Buffalo Bills rookie linebacker Joe Andreessen is receiving assistance to cover his first NFL fine.
Andreessen surprised many during the offseason, initially joining the team through a rookie minicamp tryout and eventually securing a place on the active roster. According to ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg on November 2, he was fined for unnecessary roughness during last week’s game.
“Bills LB Joe Andreessen was fined $4,421.29 for using his helmet during a tackle on a kickoff return in the third quarter of the win against the Seahawks,” Getzenberg reported. “He was not penalized during the game.”
After the fine was announced, Bills long snapper Reid Ferguson expressed his frustration on social media, which caught the attention of former Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick offered to pay the fine for Andreessen, saying, “DM me Joe’s info and I’ll pay the fine for him….can’t be taking money away from Mr. Buffalo.”
Andreessen gained popularity during the preseason with several impressive performances. A local talent, he excelled at Lancaster High School before attending Bryant University, where he set a school record with 116 tackles in a single season. After transferring, he only received an offer from the University of Buffalo, where he continued to shine and caught the Bills’ attention during rookie minicamp.
The Bills ultimately signed Andreessen, who emerged as one of their top preseason players and made the final 53-man roster. After this achievement, he expressed his gratitude, saying, “I’m definitely grateful… It’s a lot left to prove, not just to myself, but to my teammates because I have the opportunity to help this team win.”
Fitzpatrick has strong ties to the Bills, despite playing for nine different NFL teams in his 17-year career. He has maintained a close relationship with quarterback Josh Allen, who shared insights with Fitzpatrick earlier this season after suffering a hand injury during the opening game against the Arizona Cardinals. Fitzpatrick recalled, “I had surgery and played a few days later with a hard cast, so it was a lot of shotgun for me… I’ll be looking to see how he handles things early in the game.”He’s using his right hand to throw, so he’ll be good to go in that aspect.”
