The NFL's Most Expensive Cleat Fines This Season

This Sunday will mark the end not only of the NFL season, but also of the most exciting year of cleat watching in league history. More than ever, players pushed for opportunities to wear attention-grabbing cleats—the majority customized through relationships forged with independent artists. Tuning into see what Von Miller, Odell Beckham, and Cam Newton were wearing was sometimes just as exciting as the actual games.

Cleat watching has its hurdles, though. Namely, the NFL's extra-strict uniform policy. According to league rules, each team must choose a single cleat color for players to wear throughout the entire season, along with a secondary team color and a third color for accents. While football is the ultimate team sport, there are individuals who wouldn't mind the freedom to be independent with their footwear from time to time.

The workaround for most players this season was to wear the customs for photo ops during pregame warm-ups, then switch to a team-oriented pair for the game. Then, the league made what it considered to be a compromise by allowing all players to wear custom cleats during Week 13 games, as long as they were pre-approved and represented a personal cause. The #MyCauseMyCleats campaign appeared to be an overall success and the door was left open for similar campaigns in the future.

However, there were still a few occasions when players—particularly wide receivers with big personalities—challenged the rule book. As the No Fun League, the NFL responded by handing out fines, requesting mid-game changes, and even threatening to bench players who wouldn't comply. Ahead of this weekend's finale, take a look at these five players who received fines for wearing "inappropriate" cleats this season.

Cleats: Adidas Yeezy 350 Cleat

When: 09/11/16 vs. Chicago

Fine: $6,076

In arguably the biggest cleat-related story of the season, Adidas made its mark on the game when several of the brand's athletes debuted Kanye West-inspired Yeezy cleats during Week 1. While Von Miller wore the 750 model during pregame warm-ups for the season opener, Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins became the first player to actually compete in Yeezy cleats when he wore the 350 against the Bears.

According to NFL policy, all teams must select a dominant base color for cleats worn by players throughout the entire season. Teams also have to choose a secondary team color and a third team color that can be used for accents. For Hopkins, the grey and black Yeezy cleats didn't fall in line with the Texans' chosen scheme, resulting in a $6,076 fine. In response, he said he wouldn't wear the cleats again unless Kanye West paid the fine, which, sadly, didn't happen.

Adrian Peterson and Sammy Watkins also wore the Yeezy 350 Cleat during Week 1, but there are no reported fines for either. Later in the season, New York Giants safety Landon Collins made sure he upheld policy by having his pairs customized in team colors.

Cleats: Nike Alpha Pro 3/4 TD Custom by Corey Pane

When: 09/12/16 vs. Washington

Fine: $6,076

In what turned out to be a hefty $63,000 season in fines for Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown, he wasted no time getting the league to notice him for the wrong reasons. During the Steelers' Week 1 game against Washington, Brown not only celebrated a touchdown by twerking in the endzone, but did so while wearing a pair of custom blue Nike cleats. He was fined for excessive celebration and a uniform policy violation.

Seemingly not concerned about shelling out cash, Brown attempted to wear blue custom cleats bearing portraits of his children two weeks later and was asked to change out of them at halftime. Officials even threatened to bench him during an October game against the New York Jets for wearing Muhammad Ali tribute cleats, even though they were made in Steelers colors. There are no fines on record for either of these instances.

Cleats: BrandBlack DJX Cleat Custom by SolesbySir

When: 10/02/16 vs. Cleveland

Fine: $6,076

With many in search of answers for how to deal with the issue of police brutality, Washington wide receiver DeSean Jackson used his platform (and signature BrandBlack cleats) as a way to demonstrate his own protest. Jackson originally planned to just wear the cleats during pregame warm-ups, but opted to keep them on during the game. Well aware that a fine would be coming his way, Jackson told ESPN, "It's cool, man. My message and what I wanted to get across was more of the case for that, so I wasn't worried about that [fine]." Also placing emphasis on violence within communities, Jackson plans to conduct seminars and after-school programs in the offseason.

Cleats: Adidas Yeezy 350 Cleat

When: 12/04/16 vs. Cincinnati

Fine: $6,076

For Week 13, the NFL allowed every player in the league to wear cleats of their choosing, as long as the pair represented a personal cause and was pre-approved by the league. Somehow, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham still found a way to get himself fined for violating footwear policy. When asked why he decided to play in Adidas Yeezy 350 Cleats, Green-Beckham jokingly said he was doing so to raise awareness for the "Yeezy Foundation." Only thing is, the Yeezy Foundation doesn't exist and the league was serious about needing its approval to bend uniform rules. The Yeezy Cleats were the only model that led to two fines this season.

Cleats: Nike Vapor Carbon 2014 Elite Custom by Kickasso

When: 12/18/16 vs. Detroit

Fine: $18,231

The death of legendary NBA reporter Craig Sager in December led to a widespread outpouring of condolences from athletes from all sports. To pay his respects, New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. played the team's Week 15 game in a pair of colorful custom Nike cleats inspired by Sager's famously wild fashion sense. Unfortunately (alhough not surprisingly) the NFL hit Beckham Jr. with a hefty $18,000+ fine, about three times more than any player with a similar violation. Among the most-fined players this season, Beckham Jr. called the league out for double standards in how they treat him versus other players in a tweet that same week. According to Beckham Jr., he has or will auction off the cleats to raise money for the Sager Strong Foundation.