Roger Goodell spoke with Kareem Jackson about repeated unnecessary roughness penalties

Kareem Jackson, the hard-hitting Broncos safety, says once he returns to the field after his second suspension of the season, he’ll go back to his 2010 ways.

In other words, he doesn’t believe he can change his hard-hitting style. He’ll be the same safety, at least mentally, that he was back in 2010, when he was a first-round NFL draft pick from the Alabama Crimson Tide.

But here’s the problem. The NFL has shifted its rules since then to protect players’ health. Jackson already has been suspended twice this season. The league cut his first suspension from four games to two. But the day he returned to play, he got into trouble again. The league didn’t like the Broncos safety’s hit on Vikings quarterback Josh Dobbs. So he received another four-game penalty. This time, the NFL said no way to a shortened sentence.

You can check out the video from the Broncos-Vikings game below.

The NFL is reviewing #Broncos safety Kareem Jackson’s hit on #Vikings QB Josh Dobbs on Sunday night for potential discipline.

Jackson just returned from a two-game suspension, so a violation could trigger another suspension.

No flag was thrown. pic.twitter.com/0uS3B0mCgG

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 20, 2023

Jackson spoke to Commissioner Roger Goodell, in person, after the Thanksgiving holiday. The meeting the two had lasted about an hour. Earlier this week, Jackson talked about the commissioner chat with reporters who cover the Broncos.

“I feel a lot better leaving being able to express myself, but I was told that I’m responsible for the offensive guys’ protection,” Jackson told reporters. “So, I’m not really sure how I protect myself, make plays and protect him [the offensive player] as well. But that’s what I was told. And I’m not really sure what I do moving forward as far as playing this game, so, hopefully I’ll figure it out.”

He added: “At the end of the day, I’ve gotta still play the game,” Jackson said. “Imma go out and play the game as I have since 2010. For me, I guess, lowering my target even more than I have.

“As far as trying to protect the guy on the other side, it’s impossible. I have no clue as to how I’m supposed to do that. It’s impossible.”

NFL suspended Broncos safety after hits against Packers, Vikings

Here’s what got Jackson into so much NFL hot water. When the Broncos played the Packers in late October, the league deemed that Jackson used an illegal and flagrant hit on Green Bay tight end Luke Musgrave. He was back on the field against the Vikings two weeks later. But three plays into the game, Jackson used his helmet to hit quarterback Dobbs in the Broncos-Vikings game 

Jackson placed part of the blame on offensive players and coaches. He said they should also take responsibility for player protection. Jackson suggested that offenses shouldn’t run so many plays across the middle. He hit Dobbs while the quarterback ran a trick play.

“It should be their responsibility and their job to protect themselves. Even with the coaching,” Jackson told reporters. “For their coach to put Dobbs in that situation, and then get in his press conference and complain and say, ‘It should have been a flag,’ well, have some accountability. Don’t run that play with your quarterback. It’s simple as that. You run the toss with your running back, we’re not even having this conversation.”

Jackson still has to miss one more Broncos game. Denver has flipped its on-field fortunes. After starting 1-5, the Broncos have won six of their last seven. The Lions are next on the schedule. Meanwhile, Jackson already has missed $837,000 in paychecks. His fines total nearly $90,000.