The NFL’s eye in the sky doesn’t miss much, if anything, so Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson may have thought he was about to get dinged on Saturday.
Ferguson’s crime? Jumping into the famous Salvation Army Bell at AT&T Stadium during the Cowboys’ 31-28 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Thanksgiving Day.
“Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson, notably, was not fined at all for jumping into the Salvation Army red kettle after a third-quarter catch that was originally ruled a touchdown,” Cowboys Wire’s Todd Brock wrote on his official X account. “Video review showed that Ferguson did not get both feet down before falling out of bounds while making the catch in double coverage. Even though he tapped one foot down twice, the touchdown was ultimately overturned.”
Ferguson’s fine would have likely fallen under the “Banned/Excessive Celebrations” part of the rulebook that rules out using props and would have cost him somewhere between $12,000 to $14,000 — much more affordable after Ferguson signed a 4-year, $50 million contract extension before the season.
In 4 seasons, Ferguson has only been fined once, catching a $4,895 fine as a rookie for, you guessed it, excessive celebration against the New York Giants.
Ferguson Coming Off Career Low in Week 14
Ferguson probably wouldn’t have been surprised if he got fined — it’s just been that type of week for him after he had one of the worst games of his career when in a 44-30 loss to the Detroit Lions on Thursday Night Football.
In the first half, Ferguson lost a fumble that set up a Detroit touchdown and, late in the half, was called for a hands to the face penalty that cost the Cowboys’ what would have been 1st and goal from the Lions 2-yard-line — essentially a 50-yard penalty.
In the fourth quarter, the Cowboys were forced to settle for another field goal after Ferguson was flagged for a questionable offensive pass interference call running a route into the end zone.
Even more concerning has been Ferguson’s penchant for coughing up the ball — something that’s taken away some of the shine from what would otherwise be a spectacular year.
Ferguson is second in the NFL among tight ends with 75 receptions and 7 touchdowns to go with 554 yards.
“Jake Ferguson didn’t have a fumble in his first 35 career games,” 105.3-FM The Fan’s Bobby Belt wrote on his official X account. “That’s his 7th fumble in his last 25 games.”
Ferguson Trying to Crack Upper TE Echelon
Ferguson earned Pro Bowl honors in his second season in 2023 with 71 receptions for 761 yards and 5 touchdowns. He seemed to regress in 2024 with quarterback Dak Prescott out for the final 10 games of the season and finished with 59 receptions for 454 yards and zero touchdowns. Ferguson also missed 3 games due to injury.
Unfortunately for Ferguson, he’s not going to be considered among the upper echelon of NFL tight ends until the Cowboys start winning consistently.
The loss to the Lions snapped a 3-game winning streak by the Cowboys and dropped their record to 6-6-1 overall.
According to NFL.com, that puts the Cowboys’ chances of making the playoffs at just 6 percent headed into a Week 15 home game against the Minnesota Vikings.
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