Leaked Madden 27 Cover Features Bears QB Caleb Williams

The Chicago Bears have never had a player be on the cover of a Madden game. 

That could be changing if the rumors are true. 

The Madden franchise has featured players or coaches on its cover since 2000, when legendary head coach John Madden and Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders were featured.

The first player to be on the cover by himself on the standard edition of the game was former Tennessee Titans running back Eddie George in 2001. 

The Madden 26 cover athlete was Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley. 

The leaked cover of Madden 27 began circulating online over the weekend. It had Bears quarterback Caleb Williams on the front. 

This isn't the first time that Williams' name has been mentioned in the same sentence as Madden. He was the favorite to be on the cover of the game on Kalshi, a prediction market where you can bet on real-world events. 

With the Madden cover has come a curse for a majority of the players featured on it. 

Even going back to Madden 2002, Daunte Culpepper suffered a season-ending injury after being on the cover. 

You can even go more recently to find remnants of the curse still around. 

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey was on Madden 25. He ended up playing in just four games that season, dealing with multiple injuries. 

There are unfortunate numbers tied to quarterbacks who have been on the cover in the past. Compared to the year before they were on the cover, quarterbacks have thrown for 10.9% less passing yards, 25.3% less passing touchdowns and interceptions increased by 45.5%. 

At the same time, there is no guarantee that Williams will see a drop in his production. The curse hasn't always been 100% accurate. 

High expectations are on Williams before the start of his third NFL season. First Things First's Danny Parkins believed that Williams would be in the MVP conversation in 2026. 

Last season, Williams threw for 3,942 passing yards, 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He broke the Bears' franchise record for single-season passing yards, which was previously by Erik Kramer in 1995. 

The Bears will try to reach the playoffs again this upcoming season after making to the Divisional Round in the first year of Ben Johnson's reign. 

Chicago has lost some starters this offseason, but still has a promising young core of Williams, Rome Odunze, Luther Burden, Kyle Monangai, Colston Loveland and Ozzy Trapilo. 

Even if he doesn't make the Madden 27 cover, the "Iceman" is primed for another big year with the Bears.