Madden 27 Picks Caleb Williams, and Bears Fans Already Fear the Curse

Caleb Williams is the first Bears player to land the Madden cover, but the honor quickly revives questions about the dreaded Madden curse in 2026.

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

On Wednesday, it was confirmed that Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams will be the cover athlete for Madden NFL 27.

EA Sports announced Williams as the cover athlete in a post on X, and the quarterback will now be making franchise history as the first Bears player to grace the cover of the popular video game.

But with being named the cover athlete on Madden NFL 27 comes the concern over the dreaded Madden curse, which several players have been derailed by over the years.

On the bright side, the curse hasn't exactly been as prominent in recent years. Let's take a look back and see how often the Madden curse has struck its athletes over the years.

Here are Caleb Williams' two Madden covers. His jumpman pass, best remembered by the 4th/8 throw to Rome Odunze in the playoffs, is the cover of the Standard Edition. Williams' "Iceman" celebration will be the cover of the Deluxe Edition. pic.twitter.com/ecsmZh1MNp

— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) June 3, 2026

Recent history of the Madden curse

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

The last player to be hit with the curse was Christian McCaffrey, who graced the cover for the 2025 version ahead of a 2024 season in which he played in just four games due to injury.

Last year's cover athlete, Saquon Barkley, saw a dip in production from his 2,000-yard campaign in 2024, but the Philadelphia Eagles running back still notched over 1,400 yards from scrimmage.

Before McCaffrey, Josh Allen (2024), Tom Brady (2019 and 2022), Patrick Mahomes (2022 and 2020), Lamar Jackson (2021), and Antonio Brown (2019) all avoided the curse with good seasons.

Going all the way back to 2021, when Eddie George was on the cover, you can make an argument for around half of the 25 total cover athletes being hit by the curse.

However, more recently, it's about three out of 11 falling victim to it, so that's good news for Williams' hopes of avoiding the curse.

Behind the scenes of Caleb Williams' cover shoot

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. | David Banks-Imagn Images

The NFL has given us a look behind the curtain of Williams' photo shoot that created the two different Madden covers he'll be on.

too cold 🥶 @CALEBcsw pic.twitter.com/WO82NLDjyL

— NFL (@NFL) June 3, 2026

What Williams said about Madden NFL 27 cover

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. | David Banks-Imagn Images

As many NFL players did, Williams grew up playing the Madden video games, so he views his being on the cover as a "full-circle moment," according to ESPN's Courtney Cronin.

"When I received the call from Madden, it was like my childhood dream was coming true," Williams said. "Being on the cover of 'Madden NFL 27' is a full-circle moment."

"I grew up playing Madden and imagining what it would be like to be part of the game," Williams added. "I know fans are going to love what's new in this year's game, and I'm looking forward to getting my rating up to a 99 by the end of the season."

Cronin revealed that Williams will start off with a 90 overall rating, so he won't be in the 99 club out of the gate.

That said, if he has the kind of season everyone is expecting him to, it might not be long before Williams gets there.