Kansas City Chiefs fans gave Los Angeles Chargers safety Tony Jefferson an earful after referees ejected him from the game last weekend, and he gave the crowd an eyeful on his way off the field.
Jefferson, 33, laid an illegal hit on Chiefs wide receiver Tyquan Thornton early in the fourth quarter of Week 15, knocking him out of the game with a concussion. Thornton did not practice all week due to his head injury and will not play against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, December 21.
Officials flagged Jefferson for the tackle before booting him from the game for targeting. The league Office of Gameday Accountability on Saturday issued a fine of $7,111 against Jefferson for unnecessary roughness stemming from what it described as a “hit on a defenseless player.”
Chiefs fans booed and heckled Jefferson as he marched toward the visitors’ locker room, during which the safety made a vulgar hand gesture to the crowd to display his feelings in return. The NFL also hit Jefferson with an identical fine of $7,111 for unsportsmanlike conduct for the “obscene gesture.”
All told, the incident cost Jefferson north of $14,200. The 11-year veteran is playing on a one-year deal worth $1.255 million . He has made just over $34.5 million across the course of his professional career.
Chargers DL Da’Shawn Hand Escapes Punishment for Season-Ending Hit on Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes
GettyKansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
While Jefferson’s hit cost him a pretty penny and Thornton his availability for the Chiefs’ game in Tennessee on Sunday, a tackle from Chargers defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand on quarterback Patrick Mahomes cost Kansas City much more.
Mahomes suffered a torn ACL and LCL on what was a low hit by Hand late in the fourth quarter. Officials did not throw a flag on the play, and the league determined in the following days that Hand did not violate the letter of any law via his tackle of Mahomes.
Regardless, the play ended Mahomes’ season. A few snaps later, an interception from Gardner Minshew ended the Chiefs’ chances at the playoffs.
Mahomes underwent surgery to repair his damaged knee almost immediately following the injury, though he could miss multiple games to begin the 2026 campaign, as the LCL injury could complicate and extend his recovery compared to a clean ACL tear — such as the one that Green Bay Packers edge-rusher Micah Parsons suffered last weekend against the Denver Broncos.
Chiefs Will Sit Slew of Players Against Titans Due to Injuries
GettyKansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid.
After eking out a three-point win over the Chiefs in Kansas City, the Chargers are now a near lock to make the playoffs in the AFC.
Los Angeles is currently the No. 5 seed in the conference and owns a 95 percent chance to play in the postseason with three weeks remaining.
The Chiefs have zero chance to make the playoffs, which might explain why so many players are joining Thornton on the sidelines this weekend with injury designations.
“Trent McDuffie, Leo Chenal, Jaylon Moore, Rashee Rice, Jawaan Taylor, Tyquan Thornton, Jake Briningstool, Nazeeh Johnson and Derrick Nnadi are out for Sunday’s game against the Titans,” the Chiefs wrote on their X account Friday .
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