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Since becoming the No. 1 overall pick to the Chicago Bears in 2024, Caleb Williams has been a highlight in the NFL. Now, the dynamic playmaker brings that signature touch to the virtual world as Madden NFL 27’s cover athlete.
Colin Cowherd thinks Williams earning the Madden NFL 27 cover athlete spot shows how unique he truly is. At 24, Williams is the third youngest player to land the cover, behind only Michael Vick (2004) and Lamar Jackson, who was 23 after his unanimous NFL MVP season in 2019.
“He was on the cover of Madden for the Chicago Bears and is the first to receive that title,” Cowherd said. “I still think Caleb [Williams] is unique and rare. He is still underrated as the No. 1 pick at quarterback. »
Cowherd has an interesting theory about why Williams remains underappreciated nationally, even after winning the rare honor of becoming the cover athlete.
“Here’s my theory on this,” Cowherd said. “If you look at the No. 1 quarterbacks: Trevor Lawrence, Andrew Luck, Joe Burrow, Matt Stafford, Peyton Manning, they are very traditional and Caleb is not.”
Cowherd believes Williams challenges the mold of what fans typically expect from a franchise quarterback. His personality, style and improvisational playing ability have made him one of the most polarizing young stars in the league.
“From painting nails to just [being] 6-foot-1, he’s amazing off the deck,” Cowherd said. “Sometimes I think he’s better off the deck than in the pocket. He was the first star of the NIL, the first quarterback of Generation Z.”
The argument is based on the idea that Williams’ individuality is often perceived differently in sports than in other forms of entertainment, where uniqueness is more openly accepted.
“He’s a non-traditional quarterback and I think in music or art or film, what’s unique is celebrated,” Cowherd said. “Pink Floyd celebrated, the Beatles celebrated, Stanley Kubrick, the director, celebrated. That’s not how sports work. Sports are ranked based on rankings and wins.”
Williams is coming off a 12-5 season in which he threw 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions while leading the Bears to seven wins in the fourth quarter or overtime. Still, some skepticism remains given his career completion percentage of 60.3 and 5-12 record in his freshman year.
Cowherd believes that regardless of Williams’ success, a quarterback’s status in today’s game is ultimately defined by wins and team success.
“I think in the sports industry, to be different, you better be successful because people are going to respond,” Cowherd said. “[If] you get a Super Bowl, you get a parade; This is about as crazy as it gets.
Nonetheless, Cowherd believes Williams’ unique style of play puts him in rare company among the league’s most talented quarterbacks. In fact, it even puts him in the same category as Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
“I think this season and I said this late last year, I’m not sure, outside of Josh Allen, if anyone has his talent in the NFL to fill that position,” Cowherd said. “I think two quarterbacks in this league have more power than any other quarterback. Allen and Caleb.”
The league has a reputation for taking longer to fully appreciate quarterbacks who don’t fit the traditional mold. Cowherd didn’t hold back his praise, going so far as to place Williams in a rare category as a top-five quarterback in the sport.
“I don’t think [Patrick] Mahomes totally has that level of power, so I think right now [Caleb] is one of the five best quarterbacks in the league, but he is so different. He had a bad first year, and because he plays a non-traditional style of quarterback, we struggle with that in sports. »
