Card stack
Small footwear company moves into spotlight with Bears QB Caleb Williams wearing its cleats
Compiled Nov 6
What happened
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams started wearing Caddix cleats this season
The detail
The NFL fined Williams $11,941 for an unauthorized logo in Week 6 at Atlanta and $23,882 for the same infraction in Week 7 against New England
The detail
Caddix is a Baltimore-based company with four employees that earned just under $2 million in revenue last year
The detail
Caddix does not have a sponsorship deal with Williams, but CEO Jack Rasmussen offered to pay his NFL fines
How it unfolded
October 2015: Jamaal Charles tears his ACL, inspiring Jack Rasmussen and his father to start developing cleat technology · 2024: Roughly 25 NFL players, including Joe Flacco, began wearing Caddix cleats, later approved for on-field use before last season · Last year: Dr. Tom Gormely called Caddix saying he had a quarterback who wanted to try its cleats · June: Rasmussen and Gormely flew to Florida to watch Williams throw and finalize his cleat model · This season, Week 6 at Atlanta: Williams fined $11,941 for wearing an unauthorized logo · This season, Week 7 against New England: Williams fined $23,882 for the same infraction
By the numbers
$11,941 NFL fine · $23,882 NFL fine · 4 employees · $2 million revenue · 80+ NFL players · 19 months time selling cleats
Still unresolved
Caddix is still working on raising money through a funding round