Caleb Williams has been gaming his whole life. When EA Sports named him cover athlete for Madden NFL 27, he skipped the false modesty. “It’s a childhood dream,” he said.
Why Caleb was Chosen to be on the Madden Cover for Madden 27
He earned it. In year two, Williams completed 58.1% of his passes for 3,942 yards, 27 touchdowns, and seven interceptions on a 90.1 passer rating. He ran 77 times for 388 yards and three rushing touchdowns, and led the entire NFL with seven game-winning drives. The Bears went 11-6, won the NFC North, and won a playoff game for the first time since 2010.
The three most notable drives came against the Packers, the Bengals, and in the Wild Card Round. Williams hit DJ Moore for a 46-yard touchdown in overtime to beat Green Bay 22-16, a play the NFL named its 2025 Moment of the Year. He found Colston Loveland for a 58-yard touchdown with 17 seconds left to beat Cincinnati. His seventh drive came in the Wild Card Round, pushing the Bears into the second round of the playoffs for the first time in over a decade. The Iceman celebration after the Packers’ win ended up on the Madden 27 Deluxe Edition cover.
History of the Madden Curse
The athletes who came before him on that cover did not fare well. Donovan McNabb got hurt in his first game of the 2004 season and missed seven more. Vince Young answered a strong rookie year by throwing 17 interceptions the next season. Shaun Alexander, who had missed one start in 64 games before landing the cover, fractured his foot and never rushed for 1,000 yards again. Peyton Hillis went from fan-voted cover star to backup inside twelve months, and for a stretch, players turned the honor down.
Williams did not. He took the cover, smiled for the cameras, and posted the celebration. The Bears had not won an NFC North title since 2018, and they had not won a playoff game in fifteen years. In 2025, he did both. Ben Johnson enters his second full season as head coach with the same quarterback, the same system, and a roster that improved around them in the offseason.
The MVP case for 2026 is real. ESPN’s Matt Bowen predicted it. DraftKings lists Williams at +1500, tenth overall, and the volume of bets on him to win the award outpaces players with shorter odds. No quarterback has ever won MVP in his third NFL season. Williams’ 2026 season argues to be the first: seven game-winning drives, a supporting cast built around his skill set, and an NFC without a clear favorite heading into the fall.
Outlook for Williams in Year 3
Chicago traded DJ Moore to Buffalo for a second-round pick and handed the WR1 role to Rome Odunze, a third-year receiver who spent 2025 developing behind Moore and enters 2026 as the clear top option. Second-year receiver Luther Burden III gives Williams a target underneath.
Tight end Colston Loveland, the same player Williams found for a 58-yard score against Cincinnati with 17 seconds on the clock, returns as one of the more dangerous weapons at the position in the NFC. Johnson built this offense around Williams from day one, and a full offseason in year three of that partnership gives the Bears combinations they have not run before.
Williams turns 23 in January. Mahomes was 23 when he won his first MVP. Lamar Jackson was 22 during his MVP season. Williams enters 2026 at the same age Jackson was, with two NFL seasons, an NFC North title, and a league-leading seven game-winning drives on his record. Most quarterbacks his age are auditioning for a starting job.
Mahomes appeared on Madden NFL 20 and won the Super Bowl that year. A handful of other cover athletes escaped the curse intact. Superstitions break. But the list of shattered seasons and torn ligaments is long enough that fans do not skip the injury report when October arrives.
Williams signed up for all of it. Now everyone finds out.
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