JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Do the shoes really make the man?
Not for New England Patriots wide receiver Mack Hollins , who likes to go barefoot as often as possible -- including at practice -- because he said he believes it helps strengthen his lower body, improve foot dexterity, and it improves his connection to the ground. For everybody else in the NFL, however, their choice of footwear is important, particularly when they're in meetings, the cafeteria and the locker room.
So some players opt for a more informal type of footwear. "Slippers and slides, baby!" Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon said.
"It really started in college, where we were taught about how everything about your body matters, from your feet to your shins to your hamstrings. Everything plays a part." NFL players' feet take a beating.
They get stepped on, kicked, battered, stuffed into tight cleats. It's even worse for players who regularly practice or play on artificial turf, which isn't as forgiving as natural grass .
That makes taking care of -- and pampering -- their feet a priority. "I feel like that's always been important," Seahawks linebacker Derick Hall said.
"A lot of guys will walk across the field barefoot just trying to stay grounded. They say it helps stimulate healing and the recovery process, so we harp on that a lot.
Our medical staff and strength staff stay on that a lot. "I don't have an absurd amount, but I have about three or four pairs of slides and slippers at my disposal at the facility at all times." Players across the league use both throughout the season for comfort and recovery.
But if you're expecting something normal, well, you've clearly never been inside an NFL locker room. Players can be eclectic, creative and maybe even a little whimsical about their footwear.
THERE ARE TWO kinds of slipper wearers in the NFL. Those who wear normal slippers and those who ...
don't. Washington Commanders defensive end Javontae Jean-Baptiste is definitely among the latter, because his latest choice was a pair of purple bear claw mules, which he purchased last season for $115 from Bravest Studios.
They're not his only pair. "My first pair was brown, like a grizzly bear," explains Jean-Baptiste, who said he ordered a pair of blue bear claw mules last season for teammate Dante Fowler Jr .
"Then I saw the purple, and it's my favorite color, so I got that. ...
They're comfortable." San Francisco 49ers linebacker Nick Martin estimates he has 10 pairs of varied varieties of slippers, including wolves, dogs and sharks (which he wore on his first day of rookie minicamp in 2025). "I'm pretty comfortable with who I am," said Martin, who was spotted wearing dog slippers on the field before a preseason game.
"And I've always worn 'em, so why change?" Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Brian Thomas Jr . also has a pair of brown bear claw slippers, which, as we've seen, clearly isn't unusual.
But he also has a pair of Incredible Hulk slippers, which he saw while scrolling on Instagram and purchased right after training camp. "I used to like the Incredible Hulk growing up a little bit, so seeing those, I was like, 'I've got to get those,'" Thomas said.
"So Spider-Man and Incredible Hulk were my two favorite characters growing up. They didn't have anything for Spider-Man." Thomas said he wore his slippers regularly early in the season but cut down in favor of sneakers and slides with more structure and support as the season wore on.
He even wore the bear claw slippers to an indoor walk-through the day before a game. He regretted that pretty quickly.
"[Coach] Liam [Coen] came in and he was like, 'Bro,'" Thomas said. "He was just laughing at me.
He had everybody laughing, dying at me." Minnesota Vikings cornerback Isaiah Rodgers doesn't exactly wear slippers, but he does have a cover for his cleats that look like slippers. Not an animal, though: Hot Wheels.
And then there's Carolina Panthers linebacker Nic Scourton , who wears normal slippers. Kind of.
The day after the Panthers beat the Atlanta Falcons 30-0 in their 2025 home opener , Scourton was sporting a pair of fuzzy orange Mari slippers, which he said he purchased while in college, that were allegedly priced at $900. IF AN NFL player isn't wearing slippers around the facility, he's almost certainly wearing slides.
And just like slippers, there's a huge variety. Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts Sr.
started wearing Oofos recovery slippers last season as well as soft slides in the offseason. Using the