Madden Curse List

Today the Madden NFL games are probably much more famous and well known than the man behind the name himself. This NFL game series has been a staple annual part for EA Sports and has been continuously doing well for over 30 years now. The power of this game is such that for every new edition which comes out year after year, there are hundreds and thousands of players pre-ordering the game across multiple platforms.

Thus, it is quite understandable all the hype around the world when EA Sports announces the cover of the latest editions. Everyone wants to know who will be the face of the game for the coming year. As for the athletes themselves, making it to the cover of this extraordinary game is an honor. You could possibly go as far as to suggest that it’s another feather in their cap? Or maybe we should not go too overboard. Nonetheless, it is an achievement per say for the players and their respective franchises.

However, not everything is all rosy. By now most people who follow the NFL closely and in particular Madden NFL are aware that there has been a curse that has followed EA Sports cover releases. Let’s check out below when the curse started and how it has affected the players.

What is the Madden Cover Curse

Although the Madden NFL game was doing pretty well in the early and mid 90s, it was in the year 1998, when EA Sports first initiated the athlete covers. Prior to that, the covers would always feature John Madden and the respective year of the edition. At the turn of the century, though, once actual athletes had already been put on the covers for a few years, people began noticing that those players would either get injured or have bad form or luck in the upcoming season. There have been at least fifteen players who have fallen prey to injuries while several others put in a terrible performance. And hence, this ill fate has been termed as the ‘Madden Curse’.

The Madden Curse List

We start the list with the first NFL athlete to grace the cover of Madden NFL. The first player ever to feature on Madden NFL was the San Francisco 49ers running back Garrison Hearst. Although, this cover was only for the international market whereas the US market still retained John Madden till the year 2000.

Madden NFL 99 - Garrison Hearst (cover)

Garrison Hearst, the 49ers running back had an excellent season in 1998 when he rushed for over 1500 yards. With an average of 5.1 yards per carry, he went on to set franchise records with total rushing yards and combined yards for the season. He also had the longest running play in the NFL when he ran for a 96 yard touchdown to seal the game in overtime against the New York Jets. On the back of Hearst’s performance in the regular season, the 49ers made the playoffs that year.

Unfortunately though, in the DIvisional round against the Atlanta Falcons, Hearst would suffer a vicious ankle break when foot got stuck in the turf on the very first play. Post surgery, he ran into some complications and required two years to make his comeback.

Madden NFL 2000 - Barry Sanders & Dorsey Levens (cover)

Those who were regular viewers of the NFL in the 90s should know who Barry Sanders is. The versatile running back for the Detroit Lions is regarded as one of the best in his position. He made the Pro Bowl in all of his 10 years in the league and always made the Lions a legitimate threat. Sanders was a powerful running back who rushed for over 2000 yards in a season and had many years where he rushed for more than 1500 yards.

Dorsey Levens on the other hand was not so famous at the time. He was younger with very less experience on his side making his selection on the cover a surprising one. But, he had a great year in 1997 which put him in the list of fast upcoming stars in the league.

In a shocking move though, Barry Sanders announced his decision to retire from the game just a few months after making the cover of Madden 2000. Why and what prompted Sanders to take such a decision is not very clear but it seems that he was having some problems with the management of the Detroit Lions which prompted him to act accordingly.

With Sanders retiring, Madden NFL 2000 turned their attention to Levens. And after making the cover, Levens suffered a pair of knee injuries which limited his involvement to a reserve role.

Madden NFL 2001 - Eddie George (cover)

By the end of the 1999 season, Eddie George had rushed for more than 1200 yards in each of his previous four seasons. He was also a key figure in helping the Tennessee Titans make it to the Super Bowl that year. Naturally, George was a great candidate for the Madden NFL 2001 cover.

After making it on the cover, it looked like Eddie George and the Titans could possibly win the Championship game this time as they were in great form heading into the playoffs. Unfortunately for George, he threw an interception late in the game against the Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional round ending their season. After that year, George’s performance started to falter and he was not the same menace on the field as before.

Madden NFL 2002 - Daunte Culpepper (cover)

Daunte Culpepper was another relatively young quarterback who played for the Minnesota Vikings. Drafted in 1999, he got the starting job in 2000. He helped the Vikings to an 11-5 record and led them to the NFC Championship game.

