Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was announced as the cover athlete for “Madden NFL 27,” becoming the first player in the franchise to do so. For the last quarter century, gracing Madden’s cover has been an honor for whichever athlete was selected to do so that season.
Williams was the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. When the Bears made that selection, they hoped that they’d be getting a player that helps turn the franchise into a respected one after decades of mediocrity.
It was a tough rookie year for Williams, who had two head coaches and three offensive coordinators, but he flourished in just one season with Ben Johnson. Chicago went from worst-to-first winning the NFC North, defeated the Green Bay Packers twice, including in the playoffs, and took the Los Angeles Rams to overtime in the divisional playoffs.
Along the way, off the field, Williams has established himself as one of the coolest players in the NFL. He has an aura that few around the league have these days. When you combine this with his play on the field, there aren’t many better options for the cover heading into the 2026 season.
The standard version of the cover features Williams recreating the “Jumpman” throw — made famous in the wild-card playoff win against the Packers, when Williams connected with receiver Rome Odunze on fourth-and-8 — above the Chicago skyline. The deluxe edition features the “Iceman” celebration that Williams also made famous during a Week 16 overtime win over Green Bay.
The 2025 season was a strange one in a lot of ways. No one team or player stood out so much that they felt like a lock to be in consideration for Madden, which is what makes Williams the perfect choice. He’s a really good player who is only going to get better, and he has a reach with the younger generation that makes him cool.
The NFL is also better when the Bears are relevant, especially when their rivalry with the Packers is at its peak, which it is right now. Between this Madden news and seven nationally televised games, including Thanksgiving and Christmas, the NFL fanbase is going to get a heavy helping of the Bears coming their way.
For those reasons, EA Sports hit a home run with this selection of Williams for the Madden 27 cover. Now, it is on the star quarterback to go out there and prove why he was the right man for the cover. There are a lot of great quarterbacks in the NFL, and it’s about time that Chicago had one on the cover of the most iconic sports video game ever made.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Why Bears QB Caleb Williams is perfect Madden 27 cover athlete
Reporting by Vincent Parise, Bears Wire / Bears Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Vincent Parise, Bears Wire | USA TODAY Network
