The San Francisco 49ers will take the field Sunday for their home opener against the Miami Dolphins with a 1-0 record and a pair of Week 1 fines still hanging over the locker room.
The NFL released its first disciplinary list of the 2026 season on Saturday, citing 20 players across the league. Two of those names belong to San Francisco: tight end Jake Tonges and fullback Kyle Juszczyk.
Tonges’ situation is the more unusual of the two. He tore his MCL in the second quarter of last week’s 27-7 win over the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia, and is already done for the year. The league still fined him $9,266 for a leg whip on the same play.
Officials did not throw a flag at the time. League reviewers later classified the block as unnecessary roughness and an unsafe act. Tonges was trying to seal Rams defensive end Myles Garrett on a 12-yard run by Deebo Samuel when he went down and could not get up on his own.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported the decision Saturday: “On top of a season-ending injury, #49ers TE Jake Tonges was fined $9,266 for a leg whip on this play on which he was hurt.”
Coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed the medical outcome earlier in the week.
“He’s out for the year,” Shanahan said.
The 27-year-old had played eight snaps before the injury.
Tonges re-signed with San Francisco in March on a two-year, $8 million contract that included more than $5 million guaranteed after a 2025 season in which he caught 34 passes for 293 yards and five touchdowns while filling in for George Kittle.
Juszczyk was hit harder on paper. The veteran fullback was fined $20,033 for lowering his helmet to initiate contact in the third quarter. The play came on a 14-yard Christian McCaffrey run early in the second half.
The league grouped that hit with other helmet-use cases from Week 1. Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs drew the largest fine of the week at $23,027 for a similar violation on a touchdown run against New Orleans. Los Angeles Rams linebacker Nate Landman was fined $11,111 for helmet use against McCaffrey in the same 49ers-Rams game.
Juszczyk has been fined for helmet contact before, including two $10,144 penalties from San Francisco’s January playoff game against Philadelphia and a $16,619 fine from a 2024 game against Arizona.
The 49ers open a three-game homestand Sunday at Levi’s Stadium. Kickoff against the 0-1 Dolphins is set for 1:25 p.m. PT. Miami is coming off a 27-13 loss at Las Vegas and is a double-digit underdog.
San Francisco’s tight end room is thinner without Tonges. Kittle is available after returning from an Achilles injury for Week 1, and Luke Farrell is next on the depth chart. The club signed Jack Stoll to the practice squad after placing Tonges on injured reserve.
Player-safety enforcement has stayed tight in recent seasons. The league can fine first-time helmet-use violations near $23,000 even when no flag is thrown during the game. Reviewers also continue to look at blocking techniques such as leg whips after the fact.
Neither 49ers fine changes Sunday’s lineup. Tonges is already on injured reserve. Juszczyk is expected to play. The money still comes out of their checks.
The Dolphins series is close historically. Miami leads the all-time matchup 9-7, including Super Bowl XIX, and the teams have met regularly in recent years because of the 17-game schedule.
San Francisco is trying to start 2-0 after an overseas opener that featured a dominant defensive showing and a controlled running game. The fines are a reminder that the league is still grading film from that night.
For Tonges, the Week 1 snap produced a first down, a season-ending injury and a four-figure bill. For the 49ers, the next game is at home and the next disciplinary list is a week away.
