Caleb Williams might have the most controversial cleats in NFL history.
The Chicago Bears quarterback has been wearing Caddix cleats this season because "my joints, ankles and my knees and my feet haven't bothered me as much (compared to) the other cleats that I've worn," Williams told ESPN's Josh Weinfuss .
The problem was that Caddix's logo was displayed on the cleats, which isn't allowed by the NFL. All Williams had to do was cover up the logo and he wouldn't have had any issues. Instead, he refused and was hit with multiple fines as a result.
However, Williams has now given in to the league's demands and his Caddix cleats no longer sported the logo during the Week 8 contest against the Seattle Seahawks.
When asked about the change after the game, Williams said it was all about avoiding any further distraction.
"Just to calm things down, man," Williams said of his decision to get rid of the logo. "This was a big week, and I'm not here to create any BS towards the team. I want to keep that to a minimum from my side. I'm just trying to minimize that as much as possible."
Prior to blacking out the logo on the cleats, Williams had been hit with fines two weeks in a row that totaled nearly $36,000.
There was even a belief that the NFL may take the drastic measure of not allowing Williams to play if he continued to thumb his nose at the league, although that hasn't been confirmed.
"He's all about the team, and I know he's not going to hurt the team," head coach Ben Johnson said last week.
The reason behind Williams' defiance, according to ESPN's Ian Rapoport, was "a matter of principle" and because Williams wanted to "spread the word" about the cleats.
Williams, who is not an investor in the company, had offers from Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco, who is an investor, and Caddix itself to pay the fines, but it isn't clear if that ever happened.
"His QB trainer called us last year and said Caleb was interested in trying them," Caddix CEO Jack Rasmussen said. "We talked for months about the cleats and trying different models, so I flew down to Jacksonville, met Caleb, made him show me what he wanted in a cleat and figured out what he needed."
The cleats, according to Caddix, feature SmartStuds that "deform slightly during pivoting and cutting, allowing for quicker stud release from the playing surface."
"This reduces rotational torque on the knees and ankles without sacrificing the traction athletes need for acceleration and cutting," Caddix explains. "By targeting safe rotational stiffness ranges identified in biomechanical research, Caddix cleats strike the balance between performance and protection."
Caddix cleats passed NFL testing back in 2025 and were approved for players to wear earlier this year.
Williams' battle with the NFL, which now appears to be over, was the best possible form of advertisement for the company.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/bears/onsi as Caleb Williams Explains Reason Behind Cleats Change for Bears-Seahawks Week 8 Game .
