With just days until the reveal of Madden NFL 27 (and College Football 27), leaks for both games are starting to pop up. One of the biggest surprises is the cover athlete for Madden 27.
According to the leaks, Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams will grace the cover of this year's Madden game. The image, which is for the cover of the Deluxe Edition of the game, features the quarterback in his iconic "arms cross, shivering" gesture, which is his signature touchdown celebration inspired by English soccer star Cole Palmer. The rubbing of his arms against his chest and shoulders signifies he's got "ice in his veins" during cold-weather games.
Perhaps nothing was more representative of that than last year's playoff game win against the Green Bay Packers. Down 21-3 at halftime and 21-6 through three quarters, Williams helped orchestrate an incredible comeback win — the largest in Bears playoff history — by outscoring Green Bay 25-6 in the fourth quarter. Williams led three consecutive touchdown drives, rallying the bears form 18 points down for a 31-27 playoff win over the rival Green Bay Packers. It was the franchise's first playoff win in 15 years.
The Bears would ultimately go on to lose to the Los Angeles Rams in overtime in the NFC Divisional Round, but Williams' playoff performance — capped by a highlight reel-worthy late TD pass — marked the young quarterback's rise to stardom.
Caleb Williams was drafted by the Chicago Bears with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. While he showed flashes of franchise quarterback potential during his rookie season, a shaky offensive line and inconsistent coaching seemed to be holding him back.
In his second season, his first as quarterback under new head coach Ben Johnson, Williams took a significant step forward. He threw for a Bears franchise record 3,942 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
While I didn't have Williams on my list of probable cover athletes, I could see how his rise from promising rookie to potential franchise quarterback would be intriguing for EA. The publisher loves to feature rising young stars on the cover of their games, especially when that player was involved in a show-stopping play.
Last year's Madden NFL 26, for example, featured Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley as the cover athlete after coming off a record-setting season that saw him become the first player in NFL history to rush for more than 2,500 yards in a single season, including playoffs. He also had that iconic play in which he backwards hurdled over a defender, which was an image recreated for the cover.
Do you think Caleb Williams makes for a good Madden NFL 27 cover athlete or would you have liked to see someone else featured?