The NFL partners with various apparel brands during the season, and players are supposed to wear the uniforms the league chooses under these multi-million-dollar agreements. But the Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams didn’t really hold on to the idea of restricting himself to a few brands.
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“The NFL sent Williams a letter on October 20,” Pat Benson of Sports Illustrated’s Kicks reported. “Informing him that the league was imposing an $11,941 fine for the cleats he wore against the Atlanta Falcons in their Week 6 game on October 18. According to the letter, Williams was ‘in violation of the NFL Uniform and Equipment Rules.'”
Williams was wearing an unauthorized brand. The letter to Williams was to clarify the issue with the cleats, further stating that “specifically, you displayed an unauthorized logo on your shoes,” which is accurate, given that Williams actually wore cleats from Caddix, which is not recognized by the league officially.
But Williams didn’t stop there. He wore the same branded cleats in the Week 7 win over the New England Patriots, per SI. According to the company, around 40 NFL players wear its cleats.
Even though the company is not recognized by the league, it still shares a connection.
Caddix CEO Jack Rasmussen got the idea for the cleats when he and his father saw Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles go down with a non-contact ACL tear. Rasmussen then studied biomechanics, and now has 18 patents around a proprietary tech that allows for “flexible, force-mitigating materials.”
Caddix hit retail in 2024. Rasmussen was able to bring NFL players Joe Flacco, Todd Heap, and Dennis Pitta as investors, too.
But nonetheless, Williams has violated the rule, and for now, the reason is obvious: you don’t get to wear whatever you want on the field. However, Rasmussen has given a rather uplifting statement for Williams.
“Obviously, Caleb believes in the product and sees value in wearing Caddix cleats,” Rasmussen said in a statement. “I’m happy to cover his fines if he’s going to keep prioritizing his health.”
The NFL has been strict when it comes to uniform violations. Just last year, the Las Vegas Raiders star Maxx Crosby revealed on The Rush podcast on December 16, 2025, how the league forced him to take off his custom pink Jordan 11s he wore for his daughter, whose name was also on the shoes. He was informed during the game that he wouldn’t be allowed to play anymore if he didn’t change his shoes. Eventually, he did have to swap the pink ones out for the regular whites.
This season, Houston Texans cornerback Jaylin Smith was also penalized $5,971 for a uniform violation. He wore silver cleats in the Week 2 game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Smith was earlier penalized $7,779 for an unauthorized logo on his cleats during preseason.
Also, Williams is no stranger to making statements with fashion. The Chicago QB became the first football player in GQ magazine’s history to win the Most Stylish NFL Player title back-to-back, in 2025 and this year.
The Bears star is also not afraid to be eccentric. He has proudly sported nail polish on game days, in honor of his mother.
“It started, I would say, three years ago,” Williams said in 2023. “It was my last year of high school. My mom does nails. Let’s just start it off there. She’s done it my whole life. It’s just kind of always been around me. Nobody else does it. I just kinda like to do new things.”
Williams’ fashion and on-field footwear journey hasn’t been conventional, and neither have his performances been dull.
Caddix shoes have previously been snubbed
According to sports business content creator Tyler Webb, Williams had been wearing the Caddix shoes in the first two games this season. Webb suggested that the technology of the cleats, which is in the unique spikes, might have saved the QB from suffering a more serious injury in the Week 2 clash. However, he also sported the company in the offseason this year.
Caleb Williams wore Caddix shoes for the Madden 27 cover, too, per Webb. However, the brand’s logo had been taped out. It was understandable, considering Caddix is not officially recognized by the NFL. EA Sports, which creates the much-loved game, has an important partnership with the league.
The same was the case with Netflix, too. Flacco, who was part of the Quarterback series, also had his shoes photoshopped with a Nike logo in a graphic, Webb claimed. Flacco being an investor in Caddix makes it likely that he might have been wearing the company’s cleats.
While Caddix claims groundbreaking tech to help players be safe on any kind of field, the lack of a partnership with the NFL prevents them from reaching out to so many players who could benefit from it.