After he was selected to the cover of Madden NFL 2002, he started struggling throwing more interceptions than touchdowns in the next two years. He also suffered a knee injury in the 2001 season making him miss the rest of the season. It was around this time that people first started discussing the degrading performances of athletes after they were featured on the game’s cover.

Madden NFL 2003 - Marshall Faulk (cover)

Marshall Faulk was another legendary running back who played for the St. Louis Rams back then. The Rams had made the Super Bowl on 2 occasions in a span of 3 years winning one of them. Faulk along with Kurt Warner and the rest of the team were a powerful offense and were known as ‘The Greatest Show On Turf’. Marshall Faulk had by then won the league MVP and two Offensive Player of the Year Awards. It looked as though the Rams would continue to dominate and push towards another Lombardi Trophy.

However, that was not how it happened. The immediate season after Faulk made it to the cover, his performance started declining so much that he could never reach 1,000 rushing yards in a season again.

Madden NFL 2004 - Michael Vick (cover)

Michael Vick, the quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons redefined what mobile quarterbacks were. He had so much success in rushing the ball that he finished with over 6,000 yards on the ground with an average of 7 yards per rush making both of those stats NFL records for a quarterback.

When the 2003 preseason started, Vick was already on the cover of Madden NFL 2004. In a game against the Baltimore Ravens, he fractured his right fibula and missed the first 11 games of the season.

Madden NFL 2005 - Ray Lewis (cover)

Ray Lewis is the first defensive player to feature on the cover of Madden NFL. He was the heart of the Baltimore Ravens defense. The Ravens were built to win thanks to their defensive prowess and that earned them the Super Bowl victory in the 2000 NFL season. Lewis had multiple seasons where he finished with over 100 solo tackles. He was already a two time Defensive Player of the Year with his most recent one coming in 2003.

Although Lewis’ season after the Madden NFL cover was not so terrible, it also wasn’t one of his best either. To add to it, the Ravens performances also declined and they missed the playoffs for the next few years.

Madden NFL 06 - Donovan McNabb (cover)

After getting the starting quarterback’s role in 2000, Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid guided the Philadelphia Eagles to four consecutive NFC Championship games while making the lone Super Bowl in 2004. Unfortunately for the Eagles, they lost the game to the New England Patriots by a 24-21 narrow margin. With such an excellent run going on, EA Sports decided to honor the Eagles signal caller making him the cover of their next edition.

Immediately following the 2004 season and his Madden 06 cover, he faced various injuries for the next couple of seasons. Following this his NFL career went downhill as he faced on and off field distractions and inconsistent performances.

Madden NFL 07 - Shaun Alexander (cover)

Drafted to the NFL in 2000 by the Seattle Seahawks, running back Shaun Alexander had put in four consecutive 1,000 plus rushing yard seasons heading into 2005. That year, he would go on to have a record season leading the league in rushing yards and touchdowns. The Seahawks would reach the Super Bowl but lost out to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Alexander was awarded the NFL MVP and the Offensive Player of the Year.

As is the trend of the Madden Curse, Shaun Alexander also fell victim to it immediately in the next season. In just week 3, of the 2006 season, he suffered a broken foot which saw him miss out on multiple games resulting in his first season since becoming a starter when he failed to record 1,000 yards in a season. Following that season, Alexander failed to make significant contributions and his career ended after the 2008 season.

Madden NFL 08 - Vince Young (cover)

Vince Young was a top prospect coming out of college and was selected 3rd overall by the Tennessee Titans in 2006. His rookie year was incredible from a personal standpoint as he ended up winning the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year by leading his team to numerous come from behind wins.

In the 2007 season, Young got off to a slow start and then had a couple of minor injuries. In 2008, he again got injured and lost out his starting role to become the team's backup. Post that, he only played three more seasons in the NFL without much success.

Madden NFL 09 - Brett Favre (cover)

Brett Favre is a name that almost all American football fans have heard and rightly so. He is regarded as one of the greatest quarterbacks the game has seen. So when it came to his retirement after having a mindblowing 2007 season, EA Sports decided to honor his legacy by making him as their new cover. However, just some time later, Favre made a u-turn and decided he wanted to continue playing.

