Caleb Williams Explains Cleats Choice After Avoiding Week 7 Fine

WHO:

Newsweek - Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams addressed his decision to wear Caddix cleats after receiving a nearly $12,000 NFL fine.

NBC Sports - Williams wore Caddix cleats, a brand without an NFL licensing deal.

ESPN - Caddix founder Jack Rasmussen and NFL quarterback Joe Flacco said they would pay Williams’s fines if he continued to be penalized for wearing the cleats.

ESPN - Caddix lists Flacco as one of its four athlete advisers; the company was founded in 2015.

WHAT:

NBC Sports - The NFL fined Williams $23,882 for wearing Caddix shoes during Week 7 against the Patriots, double the $11,941 Week 6 fine; the Week 6 appeal remained unresolved.

ESPN - Caddix has a hearing with the NFL on Nov. 10.

ESPN - An estimated 40 NFL players currently wear Caddix cleats.

NBC Sports - The NFL fined Williams $11,941 for an “unauthorized logo” on his shoes during Week 6 at Atlanta; Williams appealed the fine.

NBC Sports - Williams had not yet been fined for wearing Caddix cleats in Week 7, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.

ESPN - Williams said he would continue wearing the cleats and would not cover or black out the Caddix logo for Chicago’s next game at Seattle.

ESPN - Williams became the first Bears quarterback since Mitchell Trubisky to record consecutive 300-yard passing games.

ESPN - Caddix planned to pay Williams’s fine if his appeal failed. Flacco said, “If Caleb gets fined again for wearing Caddix, I'll pay the fine myself.” Rasmussen said he was “happy to pay it.”

ESPN - The NFL’s approved shoe-brand partners are Nike, Adidas and Under Armour; players wearing shoes from other brands must cover the logo.

WHERE:

ESPN - The fine followed Williams wearing the cleats during Chicago’s win at Atlanta; he also wore them during the Bears’ win over the Patriots.

ESPN - Williams said he intended to wear Caddix cleats for Chicago’s next game at Seattle.

WHY:

ESPN - Williams said he chose Caddix cleats to focus on his health and staying on the field. He described them as comfortable and said his joints, ankles, knees and feet had bothered him less than with other cleats.

NBC Sports - Williams said the cleats’ “SmartStuds” move when he plants on turf or grass, taking tension off tendons and joints.

HOW:

NBC Sports - League rules generally prohibit anyone other than the fined player from paying an NFL fine; an endorsement deal could allow Caddix to compensate Williams.

NBC Sports - Neither of Williams’s fine letters warned that the NFL could prevent him from playing in Caddix shoes.

ESPN - Caddix says its patented SmartStuds flex and release during cutting and pivoting, reducing rotational torque through the foot into the knees and ankles. Its website associates that force with noncontact ACL tears and other knee and ankle injuries.

ESPN - Williams wore Nike cleats during the 2024-25 seasons and said he had been trying to switch to Caddix “for about a year.” He had no contract with Caddix.

Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams was fined $23,882 for wearing unlicensed Caddix cleats against New England. He says they ease discomfort and plans to keep wearing them against Seattle. Caddix founder Jack Rasmussen and quarterback Joe Flacco offered to cover future fines.