Caleb Williams became the first to accomplish many things last season as a Chicago Bears quarterback. He was the first to throw for over 3,900 yards. He was the first to score 30 touchdowns in a season. His seven 4th quarter comebacks were the most in a single season in franchise history. He’s the only player to ever amass 4,000 or more total yards. Last but certainly not least, he is now the only quarterback in the Super Bowl era to beat the Green Bay Packers in a playoff game. Pretty good.
All of that success brought loads of attention from the national media. Williams quickly became one of the NFL’s hottest names, spearheaded by his now-famous Iceman celebration. Anybody who knows the league will understand that it almost certainly recognized a golden marketing opportunity. That might explain a recent rumor leaked online that Williams might be the next player to appear on the cover of Madden. If so, he would be the 13th quarterback to achieve that honor.
Caleb Williams finds yet another way to enrage Packer fans.
Think about this. Since current athletes started appearing on the cover in 1999, only two NFC North quarterbacks have earned the honor. The first was Daunte Culpepper of the Minnesota Vikings in 2002, and the other was Brett Favre, who was playing for the New York Jets. Aaron Rodgers never appeared on the cover. In other words, no Packers quarterback has made the cut to be the face of Madden in the past quarter-century, despite two of them being no-doubt Hall of Famers. Now here comes Williams, getting the nod despite playing for an organization that, not too long ago, was notorious for having the most laughable quarterback track record in NFL history.
If you’re a Packers fan, it must feel like waking up to a living nightmare. Your window of elite quarterback play has closed, and now your most hated rival has found somebody who knows how to beat you. One can understand if that makes you a little irritated. Not that Caleb Williams cares. He had no say in who went on the cover. That said, he is the only Bears player to ever appear on the English version. Roberto Garza was chosen for the Latino version several years ago.
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Can Williams avoid the Madden curse?
That will be a hot topic whenever the announcement is made official. Anybody who has played Madden long enough is aware of the curse. Over the years, misfortune has struck either the player or his team in the season following their appearance. Garrison Hearst broke his ankle. Barry Sanders retired. Michael Vick broke his leg. Antonio Brown got frostbite, became embroiled in tons of drama, and was eventually cut. The track record is extensive and can be more than a little unnerving.
Still, there are examples of players being unaffected by the curse at all. Larry Fitzgerald made the Pro Bowl and won a division title in Arizona. Calvin Johnson broke the NFL record for receiving yards in a single season. More recently, Patrick Mahomes won the Super Bowl. That should provide hope that Williams isn’t destined for misfortune. If he plays at the level he’s capable of, both he and the Bears will have success. It is a great accomplishment for such a young quarterback.
