Why Is Caleb Williams Adamant About Wearing Caddix Cleats Despite Being Fined by NFL?

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams will continue to wear unauthorized NFL gear, Caddix shoes even if he gets fined by the league.

Why Is Caleb Williams Adamant About Wearing Caddix Cleats Despite Being Fined by NFL?

Caleb Williams and Caddix shoes inside the circle (Image via IMAGO/X)

Caleb Williams is taking a stand against the NFL norms. The Chicago Bears quarterback will continue wearing Caddix cleats even if the league reprimands him.

Williams started the Bears’ first two games. After the loss to the Minnesota Vikings, he suffered a non-contact hamstring injury. Williams missed the next three games.

He returned in Week 6 to face the Atlanta Falcons. He completed 30 of 36 passes, including his first 12, for 305 yards with a touchdown to tight end Colston Loveland. Chicago won 31–23. He threw for 308 yards in a 30–24 win over the New England Patriots the following week.

After the game, the NFL fined him $23,882 for wearing an “unauthorized logo” on his cleats. That’s twice the amount he was fined last week for wearing the Caddix shoes: $11,941.

Reporters asked Williams to explain the reason behind wearing the cleats. According to the former first overall draft pick, he takes every possible measure to stay healthy in order to play in this league as long as possible. The Caddix shoes are “a science-type of cleat” designed to protect the tendons and joints in his legs “when you plant on the hard plants on turf or grass.” He called them “SmartStuds.”

Reporters warned him the league would fine him if he wore those cleats. The 24-year-old doesn’t care.

According to Mike Florio of NBC Sports Pro Football Talk, Williams is thinking about appealing the second fine. Caddix founder Jack Rasmussen, in a LinkedIn post, clarified that Williams hasn’t signed a contract with the company. He also promised to sponsor the fines.

Later, Rasmussen told ESPN that “from a safety metric perspective, Caleb’s cleats are one of the safest pairs players can wear.”

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In four games, Williams has thrown 88 completions (71%) for 1020 yards, 5 touchdowns, and one interception. He threw over 300 passing yards in consecutive games, becoming the first Bears quarterback since Mitch Trubisky (2018) to do so. And he did that without conceding a single interception (the last Bears QB to do it was Brian Hoyer in 2016).

Why Is Caleb Williams Adamant About Wearing Caddix Cleats Despite Being Fined By NFL?
Caleb Williams (Image via IMAGO)

In Week 8, Williams will face one of his biggest tests yet. He will try to break the Seattle Seahawks’ defense. The defending Super Bowl winners boast the best overall defense, averaging just 233.9 yards per game, and have allowed the fourth-fewest points (17.9) per game. Mike Macdonald’s Seattle limited the high-flying Kansas City Chiefs to just three points last week.

Williams doesn’t have fond memories of his first and only meeting with the Seahawks. In December 2024, the Bears hosted the Seahawks at Soldier Field. Williams completed 16 of 28 passes for 122 yards and one interception. The Bears lost 6-3. Seattle leads the series 12-8 (including playoffs).

The Bears drafted Williams with the first overall pick in 2024. He is 19-19 in the regular season. He has completed 769 passes for 8503 yards, 52 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. He is 1-1 in the playoffs.

Williams played college football for Oklahoma during his freshman year. He moved to USC with Lincoln Riley after he accepted the Trojans’ head coaching job. USC went 11-3 in Williams sophomore year. He threw 333 completions, 4,537 yards, 52 total touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. He won the Heisman Trophy.

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