Summer is on the horizon, which means NFL training camps and the 2024 regular season will be upon us before you know it.
One annual milestone on the road back to football: Madden NFL revealing its cover athlete.
The video game giant named Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen as its representative early last June, making him the 10th different quarterback to receive the honor.
Since Madden started using players on its cover at the turn of the millennium, six running backs, four wide receivers, three defensive players and one tight end also have earned the call.
Who's destined for the Madden spotlight this year? With the cover reveal officially set for Tuesday, June 11, I think these five players are deserving.
Top contenders
Stroud's NFL résumé obviously isn't as lengthy as those of many other notable signal-callers yet to grace the cover, but the 22-year-old immediately catapulted himself into superstardom with a transcendent debut campaign. There's also precedent for reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year winners receiving the honor, with Vince Young getting the nod in the summer of 2007 and Odell Beckham Jr. following suit in the summer of 2015. Stroud, who threw for 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns (against just five interceptions), was arguably more prolific than both. He set the single-game rookie passing record (470 yards), led the league in passing yards per game (273.9) and had the best interception percentage (1.0) of any qualifying quarterback, reviving the Texans franchise with a division title and an emphatic playoff win. Plus, Year 2 could be even better, as Houston has set up Stroud to eviscerate all who oppose him after going all in on the offseason with bold moves like the trade for Pro Bowl WR Stefon Diggs.
The last time a running back made the cover was coincidentally Madden NFL 25, named for the video game's 25th anniversary in 2013 rather than the upcoming year. And actually, two running backs shared the spotlight, as the game had separate covers featuring Hall of Fame legend Barry Sanders and Adrian Peterson. Peterson was fresh off his 2012 MVP campaign -- that was also the last time an RB won that coveted award. Now, it could be CMC, the league's reigning Offensive Player of the Year. The amazing do-it-all back won the rushing title (1,459 yards) in 2023 while sharing the lead for the league's most scrimmage touchdowns (21) and tying an NFL record for most consecutive games with a score (17). Considering the MVP award is currently as elusive as it's ever been for running backs, why not recognize one of the league's best in another way? Close the loop on Madden NFL 25 by getting a ball-carrier back on the cover.
The list of top NFL wide receivers is so saturated these days that a single off year, coupled with the short-term memory of some eager fans, can cause one to topple down the rankings. Even so, Jefferson still draws plenty of support as the finest wideout in the league despite missing seven games due to injury. Why? Well, in the 10 games in which he was healthy enough to suit up, the man managed 68 receptions for 1,074 yards and five touchdowns. He averaged 107.4 yards per game in 2023, a figure which A) only put him behind Tyreek Hill (112.4) and B) was better than the 106.4 mark he posted as the 2022 Offensive Player of the Year. Little wonder that he's now going to earn more in salary than any non-quarterback ever has before.
A tip of the cap to a future Hall of Famer?
How can we continue to celebrate the greatest interior defensive lineman of a generation following his retirement? How does a sports game communicate with one image that it's the best of the best? The answer to both those questions is putting the game-wrecking Donald on the cover in commemoration of his magnificent career. A three-time Defensive Player of the Year, Donald never missed a Pro Bowl during his 10 seasons in the NFL and eight times received first-team All-Pro honors. His 111 career sacks stand second all time among primary defensive tackles, behind only John Randle's 137.5. The accolades feel endless. The superlatives to describe him, not nearly enough. Considering Donald was participating in his rookie training camp the last time a defender made the cover (Richard Sherman in the summer of 2014), it'd be kismet to bookend his decade of dominance by ending the drought with him.
The 'Kickoffs are BACK!' option
During the aughts, the skill sets of Madden cover athletes often coincided with specific innovations seen in the video game. With Shaun Alexander in the spotlight, Madden NFL 07 ushered in the highlight/truck stick. Madden 05, the year when Ray Lewis lent his likeness, introduced the defensive hit stick. The year before that, cover man Michael Vick essentially broke the game with his scrambling speed. Thanks to the league's new kickoff rule, Madden is set to overhaul the play this year to match, creating an explosive opportunity for action across the real and virtual football landscape. Enter Justin Tucker, the greatest kicker of all time in the only year it'd make sense to consider one on the cover. He holds the record for career field goal percentage (90.18) and also boasts the longest field goal in NFL history (a 66-yard game winner). He's an opera singer, to boot. Throw him in a commercial and watch him sing his way to some sales.
