Christian McCaffrey was recently announced as the Madden 25 cover athlete. The San Francisco 49ers star running back is coming off the best season of his career, having also won the Offensive Player of the Year award.
McCaffrey contributed significantly to the 49ers’ run to the Super Bowl last year, and now he has achieved one of the best things an NFL player can get off the field. Ed McCaffrey, Christian’s father, expressed his immense joy upon his son’s selection as the Madden cover artist in a recent post on X. He wrote:
“It is surreal and incredible to see Christian McCaffrey don the cover of Madden 25. Proud dad moment! We’ve come a long way from seeing my boys play Madden 2001. And now Christian will continue the late, great John Madden’s legacy! Just make sure to bump my overall to 99 if you find me in”
Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, and Tom Brady are a few other players who were Madden cover athletes in the recent past. Christian McCaffrey now joins an elite list of players; however, some people were worried whether that would bring a Madden cover curse on him.
What’s the Madden Cover Curse? It’s basically a term that was coined after many players who were the cover athletes for Madden in the past were immediately struck with major injuries or didn’t have a great season after they were featured on the game’s cover.
Christian McCaffrey Madden Cover: 3 players who were hit by the Madden curse
Here are three players that were hit by the Madden cover curse:
#1. Antonio Brown – Madden 19
After Antonio Brown was featured on Madden 19’s cover, he was soon traded to the Las Vegas Raiders, and his career took a drastic turn. He was arguably the best wide receiver of the last decade, but things didn’t work out after he left the Steelers. Although Brown later won the Super Bowl with the Buccaneers, his career certainly didn’t end the way that many projected it to.
#2. Rob Gronkowski – Madden 17
Rob Gronkowski is widely considered the best tight end to ever play in the NFL. However, in 2016, after being featured as the cover star of Madden 17, Gronkowski dealt with various injuries, playing only eight games and putting up the worst statistical season of his career.
#3. Michael Vick – Madden 4
Michael Vick is one of Madden’s biggest stars in video game history, and fans loved to play with him back in the day. The Madden cover curse undoubtedly struck him, as he sustained a fractured fibula after becoming the cover athlete for Madden 4. After recovering from his injury, Vick performed well on the field, but a few years later he was sentenced after getting involved in an organized dog-fighting operation.
3 players who ducked the Madden curse
While many players suffered the Madden cover curse, some players dodged it and continued to play well. Here are three of those:
#1. Patrick Mahomes: Madden 20, Madden 22
Patrick Mahomes has featured on the Madden cover twice in his career and has won three Super Bowls since then. The Madden curse hasn’t affected him at all, and he has already established himself as one of the greatest football players of all time.
#2. Josh Allen – Madden 24
Josh Allen featured on the Madden cover last year, and although the Bills lost in the Wildcard Round, Allen did have a good season. He threw for 4,306 yards, 29 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions in 17 games with a passer rating of 92.2 last season.
Allen is a consensus top-three quarterback in the league, and his performances were not negatively affected by being Madden’s cover athlete last year.
#3. Calvin Johnson – Madden 13
Legendary Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson was the cover star of Madden 13. After being featured on the game’s cover, Johnson had the best year of his career and was later inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Johnson had 122 catches for 1,964 yards and scored five touchdowns in 16 games that season. His single-season record of 1,964 receiving yards has not been broken yet, and 49ers fans will hope that Christian McCaffrey goes on to have a similar season.
