarterback Sean Salisbury told OutKick that officials should answer questions right after games, be held accountable for obvious mistakes and stop escalating confrontations with players.

The coaches' side of the argument is simple: they work in a high-stakes, emotional job, and Vrabel says he has used the same language 87 times as a head coach. The league has not explained why these three were singled out.

What comes next

The fines are a standing threat for the rest of the season. If Vrabel, Sirianni or Glenn runs afoul of officials again, the $250,000 could come due. Without published terms, the league alone decides what that means.