Madden 27 rumors swirl around Caleb Williams as next cover. Will it happen?

The NFL offseason is full of notable events like free agency in March, and the draft in April, as well as OTA's but some fans look forward to the day the "Madden" cover athlete is announced.

In the 26 editions since the "Madden" cover featured an athlete, 12 quarterbacks have graced the video game's cover. If rumors are to be believed, lucky No. 13 will be Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams.

Yet to be confirmed by EA Sports, this rumor began circulating on social media Saturday, May 30 with an image showing Williams performing his "Iceman" gesture.

If this were to come to fruition next week, when EA Sports is expected to reveal Madden 27 and College Football 27 at an event in Chicago on June 4, then Williams would become the first Bears player to be on the cover of Madden.

It remains to be seen until EA Sports makes an official announcement, which typically happens in early June.

Williams made a significant leap in his third NFL season, as Chicago finished 11-6 and earned its first NFC North title since 2018. He was seventh in the NFL with 3,942 passing yards and sixth with 27 passing touchdowns. The former No. 1 pick led the NFL with six fourth-quarter comebacks.

Every year, EA Sports faces a challenging decision when releasing the latest edition of its popular "Madden" NFL video game franchise: Who will be the cover athlete?

For Madden 26, Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley was chosen for the cover. He earned this honor after winning a Super Bowl and achieving the NFL's ninth-ever 2,000-yard rushing season.

Now, as Madden 27 prepares to announce the cover athlete for 2026, the options are wide open, featuring some of the league's top quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs, as well as two stars coming off record-setting seasons.

The potential cover candidates are stacked with notable names who should be on Madden's radar as the game's developers assess who should represent it.

With Williams still not confirmed for the Madden 27 cover, here's a look at other top options:

Madden cover candidates

• Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams
• Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals
• Sam Darnold, QB, Seattle Seahawks
• Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots
• Justin Herbert, QB, Los Angeles Chargers
• Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars
• Caleb Williams, QB, Chicago Bears
• Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks
• Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings
• Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
• Derrick Henry, RB, Baltimore Ravens
• Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions
• Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons
• Trey McBride, TE, Arizona Cardinals
• Myles Garrett, edge, Cleveland Browns

Madden cover athletes by year

Madden first put an athlete on the cover in 2000, when Tennessee Titans running back Eddie George was chosen to front "Madden 2001." Below is a look at all the people who have earned the cover art nod since then.

• Madden 2001 (2000): Eddie George, RB, Tennessee Titans
• Madden 2002 (2001): Daunte Culpepper, QB, Minnesota Vikings
• Madden 2003 (2002): Marshall Faulk, RB, St. Louis Rams
• Madden 2004 (2003): Michael Vick, QB, Atlanta Falcons
• Madden 2005 (2004): Ray Lewis, LB, Baltimore Ravens
• Madden 06 (2005): Donovan McNabb, QB, Philadelphia Eagles
• Madden 07 (2006): Shaun Alexander, RB, Seattle Seahawks
• Madden 08 (2007): Vince Young, QB, Tennessee Titans
• Madden 09 (2008): Brett Favre, QB, Green Bay Packers
• Madden 10 (2009): Troy Polamalu, S, Pittsburgh Steelers and Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals
• Madden 11 (2010): Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints
• Madden 12 (2011): Peyton Hillis, RB, Cleveland Browns
• Madden 13 (2012): Calvin Johnson, WR, Detroit Lions
• Madden 25 (2013): Barry Sanders, RB, Detroit Lions
• Madden 25 (2013): Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota Vikings
• Madden 15 (2014): Richard Sherman, CB, Seattle Seahawks
• Madden 16 (2015): Odell Beckham Jr., WR, New York Giants
• Madden 17 (2016): Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England Patriots
• Madden 18 (2017): Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots
• Madden 19 (2018): Antonio Brown, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
• Madden 20 (2019): Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs
• Madden 21 (2020): Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens
• Madden 22 (2021): Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs and Tom Brady, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Madden 23 (2022): John Madden, Pro Football Hall of Fame coach
• Madden 24 (2023): Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills
• Madden 25 (2024): Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers
• Madden 26 (2025): Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles