Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Bijan Robinson Lead 2026 Madden NFL Cover Candidates

The NFL offseason is full of major milestones that help us count down the hours until the regular season is back in full force. Sure, free agency and the NFL Draft are nice, but one of the marquee days on the calendar for fans of the virtual gridiron comes when EA Sports unveils the cover athlete for the upcoming edition of the "Madden NFL" video game. This year, we'll find out who'll grace the cover on Thursday, June 4.

This is a prestigious honor for players with "Madden NFL" becoming synonymous with the league as a whole, and (for the most part) just a single player being named as the cover athlete. Most players have now grown up playing the game and dream of one day donning the cover just as much as they dream of hearing their name called on draft night.

For one NFL star, that dream will be fulfilled sooner rather than later. With the announcement imminent, let's rank a handful of players who have a strong case to be this year's cover athlete and follow in the footsteps of Saquon Barkley (Madden NFL 26), Christian McCaffrey (Madden NFL 25), Josh Allen (Madden NFL 24), and other stars who have come before them.

5. Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Jaxon Smith-Njigba SEA • WR • #11

TAR 162 REC 119 REC YDs 1793 REC TD 10 FL 1 View Profile

The last time a wide receiver was on the cover of Madden, you have to go all the way back to "Madden NFL 19," where Antonio Brown was on the cover of the main edition, while Terrell Owens donned the cover of the Hall of Fame edition. Before that, Odell Beckham Jr . was on Madden NFL 16. Wideouts may be few and far between when it comes to gracing the cover, but Smith-Njigba has a heck of a case for "Madden NFL 27."

The former first-round pick is coming off a prolific 2025 season in which he led the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards (also a new franchise record). Not only that, but Smith-Njigba helped the Seahawks win Super Bowl LX, making him just the fifth player to lead the NFL in receiving yards and win the Super Bowl in the same season.

Smith-Njiba's season also earned him Offensive Player of the Year, making him the first Seahawks player to win the award since running back Shaun Alexander, who was a prior Madden cover athlete (Madden NFL 07).

4. Bijan Robinson

Bijan Robinson ATL • RB • #7

Att 287 Yds 1478 TD 7 FL 3 View Profile

Running backs have had EA Sports' eye over the last few seasons, with Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey being the most recent athletes to be on the cover of Madden. If they want to continue that trend, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more enticing back than Robinson.

The Falcons running back is coming off a career year in which he led the NFL with 2,298 scrimmage yards. Robinson also scored 11 total touchdowns. He's also a fantasy football darling, which oftentimes coincides with one day getting on the cover of Madden. With Robinson just entering the prime of his career, he'd make a lot of sense to don the cover, especially after the year he had in 2025.

3. Drake Maye

Drake Maye NE • QB • #10

CMP% 72.0 YDs 4394 TD 31 INT 8 YD/Att 8.93 View Profile

It's a near lock that whoever is the cover athlete for "Madden NFL 27" is, they'll be a quarterback. The game has gone two straight years without a QB on the cover, and that's far too long for the game's liking. After all, quarterbacks run the NFL, so it would seem like EA Sports is past due to get one on the cover and be the first since Josh Allen was on "Madden NFL 24."

With that in mind, let's look at Drake Maye . The Patriots quarterback burst onto the scene as a legitimate MVP candidate in Year 2, leading the NFL in completion percentage, yards per attempt, and passer rating. On top of that pristine production and finishing second in the MVP voting, Maye also led New England to an appearance in Super Bowl LX. Those accolades make him a worthwhile candidate, and EA Sports hasn't been shy about putting Patriots on the cover, with Rob Gronkowski (Madden NFL 17) and Tom Brady (Madden NFL 18) each being former headliners of the game.

2. Matthew Stafford

Matthew Stafford LAR • QB • #9

CMP% 65.0 YDs 4707 TD 46 INT 8 YD/Att 7.88 View Profile

It's somewhat surprising that Stafford hasn't been on the cover earlier in his career, but this feels like the perfect time for him to get the nod. Stafford just won NFL MVP honors after leading the league in passing yards and passing touchdowns last season, and his Los Angeles Rams are currently the betting favorite to win Super Bowl LXI. That creates plenty of momentum for him to have a strong case as the cover athlete.

For example, both Patrick Mahomes (Madden NFL 20) and Lamar Jackson (Madden NFL 21) were the cover athletes after winning the MVP award, so there is precedent for Stafford to follow in their footsteps.

1. Caleb Williams

Caleb Williams CHI • QB • #18

CMP% 58.1 YDs 3942 TD 27 INT 7 YD/Att 6.94 View Profile

We're sort of cheating by placing Williams atop these rankings, as there is some social media scuttlebutt that suggests the Bears quarterback is the cover athlete this year. While the cat may be out of the bag, Williams is a fine choice if that ultimately bears out.

Similar to Maye, Williams had a breakout year in 2025, his second in the league after being the No. 1 overall pick in 2024. With Ben Johnson installed as head coach, Williams threw for a career-high in passing yards and passing touchdowns, while helping Chicago to an 11-6 regular season record, which resulted in the franchise winning the NFC North for the first time since 2018. The Bears also advanced to the divisional round thanks to some video-game-like plays from Williams.

I mean, if this isn't the type of play you routinely see in Madden and makes your opponent quit in a fit of rage, I don't know what is.

> NO WAY. CALEB WILLIAMS HEAVES IT ON 4TH DOWN. LARvsCHI on NBC Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/JJymsDhen2 — NFL (@NFL) January 19, 2026

Whoever dons the cover, however, they'll need to look out for the dreaded Madden Curse, so maybe Bears fans might not want to see their franchise centerpiece centerstage on Madden.

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/top-2026-candidates-for-madden-nfl-cover-caleb-williams-drake-maye-bijan-robinson/)._