Stafford accepts mentor role with Ty Simpson
Veteran QB Matthew Stafford is entering a new chapter as a mentor, guiding rookie quarterback Ty Simpson through his early NFL experiences while balancing leadership on and off the field.
The NFL offseason is packed with notable events such as free agency in March, the draft in April and OTAs, but some fans are looking forward to the day the Madden cover players are announced.
Since athletes appeared on the cover of “Madden,” 12 quarterbacks have graced the cover of the video game in 26 editions. If rumors are to be believed, the lucky No. 13 pick will be Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams.
Although not yet confirmed by EA Sports, the rumor began circulating on social media on Saturday, May 30th, along with an image of Williams making the “Iceman” gesture.
If this happens next week, when EA Sports is expected to unveil Madden 27 and College Football 27 at an event in Chicago on June 4, Williams would be the first Bears player to appear on the cover of Madden.
We won’t know until EA Sports makes an official announcement, which usually happens in early June.
Williams made a huge leap forward in his third NFL season as Chicago finished 11-6 and won its first NFC North title since 2018. He finished seventh in the NFL with 3,942 passing yards and sixth with 27 passing touchdowns. The former No. 1 overall pick led the NFL with six fourth-quarter comebacks.
Every year, EA Sports faces difficult decisions when releasing the latest version of its popular NFL video game series, Madden. Who will be the athlete on the cover?
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley is featured on the cover of Madden 26. He earned this honor after winning the Super Bowl and achieving the ninth 2,000-yard rushing season in NFL history.
Now, as Madden 27 prepares to announce its 2026 cover athletes, the options are wide open and feature some of the league’s top quarterbacks, wide receivers, and running backs, as well as two star players coming off record-setting seasons.
Potential cover candidates are loaded with high-profile names that should be on Madden’s radar when the game’s developers evaluate who should represent them.
Williams has not yet been confirmed to be on the cover of Madden 27, so here are some other potential candidates.
Madden cover candidate
- 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
- Jackson Smith-Njiba, WR, Seattle Seahawks
- Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings
- Jamar Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
- Derrick Henry, RB, Baltimore Ravens
- Jahmil Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions
- Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons
- Trey McBride, TE, Arizona Cardinals
- Myles Garrett, Edge, Cleveland Browns
Madden covers athletes by year
Madden first featured an athlete on its cover in 2000, when Tennessee Titans running back Eddie George was chosen for the cover of Madden 2001. Below is a list of all the people whose cover art has drawn attention 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, 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, 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
