NFL Hits Caleb Williams and Jahdae Walker with Fines for Falcons Game

Jahdae Walker's special teams plays were costly for the Bears against Atlanta in terms of yards lost due to penalties for a Week 6 victory, and they were also costly for him personally.

What quarterback Caleb Williams wore in the game was also costly.

The NFL fined Walker, a second-year Bears receiver, $5,620 for roughing the kicker and also fined him $5,620 more for unnecessary roughness stemming from the use of his helmet when the Bears beat Atlanta 31-23 on Oct. 18.

These were the second and third fines of the season for Walker. In the season opener, the NFL had fined him $5,620 for taunting against the Carolina Panthers.

Walker hit the plant leg of Atlanta punter Jake Bailey with 12:48 left in the third quarter after a punt, and the Bears were penalized on the play, resulting in a first down for the Falcons.

The other play involving Walker against Atlanta was a bit more costly. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Walker was involved in kickoff coverage and head-butted Atlanta receiver Chris Blair after the play, directly in front of the officials. He was flagged for unnecessary rougheness/using his helmet. Also, it resulted in Walker being ejected from the game.

If there was any satisfaction at all for Walker in this it was that Blair was also fined by the league, but it was for an earlier play in the game with 8:15 left in the first quarter when he threw a blindside block. The fine for this was $5,972.

The Bears have been relatively free of fines this season but this wasn't their first fine from this game. The NFL fined Williams $11,941 for wearing Caddix cleats, an NFL dress code violation. The Caddix cleats have been relatively popular around the league this year and it has been reported about 40 players have been wearing them.

The NFL has contractual agreements for players to wear adidas, NIKE and Under Armour cleats but not Caddix. Williams, receiver Cooper Kupp, and quarterback Joe Flacco are among the players who have been wearing the Caddix cleats.

It wasn't their first fine for uniform violation of this season. Cornerback Jaylon Johnson was fined $5,971 against the Philadelphia Eagles for wearing an unapproved streamer towel.

Walker's fine was the first for an on-field Bears incident since Tyrique Stevenson was fined $22,342 in Week 2 against the Vikings for using his helmet in a tackle.

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