Unconfirmed mockups circulating online suggest Bears quarterback Caleb Williams could be the next cover athlete for EA Sports’ “Madden.” If it happens, he’d be the first Bears player ever to appear on the game’s primary cover—an overdue spotlight for a franchi
Chicago could get a very specific kind of sports buzz this week: a video game cover decision with real-world symbolism attached.
Unconfirmed images online have circulated showing Bears quarterback Caleb Williams on the cover of EA Sports’ “Madden. ” and a report said the game’s makers were expected to reveal their next cover subject this week in Chicago. The speculation comes after a “USA Today” report said the franchise was set to make the announcement this week and that Williams was among the possibilities.
If Williams ends up on the cover. he would become the first Bears player ever to grace the primary version of the game. That alone carries weight for a team that plays in one of the biggest markets in sports—and. for decades. hasn’t produced the kind of offensive dominance that typically fuels cover-star selection.
Williams is the latest counterpoint to that long history. Last year. he set the Bears’ single-season passing record. though he fell short of becoming the first Bears quarterback to ever surpass 4. 000 yards in a season. Through two seasons. his resume still doesn’t match many of “Madden” cover subjects over the years. a reality underscored by where he stands in the Pro Bowl conversation—he’s never been picked. and the last three cover athletes had combined Pro Bowl totals of 11 appearances.
Still, popularity isn’t hard to measure when you look at what Williams has put on the field. He debuted his “Iceman” celebration and later tried to trademark the name. He also gave the NFL some of its most memorable moments—especially late in games when the pressure is at its highest.
In December, Williams threw a 46-yard touchdown pass to DJ Moore to beat the Packers in overtime. That play was named the league’s Moment of the Year at NFL Honors. Then in January, his fourth-down jump pass to Rome Odunze in a playoff win against the Packers drew comparisons to the Air Jordan logo.
But Williams’ most jaw-dropping sequence of last season came when the stakes were even harsher. With 27 seconds left and the Bears trailing the Rams by seven in a second-round playoff game. he took the snap on fourth-and-four from the 14-yard line. He backpedaled 26 yards. threw a prayer to Cole Kmet. and the tight end hauled it in for a 51.2-yard catch in the air. An extra point tied the game, yet the Bears still lost in overtime.
That mix—flash. record-setting production. and highlight-reel improvisation—has made Williams a natural choice in a franchise where the cover spotlight has been missing. In the game’s recent past. the most recent cover athlete before any Bears possibility was running back Saquon Barkley. featured after his record-setting season and Super Bowl victory with the Eagles. Bills quarterback Josh Allen and 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey were the cover athletes for the two years preceding Barkley. McCaffrey’s season after appearing on the cover was injury-filled and star-crossed; he played in just four games. and it revived talk of a “Madden curse.”.
Before that era, John Madden—former Raiders coach, “Monday Night Football” analyst, and football ambassador—was on the cover of his namesake game until Titans running back Eddie George was put on the cover of “Madden 2001.” Madden returned to the cover in 2022, the year after his death.
The NFC North picture also shows how unusual the Bears’ absence has been. The Vikings have had covers with Daunte Culpepper and Adrian Peterson. The Lions have claimed Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson. The Packers have featured Brett Favre. Bears rival Aaron Rodgers—who said he will retire after this season—has never graced the cover.
The Bears’ connection to the “Madden” brand does exist, but in a different form: former Bears center Roberto Garza appeared on the cover of the Spanish-language version of the game in 2009.
Now the question is whether Chicago’s next major football icon, in real time and on the screen, will finally get the primary “Madden” spotlight.
Caleb Williams Chicago Bears Madden cover EA Sports NFL DJ Moore Rome Odunze Cole Kmet Saquon Barkley Josh Allen Christian McCaffrey Aaron Rodgers John Madden