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On , Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams became the first player from the organization to be featured on a Madden cover.
Chicago's offensive leader will be featured on the Madden 27 cover after his best NFL season thus far, where he ranked in the top-10 in passing yards and touchdowns.
EA Sports officially announced that Williams would be on the cover of its upcoming game in the "Madden" series, using the image of the quarterback on the cover.,>
Here's why Chicago's quarterback will be on Madden 27 game covers across the country.
MORE: Is the Madden curse real? | Madden covers by year
Caleb Williams chosen as Madden 27 cover athlete
The previous 2026 campaign was by far Williams' best in his young NFL career. Chicago's shotcaller threw for 3,942 yards and 27 touchdowns, which both tallied in the top 10 and sat just outside the league's top five. Now, Williams has officially been named as the Madden 27 cover athlete.
The first look at Williams on the cover was released on . Here is how the Bears quarterback will look on this year's edition of Madden:
— Madden NFL 26 (@EAMaddenNFL) June 3, 2026— Madden NFL 26 (@EAMaddenNFL) June 3, 2026Williams has earned the title of Chicago's first-ever player to be on a Madden cover. News that the Bears' QB would be featured on the game's Deluxe Edition leaked on May 30.
Madden 27 🤝College Football 27 pic.twitter.com/X41UzcPhGB
— MUTLeaks (@MUTLeaksXXVII) May 30, 2026MORE: A.J. Brown trade grades for both Patriots and Eagles
Madden covers by year
From 1988 to 1999, John Madden appeared on every Madden cover. However, after that span, EA began the tradition of selecting an NFL cover athlete solely for each year's edition of their Madden game. While players did appear on the Madden 95 cover, it was Madden himself who was most prominent.
The first player to appear prominently on a Madden cover was Eddie George, the Tennessee Titans running back, in 2000. He appeared on the Madden 2001 cover.
While some fans believe that if a player is selected to be the cover athlete for Madden, they are bound for a negative year, many of the league's best have featured their likeness on the cover of one of the most popular football games.
Here is a list of each Madden cover athlete since 2000.
| Year | Game | Cover athlete |
| 2000 | Madden NFL 2001 | Eddie George |
| 2001 | Madden NFL 2002 | Daunte Culpepper |
| 2002 | Madden NFL 2003 | Marshall Faulk |
| 2003 | Madden NFL 2004 | Michael Vick |
| 2004 | Madden NFL 2005 | Ray Lewis |
| 2005 | Madden NFL 06 | Donovan McNabb |
| 2006 | Madden NFL 07 | Shaun Alexander |
| 2007 | Madden NFL 08 | Vince Young |
| 2008 | Madden NFL 09 | Brett Favre |
| 2009 | Madden NFL 10 | Troy Polamalu & Larry Fitzgerald |
| 2010 | Madden NFL 11 | Drew Brees |
| 2011 | Madden NFL 12 | Peyton Hillis |
| 2012 | Madden NFL 13 | Calvin Johnson |
| 2013 | Madden NFL 25 | Barry Sanders & Adrian Peterson |
| 2014 | Madden NFL 15 | Richard Sherman |
| 2015 | Madden NFL 16 | Odell Beckham Jr. |
| 2016 | Madden NFL 17 | Rob Gronkowski |
| 2017 | Madden NFL 18 | Tom Brady |
| 2018 | Madden NFL 19 | Antonio Brown |
| 2019 | Madden NFL 20 | Patrick Mahomes |
| 2020 | Madden NFL 21 | Lamar Jackson |
| 2021 | Madden NFL 22 | Tom Brady & Patrick Mahomes |
| 2022 | Madden NFL 23 | John Madden |
| 2023 | Madden NFL 24 | Josh Allen |
| 2024 | Madden NFL 25 | Christian McCaffrey |
| 2025 | Madden NFL 26 | Saquon Barkley |
| 2026 | Madden NFL 27 | Caleb Williams |
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