Caleb Williams' Thoughts on Madden Curse Show Bears QB's Supreme Confidence

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams will look to avoid the Madden curse in 2026, and he's confident he'll be able to do it.

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has been confirmed as the cover athlete for Madden NFL 27, and along with that honor comes fears over him succumbing to the Madden curse.

While it doesn't have a 100% success rate, there has been enough instances of players falling victim to the Madden curse over the years that it can't be taken lightly.

Now, it's Williams' turn to see if he can avoid the curse, and he will do so during a season in which there are high expectations, both for himself and his Bears, who are coming off a better-than-expected season.

While attending an EA Sports event following the announcement, a fan brought up the curse to Williams and asked him if he would be able to avoid it.

Williams had a two-word response: "Damn right," he said, according to ESPN's Courtney Cronin.

Williams has always been supremely confident in himself, which is part of the reason he is where he is today. Knowing that, nobody should be surprised by that response.

"All quarterbacks have a little bit of an arrogant confidence in themselves, because when everything is going wrong, it’s all them," he said last season. "I think I have a little bit of that in me. So, my confidence is always strong. I believe in myself. I believe in who I am. I believe in my work. And then having the group around me only strengthens that for me. It’s always strength in numbers. It’s always one. It’s always us. With that being said, my confidence has grown and it’s going to be through the roof."

Caleb Williams is built to deliver on high expectations

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. | Mark Hoffman-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

Expectations are through the roof for Williams and the Bears after a campaign in which the team won 11 games, the NFC North, and a playoff game.

With those expectations, which include Super Bowl aspirations for the Bears and their fans. comes more pressure, and especially for a Bears team that hasn't made back-to-back playoff trips since 2005 and 2006.

But the young signal-caller says dealing with high expectations and added pressure is nothing new for him thanks to his experience playing in a big market.

"I understood that I was going to a big market," Williams said "I grew up in D.C., big market. I went to L.A., second- or first-biggest market, and then now I'm here at second- or third-biggest market. And so I've been kind of groomed for it, but also growing up and working out and grinding and things like that, you understand you get to a certain point of being a pro or high-level college athlete and some of the things that come with it, you have to deal with it if you want to aspire to reach some of these goals, these lofty goals that I set out. And so it comes with it, and that's all right."

Another reason this is a big season for Williams is the fact that he has to cement himself as the long-term solution for Chicago.

He is very close, but even general manager Ryan Poles admitted the team needs to see more before being ready to commit to Williams with a lucrative, long-term deal.

"It's good to almost feel like you've got it," Poles said of Williams fully proving himself. "If you go with a traffic light, it went red as a rookie to yellow. You can creep forward a little bit and start having some of these conversations to anticipate it. But we need him to give us a green light. I think we'll find out this year about his progress."

Williams has the talent and right mental make-up to deliver on the expectations. Now, he just has to go out there and prove he's capable.