The 65-yard punt return for a touchdown by Jets rookie Xavier Gipson was the most dramatic moment in the NFL as it kicked off the season. But the league indicated Saturday that the play shouldn’t have counted.
The league fined Chazz Surratt for a block on Bills tight end Quintin Morris during Gipson’s score, which came with nine minutes remaining in overtime. The officials didn’t throw a flag, but days later, the league did. The NFL fined Surratt because it deemed the block as an illegal trip. It’ll cost him $4,833. If officials had flagged the play, the touchdown would’ve come off the board and the Jets would’ve been backed up to the 42.
John Parry, a former NFL referee, now works for ESPN. Moments after Gipson scored, he declared that the play should’ve been a no go for what Surratt did. Morris did trip over Surratt’s leg, but who knew if it was intentional.
“You’ve gotta put an asterisk on it because there’s a tripping call that was not made,” Parry said on the ESPN broadcast. “A trip, a leg whip, right near the 23-yard line, No. 55, which would have brought the touchdown back.”
NFL also fined Jets linebacker Quincy Williams
Gipson’s touchdown was historical. It was only the third punt return for a touchdown in overtime in NFL history. Patrick Peterson pulled it off in 2011 while playing for the Cardinals. And Kansas City’s Tamarick Vanover also accomplished the feat in 1995.
Although there was a fine, the play still stands. The Jets won the game, 22-16, after losing quarterback Aaron Rodgers on their first offensive series.
This is Surratt’s third season in the NFL. The Vikings selected the former North Carolina standout in the third round of the 2021 draft. The Vikings released him in 2022 and the Jets added him to their practice squad. So far, he only plays special teams.
Surratt wasn’t the only Jets player slapped by the NFL. The league also penalized linebacker Quincy Williams for two fines of $13,333 each for unnecessary roughness. One was for a hit on Bills running back Damien Harris. The NFL also took exception to a Williams’ hit on James Cook.
More must-reads: