Anyone in the New York Giants organization will tell you things haven’t gone according to plan this season. After falling to the New England Patriots, 33-15, the Giants learned that tight end Theo Johnson had been met with a fine.
Johnson’s fine isn’t nearly as bad as some of the other players in the league, but there’s nothing funny about losing $6,488.
New York Giants TE Theo Johnson Fined for Defending QB Jaxson Dart
Looking at Dart’s injury history, it comes as no surprise that Johnson was going to stand up for his quarterback.
Some would argue that Dart did it to himself as he tried to fight for an extra yard or two, but NFL fans aren’t used to seeing QBs take hits like that anymore. Johnson took exception to the hit, and rightfully so, but now has to pay the price.
Tom Pelissero notes, “Elliss wasn’t flagged or fined for the hit, which was deemed legal.”
Whether it was legal or not, Giants fans aren’t too pleased that Johnson is the one who left the scuffle with a fine.
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Sure, Elliss didn’t do anything wrong after further review, but now the NFL is sending a message that it’s not okay to stand up for your teammates.
The NFL fined Giants TE Theo Johnson $6,488 for unnecessary roughness — going after Patriots LB Christian Elliss, who hit Jaxson Dart at the sideline.
Elliss wasn’t flagged or fined for the hit, which was deemed legal.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 6, 2025
In the end, Johnson didn’t throw a punch or do anything out of the ordinary. He was fined $6,488 for “unnecessary roughness,” which just included him pushing Elliss. He didn’t intend to start a massive brawl between both teams, but that’s what happened, and he was forced to take the brunt of that.
The 24-year-old will have to learn his lesson and move forward, as the NFL has made it clear that such actions will not be tolerated.
The now 2-11 Giants were thrilled to have Dart back, but were extremely worried when he took that hit. The player they believe can be their future franchise QB doesn’t need to be taking those sorts of hits, especially at this point in the season. Dart wound up coming out of the situation okay, as he was given a C grade in PFSN’s QB Impact Metric.
Johnson will return to the field with the Giants in Week 15 as they enjoy Week 14 off. The rest at this point doesn’t mean much, as the team is nine games under .500 and has already been eliminated from the playoffs. They’ll host three of their final four games, a fitting way to conclude their season as they look to build momentum heading into next year.
