The NFL says player safety is a top priority, but apparently, wearing cleats designed to help prevent injuries can cost you a pretty penny.
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has been fined a whopping $35,823 over two games for wearing Caddix cleats, a company only a few years old with only four employees, which claims its technology can reduce the risk of non-contact injuries through its SmartStuds technology.
CEO Jack Rasmussen, after explaining that Williams is not, and has not been a Caddix sponsored athlete, nor has he ever been paid by the company, told OutKick, “I get why he was fined, 100%. I totally get it. We’re not a league sponsor, and we can’t afford to be or want to be a league sponsor.”
Williams was initially fined $11,941 for displaying an “unauthorized logo” during Chicago’s Week 6 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. The NFL then doubled down, issuing another $23,882 fine for the same violation against the New England Patriots in Week 7.
While he understands why the league fined Williams, Rasmussen made his company’s support extremely clear saying, “Caleb Williams bought [our cleats], liked them, wore them, and now he’s being penalized for liking them and wearing them, and we’re taking a stance where we’re going to support a player who’s looking out for his best interest.”
Rasmussen also said, “We’re a small company. We’ve been selling cleats for less than 2 years. I have a total of four employees, so this is certainly an uphill battle for us, but it’s a battle we’re happy to be a part of.”
The interesting aspect of this whole saga is the fact that Caleb Williams has worn these cleats before the Bears Week 6 match-up against the Atlanta Falcons, but he wasn’t fined. I reached out to the NFL for an explanation but have yet to hear a response.
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In case you weren’t aware, the reason you only see Adidas, Nike, and Under Armour logos on NFL players’ feet is because the NFL can charge those brands tens of millions of dollars per year to be “official apparel partners” of the league. While players can wear cleats from other manufacturers, such as Caddix or New Balance, which is worn by Josh Allen, they are expected to wear non-branded cleats like Allen does.
Notably, in the same vein, San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey wears Bruce Bolt gloves but the lightning bolt logo is absent from the glove, as well as the company name.
Rasmussen also told me that McCaffrey’s teammate Kyle Juszczyk is one of 80 players that has, or continues to wear Caddix cleats. “We have over 80 athletes wearing them. We haven’t paid them a dollar,” Rasmussen stated. “We actually have players actively leaving and turning down endorsement deals from other companies to wear Caddix for free. It’s not about us finding the biggest guy, it’s about allowing guys to wear this cleat because it’s better for them.”
Other NFL players that wear Caddix cleats include: Cooper Kupp, Bubba Baker, Marlon Humphrey, Jalen Ramsey, Derek Stingley Jr., and Dalton Kincaid.
As I told Rasmussen, “Those are some pretty notable names.” Kupp is a former Super Bowl MVP, coming off another Super Bowl win. Ramsey was the highest paid cornerback in NFL history a few short seasons ago. It’s an impressive list, especially when brands are knocking at these athletes doors to represent their brand and products.
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As far as Rasmussen is aware, not a single one of these 80+ players have been fined by the NFL like Caleb Williams has. If they were, I’m sure he’d be inclined to pay their fine just as he and his company have offered for Williams’.
Speaking directly to the lack of fines for other players, Rasmussen said, “People have been wearing Caddix cleats in NFL games for 3 years. Joe Flacco wore them all last year, had that record breaking game actually against the Bears, ironically enough, and then he was on Netflix wearing Caddix logos all over television, and no one said a word. I think it’s just very precarious timing, because you have this player in Caleb Williams, who we all know is gonna be the face of the league here pretty soon.”
I also reached out to the NFL for an explanation as to why Caleb Williams has been the only NFL player fined for wearing Caddix cleats. I have yet to receive a response.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco, who began wearing Caddix cleats in 2024 and subsequently became an investor in the company, has offered to cover Williams’ future fines.
“If Caleb gets fined again for wearing Caddix, I’ll pay the fine myself,” Flacco told ESPN. “This isn’t about making a statement or breaking the rules just to break them. It’s about wearing gear that works for you and helps keep you safe on the field.”
But more good news for Caddix from a marketing standpoint, Caleb Williams is not backing down and has essentially become a non-paid spokesperson for the brand.
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“I’m huge into trying to stay on the field. I’m huge into trying to be healthy,” Williams told reporters responding to news of his fines. “They’re smart cleats. They’re science cleats, and they’ve been working for me.”
So what are these “science cleats” Williams and other NFL players swear by?
