Caleb Williams’ Caddix Fines Reach $35,823 After Falcons and Patriots Games

“I’m focused on being able to be out here for the guys,” Caleb Williams said October 28, explaining why he intends to keep wearing Caddix cleats despite NFL fines.

The Bears quarterback’s footwear decision has now produced two reported penalties totaling $35,823. ESPN’s Courtney Cronin reported Thursday that the NFL fined Williams $23,882 for the shoes he wore against New England.

Which games produced the fines?

The first penalty was $11,941 for Chicago’s October 18, 2026, game at Atlanta. Williams returned from a three-game hamstring absence that afternoon, and the Bears beat the Falcons 31–23 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The second was $23,882 for the October 22, 2026, game against the Patriots at Soldier Field, a 30–24 Chicago victory. That amount is exactly twice the initial penalty. Both cases concern the visible Caddix branding on his footwear.

The NFL’s published fine schedule lists $11,941 for a first offense involving an unauthorized logo, branding or intellectual property, and $23,882 for a second offense. Those are different from the schedule’s amounts for several other uniform infractions, including improper socks or jerseys.

The dispute concerns the logo

The league’s footwear partners are Nike, Adidas and Under Armour. Players choosing another manufacturer must cover its logo. Williams told ESPN on October 28 that he did not plan to cover or black out the Caddix mark for Chicago’s next game, at Seattle on November 2.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Williams wore all-white Caddix cleats during the preseason and the first two regular-season games without being fined. The logo was not prominent on those shoes. He wore black cleats with a visible gray logo against Atlanta and New England.

Williams’ explanation centered on comfort and availability. Speaking Wednesday, he said his joints, ankles, knees and feet had bothered him less than with other cleats. When asked whether the shoes had prevented his hamstring injury from being worse, he declined to make that claim.

His account describes his experience wearing the footwear. Caddix markets its stud system as reducing forces associated with noncontact injuries; the fines do not establish whether that technology prevents injuries.

The appeal and what comes next

Williams has appealed the Atlanta fine, according to ESPN. The company has offered to pay that penalty if his appeal fails. The reported amounts describe assessed fines; they do not establish that Williams has paid both bills or that his first appeal has been decided.

The NFL says players can challenge a fine through an appeals hearing. An upheld penalty is withheld from the player’s next check; a rescinded fine is not collected.

The Seattle game remains ahead, so there is no third game-specific fine to add to the two reported penalties. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. ET at Lumen Field.

“They’ve worked for me, and I feel that I feel a difference,” Williams said Wednesday.