Steelers Linebacker Fined for Penalty vs. Patriots

Pittsburgh Steelers inside linebacker Payton Wilson was fined for a fourth-quarter facemask penalty in Week 2's 20-3 loss to the New England Patriots.

Wilson was flagged for the foul, which occurred with 1:13 remaining of the fourth quarter of a 20-3 New England victory.

Wilson was attempting to tackle Patriots running back Corey Kiner when he was blocked in the back by offensive lineman Caleb Lomu. Wilson's left hand grabbed Kiner's facemask, and Wilson swung Kiner's body around by the facemask as Jaquan Brisker and Nick Herbig closed to make the tackle.

#Steelers LB Payton Wilson was fined $8,480 for this facemask penalty late in the Week 2 loss to the #Patriots pic.twitter.com/mg1hMgvJX7 — Josh Carney (@ByJoshCarney) September 26, 2026

#Steelers LB Payton Wilson was fined $8,480 for this facemask penalty late in the Week 2 loss to the #Patriots pic.twitter.com/mg1hMgvJX7

Josh Carney (@ByJoshCarney) September 26, 2026

On Saturday, the NFL announced its fines for Week 2, and Wilson was hit with a $8,480 monetary penalty for the foul, in addition to the 15 yards.

The fine was the first for Wilson this season and the first for any Steelers player this regular season. Cornerback Doneiko Slaughter was fined $4,917 for taunting in Week 3 of the preseason.

No Patriots players were fined for their actions in the game.

Wilson is entering the third season of his four-year rookie contract. He is set to earn $1.304 million in salary this season.

The Steelers have been one of the most-fined teams in the league in each of the last three seasons.

The Steelers were the second-most fined NFL team in 2025 , racking up $749,747 in fines, over 18 total infractions according to date from The Action Network. Only the Washington Commanders were fined more.

They were the third-most fined team in the NFL during the 2024 season, and were the most-fined team in the NFL in 2023 , with fines totaling $478,091.