During the second quarter of the Arizona Cardinals’ Week 3 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, 25-year-old tight end Trey McBride reeled in a contested catch against safety Marques Sigle — securing a first down for Kyler Murray and the offense.
McBride celebrated the catch, briefly standing over Sigle on the sideline.
Though no flag was thrown on the field, this brief stare down was enough for the NFL to rule a retroactive “taunting” penalty in its weekly review. On Saturday, the league announced an $11,593 fine for the Cardinals TE.
The NFL is placing an emphasis on enforcing taunting penalties this season. McBride was one of two players to receive a taunting penalty fine in Week 3, joining Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Jalen Carter (also fined $11,593).
NFL fans were not happy with the league’s decision to fine McBride, with some calling the league out on social media for getting a little too carried away with punishing players.
“No fun league strikes again,” one fan wrote.
“Bro we gotta start boycotting the nfl. Just stop watching. Why is the nfl so soft,” another added.
“The NFL has become extremely soft. What did Trey do to warrant a [$11k+] fine here…?” one fan asked.
“Absolutely ridiculous,” another said.
“I hate the @NFL the people in charge have ruined this game,” another wrote.
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McBride entered the league as the Cardinals’ No. 55 overall pick in 2022. The former Colorado State standout experienced a breakout season in 2024, reeling in a career-high 111 catches for 1,146 yards and two touchdowns.
He signed a four-year, $76 million contract extension with Arizona this past offseason.
The Cardinals opened up the season with back-to-back wins over the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers. The team has since dropped its last two games, suffering losses to the 49ers in Week 3 and the Seattle Seahawks in a Week 4 matchup on “Thursday Night Football.”
McBride reeled in seven catches for 52 yards in Thursday night’s 23-20 overtime loss to Seattle.
The Cardinals will look to get their 2025 season back on track in a matchup against the Tennessee Titans in Week 5.
