NFL Drops the Hammer on Kareem Jackson With Multi-Game Suspension

Kareem Jackson won't be playing ball for at least a month.

In the wake of Kareem Jackson's ejection in the Denver Broncos' Week 7 win over the Green Bay Packers, the NFL has announced a whopping four-game suspension for the veteran safety, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. 

NFL announcement on its four-game suspension of Kareem Jackson: pic.twitter.com/gmJESauHLq

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 23, 2023

What happens next on the Broncos? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second, sign up for our free newsletter, and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!

NFL Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan, a former player, spoke specifically to Jackson on the league's rationale for suspension. 

"On the play in question, you delivered a forceful blow to the head/neck area of a defenseless receiver, when you had the time and space to avoid such contact. You could have made contact with your opponent within the rules, yet you chose not to." 

NFL suspended Broncos’ safety Kareem Jackson four games. This hit was involved. pic.twitter.com/ZXnU8jyfSI

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 23, 2023

After watching the film of Sunday's game, Broncos head coach Sean Payton insisted that Jackson's head was "removed from forcible contact." 

"I’ve sat on this committee—the [NFL] Competition Committee—for a number of years," Payton said. "We’re constantly trying to work with and educate the players. There are times when pad levels drop. I know Kareem, I know his heart and I know the way he’s played. I think it’s an easy narrative to say, ‘Well he’s just an old-timer playing in a new-timer’s game.’ When you see the play, his head is removed from the forcible contact. Defenseless is a little bit more of an issue relative to the position the receiver’s in... He’s someone that’s smart and really wants to do the right thing. It’s one of the toughest parts of our game for the officials, for the players, for all of us involved, of getting that to where it’s clear and easy. Sometimes, it’s just not.”

Jackson's four-game suspension will cost him $558,833 in lost game checks, according to 9NEWS' Mike Klis. When combined with the monies Jackson has lost via various NFL fines this season, it's a pretty penny relative to his $2,515,000 base salary. 

Through half a season, Jackson was fined four times before this four-game suspension. Klis listed each incident and the subsequent dollar figure associated with each fine. 

Week 1

: $14,819, hit on LV's Jakobi Meyers 

Week 2

: $19,669, hit on WAS Logan Thomas 

Week 3

: $11,473, low hit on MIA blocker 

Week 6

: $43,709, hit on KC Isiah Pacheco. 

Week 7

: 4-game suspension, $558,833 game checks, hit on GB Luke Musgrave.

The criticism of Jackson goes something like this: At age 35, he's slowed down and lost a step, which is why he's now resorting to reckless hits. 

There might be some truth to that. But I subscribe more to Jackson's very nature as a player. He's always been physical and he's always been a violent hitter. 

NFL officials have had a microscope on him all season, and he's made their jobs a lot easier with his, at times, lack of poise. A better way to say it, perhaps, is that his presence of mind has been lacking in many of these incidents, and he's now viewed with as a repeat offender relative to official scrutiny and NFL discipline. 

And the truth is, Jackson's unnecessary roughness penalties have cost the Broncos this season. It can be argued that he cost his team two wins, and on Sunday vs. Green Bay, his penalty helped boost the opponent's momentum to the point where the Packers regained the lead in the fourth quarter.

Fortunately, the Broncos were able to battle back and prevail. But Jackson has become a loose cannon of sorts, whether you believe his hits are legal or not. The officials are looking for excuses to flag him, which puts the Broncos defense in a bad position. 

Thus, it's probably for the best that Jackson sits for a month, especially in the wake of P.J. Locke returning off injured reserve. The Broncos now have a little depth at safety. 

Locke's interception on Sunday was an amazing play, and it sealed the Broncos' victory. Locke is the silver lining to the NFL dropping the hammer on Jackson. 

UPDATE: After appealing, Jackson's four-game suspension was reduced to two games on Tuesday. 

---

Follow Mile High Huddle on Twitter and Facebook.

Subscribe to Mile High Huddle on YouTube for daily Broncos live-stream podcasts!