Caddix uses patented SmartStuds technology, featuring flexible studs designed to reduce rotational stress on players’ knees and ankles during sudden cuts and movements. Williams believes the technology can help prolong his career, particularly after recently returning from a hamstring injury.
Rasmussen also mentioned, “Several very high profile guys who are currently signed to shoe companies buy cleats on our website.”
With that information, of course I had to ask if any of those athletes are Nike athletes, which Rasmussen responded, “Yes, I certainly cannot tell you who it is though.”
Williams has appealed his initial fine and reportedly intends to continue wearing the cleats without covering the logo, which will continue to be a headache for the NFL giving Caddix free marketing, but due to NFL rules, that could lead to the league barring Williams from playing.
In case you weren’t aware, the NFL has uniform inspectors at every game to make sure players like Williams comply with specific branding standards, or at least, are made aware when they don’t comply, making the fines not a surprise if they refuse to comply.
According to the NFL, “The uniform inspector’s job is to make sure that every player in violation of the rules is aware of it and has an opportunity to correct it. He’ll talk directly to players and, a half-hour before kickoff, he’ll meet with a team representative to report problems. That employee must bring any player spotted with a violation back to the inspector for clearance before kickoff.” The Uniform Inspections section of the NFL website further states, “Players and teams have the opportunity to get into compliance at the next change of possession or other “appropriate stoppage” in play. After the game, the inspector roams the locker rooms, checking to make sure that no non-partner logos can be seen by reporters, fans or television cameras — and then writes a summary of each game for the league. For many violations, a player cannot go back into the game until the problem is corrected. Teams can be penalized 5 yards if — after receiving a warning — the player enters the game anyway. Failing to comply with league warnings can result in hefty fines.”
Specifically, the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement, Article 51, Section 2(a), specifically gives the league authority to regulate third-party branding on players’ footwear. They are a business, big business, and they want to protect their business interests. That makes sense.
But does the NFL actually have the ability to bar Williams from entering the game if he refuses to comply on Monday Night Football against the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks?
According to the NFL’s Official Playing Rules, Rule 5, Section 4, players must comply with league uniform and equipment standards, including restrictions on unauthorized branding. The rule’s penalty provisions allow officials to prevent players from entering a game if they refuse to correct certain uniform violations before kickoff. Players who fail to correct violations discovered during a game can also be prohibited from returning to the field.
That authority is reinforced by federal court documentation. In National Football League Management Council v. NFL Players Association (2016), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reproduced the NFL’s uniform enforcement policy, which explicitly stated: “All uniform and On Field violations detected during the routine pregame check must be corrected prior to kickoff, or the offending player(s) will not be allowed to enter the game.” The policy also required players to be removed from games until in-game violations were corrected.
In other words, while the NFL has not announced plans to keep Williams off the field over his Caddix cleats, its existing rules provide a potential enforcement mechanism that goes well beyond simply issuing another fine.
While speaking to Rasmussen on the potential of the NFL barring Williams from playing because he refuses to cover the Caddix branding, he jokingly said, “I think it’s a great idea. I think they should definitely bench Caleb Williams.”
He also said, in response to a question about whether or not he believes Williams will continue to defy the league’s demands, “He seems like a guy who’s just does what he wants to do, and if he does, good for him. If he doesn’t, I get it too.”
As for a potential partnership with Caleb Williams and Caddix in the future, Rasmussen said, “I met Caleb one time, and I’ve talked to him a handful of times, but he and I never talked about a deal ever.”
“Right now they’re gonna focus on playing the season, you know? This isn’t a conversation that needs to be had right now. We have to figure out if Caleb is gonna keep getting penalized and all that stuff, but I mean, we’ll see. I would love to have a deal with Caleb Williams.”
As for now, Caddix is a disrupter in the football cleats market. As Rasmussen said, “Obviously we want to disrupt, but I’ve had a number of conversations with most of the big brands in the past 12 months and some of them have become friends of mine. I got congratulations a couple of times last week from a certain company and a few of their employees, and it was great to hear.”
“We’re not gonna do things a conventional way. We’re just not, and if it’s gonna come down to safety or money, we’re gonna put the first one every time, I promise.”
Mark this down as another great American story of an entrepreneur using the tools and freedoms this great country has to offer to make a huge splash in the most profitable league in American sports, on the back of free advertising from one of the league’s and American sports, brightest stars.
Williams appeal hearing will be held on Nov. 10.