This is a bit of a surprise.

Today, the NFL fined San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk $16,619 for leading with his helmet while making a block against linebacker Mack Wilson during the first quarter of the 49ers’ 47-24 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. The officials did not throw a flag on Juszczyk on the play, which means the league watched the film and fined Juszczyk retroactively.

This was the second time the NFL fined Juszczyk this season. The first time, he had to cough up $11,817 for making a low block against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Once again, officials didn’t penalize Juszczyk for this play. Someone in the league office is watching Juszczyk awfully closely.

Juszczyk recently was named a second-team All Pro. He finished this season with 226 yards from scrimmage, which is 35 yards fewer than his career average. He will turn 34 in April and his salary cap number will be nearly $6.5 million.

Last year, the 49ers made Juszczyk take a pay cut which reduced his cap number in 2024 to $3.6 million. It seems likely that the 49ers will make Juszczyk take another pay cut this offseason considering he’s entering the final season of his contract and he has no guaranteed money left on his deal. If he refuses to take the pay cut, they can release him and create almost $3 million in cap space.

I’m guessing Juszczyk will take the pay cut. What other option does he have?