What Does It Take To Be A Madden NFL Cover Star?

NFL players have plenty of opportunities to see themselves recognised and have their contributions honoured — there’s literally a whole NFL Honors ceremony at the end of the season for that. Legends go into the Hall of Fame, charitable players get their flowers for helping their communities, and there’s the big MVP award to top it all off.

One of the smaller honours is the chance to be on the cover of the next Madden NFL game. Every time there’s a new edition of the game, with new graphics, mechanics, and updated rosters, they need a cover star to help sell it.

So what does it take to make it onto the cover of Madden?

While there have been some obvious choices in recent years, it’s not always the perfect QB or MVP making it on the front of that box. Madden 26 and the upcoming 27 release are proof of that.

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For a long time, Quarterbacks were the go-to choice for Madden cover stars — once they stopped going with John Madden himself. It makes sense. They are the most recognisable players and the ones who get most of the glory.

If you’re more of a gamer than an NFL fan, but catch the odd game and watch every Super Bowl, some names are more familiar than others. You might not be as immediately familiar with receivers like Davantae Adams or Amon-Ra St. Brown, but you know who Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady are.

Everyone knows who Brady is now. Between the work on commentary, part ownership of the Raiders, Fanatics partnership, and random catwalk appearance, he’s like a Whack-a-Mole who won’t stay down.

We had Lamar Jackson, the 2019 MVP QB, on Madden 21, both Mahomes and Brady on Madden 22, and Josh Allen on Madden 24. Madden 23 honoured Madden himself following his death.

Then, the role went from the QBs to an RB for Madden 25. McCaffery was the undeniable star of the 2023 season (something that’s hard to type as a Rams fan). He was a finalist in three categories at the NFL Honors: Comeback Player, Offensive Player, and MVP. He may have lost out on MVP to Lamar Jackson, but he got the consolation prize of the Madden cover instead.

This was the start of the shift.

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The cover for Madden NFL 26 is where things really went in a different direction. First off, the cover star wasn’t a quarterback. Second, the image was all about a viral moment. Saqoun Barkley’s athletic leap over the Jaguars. Everyone who watched the moment live was in awe of the skill needed for a running back to pull off a backwards hurdle like that.

Saqoun was not the MVP winner for the 2024 season — he should have been, but he wasn’t. Instead, he came 3rd in the vote with 120 points, against Lamar Jackson’s 362 and Josh Allen’s 383. This victory at the NFL Honors could have made Allen the safe choice for the Madden cover, but he was just there in 2023.

That’s where the viral moments are the best bet for creating video game covers. You have a ton of kids (and plenty of grown adults, let’s be fair), who want to recreate moments and get as close as they can to emulating their heroes without putting on the pads.

Sure, there are plenty of Bills fans who adore Josh Allen and others across the league who admire him, but is he the first choice here? Or is it someone like Saqoun or Justin Jefferson, both of whom appeared in the official advert alongside Jayden Daniels?

And that leads us to the choice for Madden 27.

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Under the old rules of QBs and MVPs, the obvious choice would have been Matthew Stafford. Sure, it was a close race between him and Maye for MVP (366 votes to 361), and Maye got to the Super Bowl, but there were too many sacks in that game to put Maye over the top.

Now, the strip sack by Derick Hall on Maye in the Super Bowl could have been a fun viral moment to put on the cover. No way that’s getting recreated in a photoshoot, though.

The cover isn’t Stafford throwing a classic no-look pass. Instead, it’s Caleb Williams.

At first, this sounds like a random choice, especially if you don’t follow the NFC North that closely. However, looking at the main cover and the alternate for the deluxe edition, it makes sense.

First, the main cover does depict another viral moment — Williams leaping into the air for a fourth-down pass that changed the course of the playoffs. Had he not found Odunze then to make that touchdown, it would have been the Packers advancing.

Second, Williams would go on to make another sensational fourth-down touchdown throw in the snow against the Rams, pushing them to their limits. Williams already had the nickname, Iceman. That showed why. Now he’s depicted in his Iceman pose, surrounded by snow, on the alternate cover.

You also have to wonder if they picked Caleb against the Chicago skyline as a quiet thank you to the city about to lose its team for good. They aren’t in Indiana yet, but it’s looking more likely.

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So what about Madden 28? Which way will that one go? The left field choice of Caleb Williams this year, and the iconic Saquon cover, show that anyone can make it with the right play at the right time.

They could go the classic route if Mendoza lives up to expectations and becomes the Offensive Rookie of the Year. It could be Mahomes again if he has the comeback year Chiefs fans pray for.

Or, how about we finally get a defensive player?