Caleb Williams is undeniably one of the most popular younger players in the NFL, and he has a chance to keep elevating his profile by taking the Bears on a deep playoff run this season.
Part of what has made Williams so successful is his willingness to do what he wants and go his own way. That extends to what he wears, too.
Williams continues to wear cleats the NFL doesn't approve of, and fines from the league haven't stopped him yet.
Here's what you need to know about the cleats controversy involving Williams and why the NFL is punishing him.
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Caleb Williams cleats controversy, explained
Williams' cleats aren't drawing the ire of the NFL because of any message or statement on them. Rather, it's the brand that is forcing the league's hand.
The 24-year-old wears Caddix cleats, while the NFL only has deals with Nike, Adidas and Under Armour. Players can only wear cleats from a different brand if the logo is covered. To this point, Williams hasn't been willing to do that.
The NFL fined Williams $11,941 for wearing Caddix cleats in Week 6, and the league doubled the fine to $23,882 when he wore them again in Week 7.
One reason Williams is willing to pay the fine is Caddix has said it will pay it for him.
"From a safety metric perspective, Caleb's cleats are one of the safest pairs players can wear," Caddix founder Jack Rasmussen told ESPN. "Regardless if this is a marketing fine or not, I'm happy to pay it."
Williams told reporters Wednesday that he wears the cleats as an injury-prevention tool, though the NFL would likely say that he could still do so while covering up the logo. Williams does not have an endorsement deal with Caddix.
"As we've known for the past couple of years now, I'm huge into my body. I'm huge into trying to stay on the field. I'm huge into trying to be healthy. It's a rough game and things like that," Williams said. "So the cleats, they've been great. They've been super comfy and they've worked."
Caleb Williams spoke about the cleats he was fined nearly $12,000 for wearing during the Bears Thursday night victory over the Patriots earlier today at Halas Hall. The cleats, produced by an innovative shoe company known as Caddix, use SmartStuds technology with the intent to help athletes better avoid non-contact knee and ankle injuries in sports like football, soccer and lacrosse.
— WGN TV News (@WGNNews) October 28, 2026Here's more to know about Williams' cleats.
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What's on Caleb Williams' cleats?
Williams wears Caddix cleats and doesn't cover up the brand's logo, which goes against the NFL's policy that only the logos of its partners — Nike, Adidas and Under Armour — can be visible.
While Williams missed three games with a hamstring injury, he wears Caddix cleats to reduce the likelihood of knee and ankle injuries.
Caddix's website says its cleats are "designed to flex and release during cutting and pivoting, reducing rotational torque transmitted through the foot and into the knees and ankles, a force associated with noncontact ACL tears and other knee and ankle injuries."
To Williams, that injury-prevention technology is worth the NFL's backlash, at least up to this point.
