When it was announced that Caleb Williams would be gracing the cover of Madden 27, two thoughts probably immediately ran through Chicago Bears fans’ heads. That being said, there was most likely instant joy followed by instant dread. The joy stems from the national recognition the team is receiving for finally having a superstar signal caller. The dread harolds from the well-known ‘Madden Curse’.
The ‘Madden Curse’ can be boiled down to something bad happening to whoever graces the cover during the following season.
CBS Sports logged the outcome of the curse from 2001 to 2025 and came to the verdict, “14 of the 24 cover athletes (or 58%) from 2001-2024 have been cursed, but just 3 of the 10 cover athletes (or 30%) from the last 10 years, 2015-2025, have been cursed. There also haven’t been back-to-back “curses” since 2011-2012.”
GettyMadden 26 cover athlete Saquon Barkley recorded 1,413 total yards and nine touchdowns last season. While not bad by any stretch, it was a step down from his production the year prior.
While many may be naturally skeptical about the curse, Bears fans may feel uneasy about even rocking the boat at all when things are going so well.
However, Caleb Williams made sure to knock down any conjecture about it immediately, stating, “No more of this Madden curse. We’re going to go out and do all the things we need to do, stay healthy, do all the things we need to do, study film and be prepared each week, and go out there and handle business.”
While Williams’ confidence is reassuring, it’s not wild to assume some may ascertain the Bears’ potential move to Indiana as an effect of the curse.
Ultimately, time will tell how the situation fully plays out, but in the meantime, things are looking up for Chicago as they’re off to an even better start in year two of the Ben Johnson era.
Bears Caleb Williams Staying Afloat in Year Two Under Ben Johnson
“I was learning so much, and it felt like I was just drowning with all the information and things like that,” Williams revealed to reporters at the start of OTAs.
“Where we’re at now is different than where we were at last year. A lot of last year was trying to figure it out. A lot of last year was trying to trust teammates and coaches and all of that. I think at this point, we trust our coaches, they trust us. We’ve got a lot of returning guys, at least on the offensive side of the ball that we know the offense well enough to be able to go out and practice and have these good practices, and with the information that we’re gaining on these plays and on these different schemes that we have, it just heightens the awareness for the scheme and when we’re out there we have a better understanding of where we need to go and what we need to do.”
Bears Caleb Williams Is Trying To Help New Players Learn To Float
While the returning players may feel comfortable swimming in Ben Johnson’s system, there are a bunch of new additions who are just learning to float.
Williams broke down how he is trying to get all the additions up to speed for next year. “For the new guys, it’s just communicating with them, having open communication about where they need to be, when they need to be there. When they’re wrong, you correct them, and knowing your personnel, you correct them. You do things like that throughout these periods, and you get to the season, and now you’re on the same page, and you’re rolling.”
The team will be rolling into Carolina for their Week 1 matchup with the Panthers in just under 100 days.
Bears’ Caleb Williams Breaks Silence on ‘Madden Curse’