Monday marked the start of ‘Unboxing Week’ in the lead up to the 2025 My Cause My Cleats campaign, where NFL players, coaches and staff league-wide will display custom footwear to elevate important causes and non-profit organisations.

Throughout Unboxing Week, players will reveal the initiatives they have chosen to support via their cleats through creative content across social channels. Now in its tenth season, the player-led initiative serves as an opportunity to highlight the collective positive influence the NFL family has in communities across the world.

This season, more than 1,800 participants — comprising players, coaches, staff, legends and on-air talent — are highlighting social issues and non-profit organisations on their cleats and sneakers during games in Weeks 12 and 13. Following dedicated My Cause My Cleats games, players can then choose to donate their cleats for auction through the NFL. The league does not profit from the sale of the cleats, with all funds raised being donated by the NFL Foundation to each player’s selected charity. Fans may bid on these cleats throughout the season on the dedicated NFL Auction site.

“Through My Cause My Cleats, we have an opportunity to spotlight non-profit organisations the NFL family supports year-round,” NFL senior vice-president of social responsibility Anna Isaacson explained. “We deeply value the commitment shown by players, coaches and staff to make the initiative so successful, and appreciate everyone’s efforts to make a positive difference in their communities.”

Hear My Footsteps, this year’s My Cause My Cleats campaign, is a bold expression of the power each player possesses to make their presence known on and off the field, by uplifting the communities and people around them. The campaign stars NFL players Dion Dawkins (Buffalo Bills) highlighting the Dion’s Dreamers Foundation, and the work he is doing to provide mentorship and support to those in underserved communities; Micah Parsons (Green Bay Packers) showcasing his contribution to the mission of the Lionheart Foundation, which empowers trauma-impacted populations through programming in social emotional learning; and Jake Ferguson (Dallas Cowboys) highlighting the National Medal of Honour Museum Foundation, dedicated to honouring and celebrating the legacy of the Medal of Honour and its recipients. Created by 72andSunny, these spots are a powerful ode to all players creating positive impact on and off the field.

To bring their creative visions to life, My Cause My Cleats participants are partnering with cleat manufacturers and designers to display their causes in unique ways. Among the many organisations selected will be cancer prevention and disease awareness charities, mental health resources, youth empowerment, social justice efforts, military appreciation, and fans can learn more about which causes players have chosen to champion here.

“Since launching 10 seasons ago, the integration of players and social impact through My Cause My Cleats has empowered players to expand their impact off the field and into their communities,” NFL SVP of player operations Tracy Perlman added. “This campaign continues to uplift player voices and reflect the NFL’s ongoing commitment to driving meaningful change.”

To encourage fundraising for organisations chosen through My Cause My Cleats, the NFL is continuing its partnership with Rayze. The mobile-first platform, founded by seven-year NFL player Carl Nassib, aims to amplify non-profit fundraising, corporate giving and individual activism.

The NFL is also partnering with Stand Together to amplify the deep connection players have with the causes they champion by curating a multimedia campaign. Stand Together, a philanthropic community tackling the root causes of our country’s biggest problems, is building a library of player-led content to unlock the strength within communities and inspire fans to be part of that transformation. The collaboration also includes new fan-facing features that can be seen here, enabling fans to search for players and learn their stories, bid on their cleats and dive deeper into the causes that players support and donate directly to them.

The storytelling will begin with the origin story of My Cause My Cleats, followed by a series of player-led community impact stories featuring Damar Hamlin (Buffalo Bills), Demario Davis (New Orleans Saints), Christian McCaffrey (San Francisco 49ers), Myles Garrett (Cleveland Browns), Lane Johnson (Philadelphia Eagles) and more.

NFL partner Adobe is encouraging fans to join the impact and showcase their creativity through an upcoming activation allowing fans to design custom cleats with Adobe Firefly’s generative AI. In addition, fans will be able to show their support for My Cause My Cleats by personalising and sharing an official NFL-branded template in Adobe Express. Adobe will also be announcing partnerships with NFL players to showcase their chosen causes and cleat designers in an innovative way. Content from the creation process will release during My Cause My Cleats weeks, and will be included in Fields of Change, premiering December 27th on CBS.

My Cause My Cleats will also come to life visually, both on the field and in stadiums, during games throughout Weeks 12 and 13 via goal post wraps, field-wall banners and in-game moments recognising the causes players have selected.