While sneakerhead culture will always be focused on basketball, running and tennis shoes, there is also plenty of love for some of the iconic football cleats that have come around. Widely influenced by basketball kicks, there are the 15 coolest pairs of football cleats or turf shoes ever made.
Walter Payton KangaROOs
A near unstoppable running back for the Chicago Bears, Walter Payton was the kind of athlete brands wanted to be in partnership with. KangaROO’s, a new company based out of St. Louis made him the first NFL signature shoe athlete, releasing a pair of Payton turf shoes.
Nike Air Trainer Max ’91
Bo Jackson was a star at two sports, baseball and football. Rather than creating a cleat for him, Nike created a series of trainer shoes as that segment of the market was swiftly growing. The coolest pair endorsed by Jackson were the Air Trainer Max 91’s.
Nike Air Mission
Released in 1994, the Nike Air Mission featured promoted in a commercial featuring famed actor Dennis Hopper on the beach. Hopper would subsequently run into Junior Seau, the linebacker who endorsed the line for Nike. The shoe got a grade-schooler focused re-release in 2014.
Nike Air Diamond Turf
A MLB and NFL player like Bo Jackson, Deion Sanders presented another tricky scenario for Nike. Rather than making Neon Deion a trainer like Jackson, Nike instead created the Air Diamond Turf, a shoe he could wear for either sport.
Reebok ES22
Emmitt Smith signed with Reebok soon after entering the league and continued to do so while developing into a superstar. Smith would get his first signature shoe in 1997, the ES22, which looked a lot like the shoes the brand was making for Allen Iverson.
Nike Air Max Speed Turf
While skill position players on either side of the ball were popular for endorsement deals, quarterbacks are always king. The most prominent quarterback of his day, Dan Marino had a deal with Nike who produced their Max Speed Turf in Miami Dolphins colors.
adidas EQT Key Trainer
Nike got a bit of a head start on signing football players, but other brands got involved in the mid-90s. After starring at Southern Cal and being selected first overall by the New York Jets, Keyshawn Johnson signed a deal with adidas, becoming their first signature football athlete with the Key Trainer.
Nike Zoom Turf
While his Detroit Lions didn’t win many football games, Barry Sanders did amazing things out of the backfield every weekend and was the perfect player to give a signature shoe. Barry Sanders rocked the Nike Zoom Turf on many football weekends.
Jordan Super Freak
Randy Moss was a phenomenon almost immediately upon entering the league with the Minnesota Vikings and he became the first player to sign with Jordan brand. His resulting signature sneaker, the Jordan Super Freak was clearly basketball inspired.
Nike Zoom Vick 1
Michael Vick was an astonishing player to watch and Nike made four signature shoes for him before legal troubles paused his career. The first of those shoes designed for the uber-athletic quarterback were the Nike Zoom Vick 1, astonishingly light for a pair of cleats.
adidas TS Reggie III
Reggie Bush entered the NFL and was expected to be a no-doubt superstar. adidas eagerly inked him to a deal and released his signature shoe, the TS Reggie III, done up in the New Orleans Saints colors. Bush would score 58 touchdowns during his career.
adidas RG 3
Robert Griffin III was a massive star coming out of Baylor and signed with adidas before the combine even began. The RG 3 debuted after the quarterback’s electric rookie year though injuries would never allow Griffin III to reach his potential.
Nike Zoom Revis
Playing for the New York Jets, cornerback Darrelle Revis became a household name for putting wideouts on ‘Revis Island.’ He became just the second cornerback after Deion Sanders to receive his own signature shoe, the gorgeous Nike Zoom Revis.
Nike CJ81
How good was Calvin Johnson? Good enough to become the first wide receiver to get their own signature shoe from Nike. The company’s CJ81 looked an awful lot like a basketball shoe as Megatron was built as much like a hooper as a football player.
Reebok JJ
Superstar pass-rusher JJ Watt was in rare company as a defensive player who received his own signature shoe and in even rarer company seeing multiple iterations of the shoe get made making this an excellent deal for both the player and the brand.
adidas Mahomes 1.0 FLX
He was passed over by multiple teams during the 2017 NFL Draft, but by the time 2021 rolled around Patrick Mahomes was a Super Bowl Champion and league MVP. It was a coup for adidas to sign the QB and his initial signature shoe sold out online within 30 minutes.
Jordan Nike SB x Jordan IV
Reigning Super Bowl champion quarterback Jalen Hurts is a Jordan Brand athlete and has worn several different custom pairs of Jordan cleats. The best looking ones were this pair of SB x Jordan IV spikes done up in the colors of Hurts’ Eagles.