CHICAGO — Caleb Williams wanted to pay homage to one of the greatest athletes of all time when the Bears quarterback was selected for the cover of “Madden NFL 27.”
While EA Sports wanted one of two covers to feature Williams’ jump pass, which is most remembered from his fourth-down throw in the Bears’ come-from-behind win over the Packers in the 2025 wild-card round, Williams wanted to add the Chicago skyline behind him as a tribute to Michael Jordan.
The original 1985 Air Jordan campaign poster captured Jordan midair in his signature Jumpman post with the sun setting over the skyscrapers in the background. Jordan won six championships with the Bulls in the 1991-98 span.
Williams hopes one day to do the same for the Bears.
“That’s the position I want to be in, but I also wanted to pay respect to MJ,” Williams said Thursday evening at the EA Sports season-opening event at Chicago’s Navy Pier. “It was more of a respect thing. Bringing retro back, not letting people forget that and doing it on my side of the world of football. Paying respect to that and him and what he was able to do in Chicago. Just honestly wanted to bring that energy, that vibe back.”
Williams said a meeting between himself and Jordan is “in the works” as the two have been attempting to sync up their schedules to meet for the first time.
The 24-year-old quarterback made history as the first Bears player to earn the Madden NFL cover, a milestone he classified as “another steppingstone” in his journey toward achieving big goals.
“It’s another thing to tell me to keep going and keep striving for these goals that a lot of people say I won’t be able to do,” Williams said. “A lot of people frown upon me or this and that. All that doesn’t matter; only matters is the guys in the locker room, coaches and then my family, my support system supporting me.”
Williams is no stranger to setting lofty goals. After watching the trailer for “Madden NFL 27,” which he was a part of with actor Vince Vaughn, for the first time at EA Sports’ event, the quarterback proclaimed that he wanted to earn the cover again, a feat that has been achieved only by Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady.
Repelling the pressure that comes with the perceived “Madden curse” is something Williams is keenly aware of. As Williams maneuvered around the EA Sports activation, a fan stopped him to ask whether he would be able to break the curse that is associated with players who become the face of the video game and then struggle the following season. Williams pointed at this face in acknowledgment before uttering “Damn right.”
That’s the attitude the 2024 No. 1 pick carries with him into his third year with the Bears. Coming off a dramatic 11-win season that culminated with Chicago winning its first playoff game in 15 years, the spotlight is only getting brighter for Williams. Navigating the celebrity he has encountered in the NFL while meeting expectations as QB1 is something Williams feels prepared for.
“I understood that I was going to a big market,” Williams said. “I grew up in D.C., big market. I went to L.A., second- or first-biggest market, and then now I’m here at second- or third-biggest market. And so I’ve been kind of groomed for it, but also growing up and working out and grinding and things like that, you understand you get to a certain point of being a pro or high-level college athlete and some of the things that come with it, you have to deal with it if you want to aspire to reach some of these goals, these lofty goals that I set out. And so it comes with it, and that’s all right.”
