Caleb Williams Used His Madden 27 Cover to Pay Tribute to Michael Jordan

Emerging superstar Caleb Williams made sure to pay respect to Chicago's greatest athlete in this year's Madden cover.

Jan 10, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) warms up prior to an NFC Wild Card Round game against the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

Caleb Williams is paying homage to the greatest of all time.

The Chicago Bears quarterback revealed this week that he will officially be the cover of Madden 27. Being featured on the front of the famous video game series has become a high honor, serving as a direct reflection of who has reached true superstar status in the NFL.

The New Height podcast with Travis and Jason Kelce invited Williams on this week, only for the three to announce the news together at the end of the show. While revealing the cover that will undoubtedly sit in countless Chicagoland household, Williams shared that he wanted to pay respect to the city's most iconic figure.

“Obviously everyone knows the Air Jordan, the sunrise, him doing the Air Jordan with the skyline behind him. I wanted to recreate it for football. Bring it back 30 years later, how many ever years later," Williams said.

The cover features Williams hitting the same pose that fans saw during his Wild Card win over the Green Bay Packers. It's play that will go down in Chicago sports history, as Williams rolled to his left before leaving his feet and throwing a dime to Rome Odunze for a clutch mid-air fourth down conversation.

At the time, many were quick to draw the comparisons to Jordan's old school poster and logo. Williams also went on to shoutout the Bulls' icon on his Instagram, posting the cover on his story before also sharing the photo of a young Jordan.

Caleb Williams shares on Insta that he drew inspiration for his Madden Cover from MJ’s iconic Jumpman photo.

So sick … pic.twitter.com/blA4XO0Kfp

— Elias Schuster (@Schuster_Elias) June 3, 2026

Another version of the cover will feature Williams hitting his "Iceman" celebration as snow falls around him. As of now, it appears this image will end up on the cover of the game's Deluxe Edition.

Williams gushed about the honor with the Kelce brother, only to promptly let the competitive side take the stage:

 “It’s a dream come true. They’ve never had two back-to-back, so that’s my things. See if I can go and make it back-to-back this year," Williams said.

When Jason went on to share Williams' overall rating – a 90 – the Bears' quarterback also insisted that it will be a 99 by the end of the season. He advised that fans should be prepared to update their games accordingly!  

In other words, not only did Williams draw some inspo from Jordan for the cover, but it sure sounds like he is taking a page of the "take it personally" textbook!

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