On Wednesday, Madden 27 NFL unveiled its new cover featuring Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. The young signal-caller was one of the most exciting players to watch last season, putting up some of the most entertaining performances and highlight-reel plays.
The new Madden cover received a mixed bag of reactions, with some people excited and others critical of the choice.
Caleb Williams Pays Tribute to Michael Jordan With Madden NFL Cover
Madden cover poses tend to go down in NFL lore, and Williams’ Madden NFL 27 shot might very well be among the most iconic of all time. The quarterback fully leaned into Chicago’s identity by replicating Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan’s Jumpman logo.
Jason and Travis Kelce praised the new Madden NFL 27 cover on “New Heights,” with Williams as their guest. The quarterback spoke about being the cover athlete, expressing his joy at being one of the greats to feature on the video game cover.
“That was the whole thing. Everybody knows the Air Jordan… him doing his Air Jordan with the skyline behind him,” Williams said. “I was like, ‘I wanna recreate it [for] football’ and kind of bring it back 30 years later.”
IT’S OFFICIAL @CALEBcsw IS ON THE COVER OF @EAMaddenNFL
and he’s got plans on going back-to-back 👀
NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!!! pic.twitter.com/Li8jrIzPhr
— New Heights (@newheightshow) June 3, 2026
The cover prompted strong reactions from the NFL world.
“Worst cover athlete with the worst cover,” one user wrote. “I’m beginning to think yall are self sabotaging on purpose. No other explanations.”
“The best cover ever,” one Bears influencer exclaimed, showing the wide range of reactions.
Some took issue with Williams earning the cover so early in his career when there were other superstars that some deemed more worthy.
“Stafford, JSN, Darnold & Garrett all had real accomplishments worthy of being on the Madden cover,” one user posted.
Williams succeeds Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley as the new face of the video game franchise. While no player has ever claimed the Madden cover in consecutive years, Williams expressed his goal of becoming the first to go back-to-back.
“These are both really sweet,” former NFL QB and ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky posted.
“They’re definitely not getting their stadium in Illinois now,” producer Roy Bellamy wrote. “The Madden cover jinx will send them to Indiana.”
“A Bears quarterback on the Madden cover. In front of the city of Chicago. In the state of Illinois. Where he belongs,” wrote NFL analyst Kyle Brandt.
“This might be the coldest Madden cover ever made,” one user tweeted. “Best skyline in the country, best legacy uniform, Caleb’s Jumpman still… This is flawless.”
The exciting new cover adds another layer to an already exciting buildup to the 2026 NFL season. Superstars have changed teams, contenders are making moves to keep up with each other, and now anticipation builds as fans await the August launch of Madden NFL 27.