Chicago Bears fans were given another reason to cheer, and Caleb Williams is at the center of it. On Wednesday, it was revealed that Williams will be the cover athlete for Madden 27. For fans who don't play the game, it's still cool to see your franchise quarterback on the cover of a popular video game.
When discussing the cover photo choice on an episode of the "New Heights" podcast hosted by Travis and Jason Kelce, Williams revealed that he wanted to pay tribute to Chicago legend Michael Jordan.
"That was the whole thing. I was like, everybody knows the Air Jordan, the sunrise of him doing his Air Jordan with the skyline behind him. I was like, I want to recreate it, football, bring it back 30 years later, however many years later."
The cover photo was Williams doing a jumpman pose with the Chicago skyline in the background. Back in 1985, Jordan had a photoshoot where he was wearing his Air Jordan 1 "Black Toe" and had the Chicago skyline in the background.
Williams decided to show love to the Chicago legend, and during the interview, he also outlined his goals for 2026.
Caleb Williams showed love to Michael Jordan with Madden cover with eyes on the future
"They never had two back to back [cover athletes]... see if I can go and you know make it back to back this year."
Williams said he's a gamer and that this is a dream come true. Not only did he check off his lifetime goal, but he also became the first Bears player to ever appear on the cover of the game.
And if Williams plays better than he did in 2025, that'll be a nice step forward for his growth and the team's success. Last season, the USC product finished with 3,942 passing yards, 27 passing touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
In the first season of Ben Johnson bringing his creative offense to the Windy City, Williams and company showed why there's reason to be optimistic. The entire NFL world knows that, which is why the 24-year-old was selected as the cover athlete.
It's an honor that Williams doesn't take lightly, and he already has his eyes set on being even better in 2026. If he takes another step forward in his development, the Bears will become more dangerous, causing fits for the other 31 teams in the league.
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Williams is currently the face of Chicago sports, just as Jordan was in the 80s and 90s. He knows that and wanted to show love to a legend in the process of landing on the cover of the biggest football video game in the country.
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