EA Sports’ “Madden NFL” video games are a staple of the football community.
One iconic part of Madden is the cover, and with rumors circulating that Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams could be this year’s cover athlete, the NFL world had plenty of thoughts.
NFL World Shares Thoughts on Caleb Williams As Potential Madden Cover Athlete
Williams had a ton of jaw-dropping and highlight-worthy plays last season, including his fade-away touchdown pass to tight end Cole Kmet on fourth down in the Divisional Round against the Los Angeles Rams. The Bears would end up losing the game, but Williams’ clutch throw sent the game to overtime and gave them a chance to win.
After rumors started to surface that Williams may be on the cover, SleeperHQ tweeted, “If the Madden curse is real… at least we’ll always have this throw.”
If the Madden curse is real… at least we’ll always have this throw 💔 https://t.co/2aj4dq4xsm pic.twitter.com/4XzuIRvc6p
— Sleeper (@SleeperHQ) May 30, 2026
The Madden Curse refers to the trend of players suffering an injury or having a down season in the year following their cover appearance. A recent example is San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, who dealt with injuries and had a down year immediately after appearing on the cover of “Madden NFL 25.”
“Pray for Bears fans,” tweeted one NFL podcaster. Others were happy that their star players likely won’t be on the cover such as this Seattle podcaster who tweeted, “JSN marked SAFE from the Madden Curse.”
JSN marked SAFE from the Madden Curse https://t.co/8XhKqFY6Pk pic.twitter.com/KgY1csTDOQ
— Ty Dane Gonzalez (@TyDaneGonzalez) May 30, 2026
Speaking of Jaxon Smith-Njigba, some called for the Seahawks star receiver or Cleveland Browns EDGE Myles Garrett to be the cover.
“It feels way too early to put Caleb on the Madden cover. JSN or Myles Garrett were much more deserving IMO,” tweeted out one NFL influencer.
Smith-Njigba and Garrett are both coming off of amazing seasons. Garrett set the NFL record for sacks in a single season with 23 and ranked first in PFSN’s EDGE Impact metric. Smith-Njigba totaled 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns, while ranking second in PFSN’s WR Impact metric, while leading Seattle to victory in the Super Bowl.
Williams led the Bears to a 11-6 record and won the NFC North. Considering every NFC North team had a winning record, the Bears’ division title is particularly impressive. With the young, offensive-minded Ben Johnson as head coach and a lot of great weapons surrounding Williams, the Bears should be a threat for years to come.
“What in the world did Caleb Williams do to get on the Madden cover?!? This is easily the worst cover since 2012 Peyton Hillis,” wrote one fantasy football content creator, referring to the one-hit wonder who had a single 1,000-yard rushing season in his NFL career.
What in the world did Caleb Williams do to get on the Madden cover?!?
This is easily the worst cover since 2012 Peyton Hillis pic.twitter.com/PcfLS4Tpy3
— Bryce DeGroat (@NFL_Convo) May 30, 2026
The Bears community were pumped about the rumors of Williams potentially appearing on the cover of Madden.
“Screw a curse, this Caleb Williams ‘Iceman’ cover for Madden is awesome. Bears have never had a QB like this. Gotta embrace it,” tweeted out one Bears podcaster.
Screw a curse, this Caleb Williams “Iceman” cover for Madden is awesome.
Bears have never had a QB like this. Gotta embrace it. https://t.co/9dI70CqZO1
— Dave (@davebftv) May 30, 2026
“I really hope this Caleb Williams cover is real Idgaf about a Madden curse, it would be sick to finally have a #Bears player on the cover of Madden,” PFSN’s Jacob Infante added.
I really hope this Caleb Williams cover is real
Idgaf about a Madden curse, it would be sick to finally have a #Bears player on the cover of Madden pic.twitter.com/1XddFeLNi9
— Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) May 30, 2026
Williams is still just 24 years old and has some areas where he needs to improve.
While he had some fantastic throws and made a significant leap last year, it’s worth noting that Williams ranked 30th in completion percentage among quarterbacks who started in double-digit games. Most people criticizing Williams as a cover athlete felt like it was too soon.
However, despite the mixed reaction, this would be exciting news for the Bears and their fans if the rumors are true.
