Jets' Jordan Whitehead rips NFL after receiving $15k fine for hit on Vikings' Justin Jefferson

Piggybacking off a Tweet from Jets' insider Will Parkinson, Whitehead revealed the league's punishment, calling it 'bs' before adding, "What am I supposed to do, let him catch it?"

Whitehead laid a heavy but seemingly clean hit on Jefferson two minutes into the second quarter on Sunday. However, officials disagreed, flagging a befuddled Whitehead for unnecessary roughness. 

Despite the jarring hit by Whitehead, Jefferson held onto the football, meaning the catch would have earned the Vikings a first down regardless of the flag. But the personal foul set Minnesota up at the four-yard line with a first and goal. A play later, running back Dalvin Cook found the endzone, breaking a 3-3 tie. 

The NFL has fined Whitehead in the past for hits deemed questionable or illegal. Back in 2018, Whitehead's rookie year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the safety was fined $26,739 by the league for a hit to the head of quarterback Baker Mayfield, then with the Cleveland Browns. 

Whitehead is in his first season with the Jets, signing a two-year, $14.5 million free-agent deal with New York back in March. 

In 12 starts for the Jets this season, the 25-year-old has recorded 68 tackles, with two interceptions and seven pass defenses.