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Before he was starring in movies, Vince Vaughn was a kid in suburban Chicago watching Notre Dame and Bears football.
“I was so fortunate because we didn’t have a lot when I was younger, but we had Walter Payton, and he was such an unbelievable player, just a quality guy the way he handled himself,” Vaughn tells Variety. “As a kid, I lived in Buffalo Grove, and Doug Plank lived down the street from me, and that’s who the 46 Defense is named after because he wore number 46. He was obviously a very physical, hard-hitting safety, so I was a big fan of his as well.”
Those memories were forged during an era when Bears football was often defined by tough defenses and larger-than-life personalities. Football has remained a recurring theme throughout Vaughn’s life ever since, from playing Notre Dame’s backup quarterback Jamie O’Hara in “Rudy” to leading the chaotic family football game in “Wedding Crashers” and delivering one of cinema’s most memorable trash-talking scenes in “The Break-Up.” Today, the actor is passing that love of football — and competitive gaming — on to his 13-year-old son, Vernon.
Vernon, and Vaughn’s lifelong Bears fandom is one reason the actor was eager to team up with EA Sports for the launch of Madden NFL 27. The latest installment of the iconic football video game features Bears quarterback Caleb Williams on the cover, a player who represents a very different chapter in Chicago football history.
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“Caleb had so many big plays and big moments under pressure,” Vaughn says. “As a fan, seeing people deliver in those moments is obviously more fun than not.”
Williams earned the cover after a breakout 2025 season that helped put the Bears back on the national radar. After years of being known primarily for their defensive identity, Chicago now finds itself led by one of the league’s most exciting young quarterbacks. Williams threw for a franchise-record 3,942 passing yards and 27 touchdowns last season, leading the Bears to their first NFC North title since 2018 and their first playoff victory in more than a decade.
Vaughn is featured in Madden NFL 27’s new “It’s Your League” campaign, which debuted Thursday during EA Sports’ Madden NFL 27 and College Football 27 Opening Drive Official Reveal Event on YouTube. The spot taps into his famously competitive on-screen persona, with the actor bringing the same energy that made his video game scenes in “The Break-Up” so memorable.
To wit: in the Madden NFL 27 trailer, Vaughn plays the kind of General Manager every fan thinks they could be, proudly taking credit for an undefeated Bears season, a Super Bowl title and a defense so dominant it shut out every opponent on the schedule. The spot also features appearances from NFL players and personalities including Tom Brady and Mina Kimes, who perfectly capture the trailer’s tongue-in-cheek premise with the observation: “It’s Vince’s world — we’re just living in it.”
Part of Madden’s enduring appeal, Vaughn says, is how much the game has evolved beyond simply calling plays. “It’s so expansive,” he says. “It’s not just the pushing of the buttons and the play-calling — you get to be the owner, the GM and make the decisions. Unlike [the NFL], you can hit the reset button if you choose to, but it is fun and immersive the more you start to build your franchise.”
That franchise-building element remains a major draw in Madden NFL 27, which combines on-field realism with deeper roster management and team-building features, in addition to the realistic gameplay that has made the game a hit with fans for years. You can watch Vaughn’s promotional teaser for the game above. Madden NFL 27 will be available on August 13 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. You can pre-order it here.
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