Bears' Caleb Williams Reportedly 'Refusing to Cover' Logo on Custom Cleats Despite NFL Warning, Fine

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is "refusing to cover up the logo" on his Caddix cleats, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Rapoport described it as "a matter of principle more than anything."

Caddix isn't an approved apparel provider for the NFL. In cases like this, a player has to cover the company logo when wearing the gear during games.

Williams isn't an endorser of Caddix but came to prefer that cleat. Company CEO Jack Rasmussen is capitalizing on the situation and pledged to pay whatever fines Williams receives from the league:

Rapoport drew a comparison to a similar situation with former Bears quarterback Jim McMahon. McMahon drew the ire of the league office for donning an Adidas headband and eventually wrote the name of commissioner Pete Rozelle on the accessory.

Caddix likely isn't a name familiar to a lot of fans. Rasmussen told Rapoport that Williams wanted to give the footwear a try, and things took off from there.

"His QB trainer called us last year and said Caleb was interested in trying them," 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. It took us two more iterations to find one he liked."

Williams is collecting $4.4 million in NFL salary for 2026 on top of whatever he's making off the field. Collective fines of $35,823 are a drop in the bucket.

And for Rasmussen, picking up the tab is a bargain for how much publicity Caddix is receiving.