The NFL fined Bears quarterback Caleb Williams $11,941 for the cleats he wore against the Falcons in his return from a hamstring injury, and he’ll likely be paying another fine for wearing them again Thursday in the win over the Patriots.
The league said it fined Williams for a uniform violation because he wore cleats made by Caddix, a relatively new company that says the studs it uses will reduce non-contact knee and ankle injuries.
The NFL has partnerships with only Nike, adidas and Under Armour, so if a player wears a shoe made by any other brand, he must cover the logo. Players can’t promote any non-partner on game days, from pre-game warmups through post-game media availability, and the league noted its letter to Williams that the policy was communicated to all players before the season.
Williams appeared to wear Caddix cleats in the first two games of the season, including when he suffered a hamstring injury against the Vikings, but they were all white, so the logo wasn’t prominent enough to cause an issue. In the Falcons and Patriots games, Williams wore black cleats with the gray Caddix logo clearly visible.
He was tremendous in both games. He completed 75.4% of his passes, totaled 613 yards and threw three touchdown passes with no turnovers for a 116.4 passer rating. The victory over the Patriots pushed the Bears to 5-2 heading into an extended break leading up to their Nov. 2 game at the defending champion Seahawks.
Williams has not had a shoe contract since entering the NFL as the No. 1 overall pick in 2024, which is unusual. Most players of his status have one, but he hasn’t wanted to be boxed in and has frequently worn Nike and New Balance. He wore Nike cleats in his debut and frequently since.
Hall of Famer Tom Brady works with Caddix and wore their cleats in the Fanatics flag football event this year. Williams has been friends with Brady since reaching the NFL, and Brady occasionally is on the Fox broadcast team for Bears games.
Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco and 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk also have worn the cleats, and the company said roughly 40 players are wearing them this season.
Caddix, based in Baltimore, produced its first cleats in 2024 and has made inroads in football, soccer and lacrosse. The brand has jumped on the opportunity for publicity with Williams wearing the cleats, and CEO Jack Rasmussen said in a statement the company will pay any fines he receives.
The NFL fines players $5,971 for uniform violations of having a foreign substance on their uniform, using noncompliant pads and facemasks, an unapproved visor and wearing the uniform improperly. The $11,941 fine applies to displaying personal messages or unauthorized logos.
Williams has until Oct. 30 to appeal the fine for the Falcons game.
The NFL also fined Bears wide receiver Jahdae Walker $5,620 for each of his penalties in the Falcons game. Walker was flagged for hitting Falcons punter Jake Bailey in the third quarter and ejected for headbutting wide receiver Chris Blair after a play in the fourth.