He went on to play one season with the New York Jets where he had a satisfactory season but injured his shoulder towards the end. After that his shoulder kept giving him trouble and Favre couldn’t work his magic like before.

Madden NFL 10 - Larry Fitzgerald & Troy Polamalu (cover)

Madden NFL 10 was the first time when the game included two athletes on the same cover in Larry Fitzgerald and Troy Polamalu. Fitzgerald was already a highly regarded wide receiver and he had made it to the Super Bowl with the Arizona Cardinals only to lose to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He had also led the league in receptions and receiving touchdowns by that time.

Troy Polamalu was also a big name in the NFL at the time playing as a strong safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was already a two time Super Bowl Champion with the steelers including the most recent victory in 2008 against Fitzgerald’s Cardinals.

The Madden Curse became somewhat of an exception this time around as Larry Fitzgerald went on to have a solid career afterwards also. There were some dips in form along the way but nothing serious that could be attributed to the curse.

However, the same cannot be said of Troy Polamalu. In just the first game of the season he got injured sustaining a sprained MCL and missed the next four games. Upon his return he re injured his left knee shortly and ended up missing the rest of the season.

Madden NFL 11 - Drew Brees (cover)

For Madden NFL 11, EA Sports reverted to just a single player as their new cover and selected New Orleans Saints’ Drew Brees. The Saints’ signal caller who already had a few good seasons under his belt led the team to their first Super Bowl victory in 2009. That year he led the league in completion percentage, passing touchdowns and passer rating while also winning the Super Bowl MVP. Naturally, Brees was a great choice for Madden’s latest cover.

Although the 2010 season was not a complete disaster for Brees, he did not perform as per his high standards. In fact, statistically he had one of his worst ever seasons throwing almost double the amount of interceptions from his previous years. In the postseason, the team could not get past the Seattle Seahawks who actually made it to the playoffs with a losing regular season record.

Madden NFL 12 - Peyton Hillis (cover)

This Peyton Hillis cover selection by EA Sports was a surprise of sorts as prior to his 2010 season, Hillis had not done anything in his first 2 years. He had a breakout season in 2010 however, where he finished with over 1,000 rushing yards and 477 receiving yards. With his dual threat running and catching ability he was being viewed as a big threat going forward.

Then the Madden curse did its thing once again as Hillis got into disputes regarding his contract negotiations as well as physical problems such as strep throat and a couple of hamstring issues which frustrated his teammates. At the end of the season, even though he wanted to re-sign with the Cleveland Browns, the team was no longer interested and Hillis left as a free agent. From there on it was all downhill.

Madden NFL 13 - Calvin Johnson (cover)

Calvin Johnson was a dynamite of a wide receiver. He had a couple of seasons where he even led the league in receiving touchdowns and receiving yards. Although the Detroit Lions were not performing well as a team, Calvin Johnson was a standout performer.

After featuring on the Madden NFL 13 cover, Calvin Johnson could have also suffered from the curse, but this was another rare example of the curse’s failure. Johnson in fact had the best season of his career where he broke the NFL record for the most receiving yards in a year with 1,964 to his name.

Madden NFL 14 - Adrian Peterson (cover)

Adrian Peterson had regular 1,000 rushing seasons by the start of the 2012 season. In 2012, he took the league by storm with a monstrous 2,000 yard rushing haul. His efforts earned him the NFL MVP and the Offensive Player of the Year Awards.

The following season, he was troubled by a foot injury for many games in the season. His performance was hampered a little and the team ended up with a losing record.

Madden NFL 15 - Richard Sherman (cover)

Richard Sherman is a prime example of a player that is exuberant both on and off the field. Sherman wears his heart on his sleeve and gives it his all everytime he is playing. It’s one of the qualities that has made him a top defensive back in the game. In addition to that, Sherman is also a fan favorite so it made great sense to have him on the Madden NFL 15 cover.

And here we have another one of the rare occurrences when the Madden curse was a failure as Sherman put in another brilliant season which helped the Seattle Seahawks to their second successive Super Bowl. Ultimately they couldn’t get the job done this time around, but nevertheless the dynamic defender had a great year.

Madden NFL 16 - Odell Beckham, Jr. (cover)

The New York Giants acquired a sensational wide receiver when they drafted Odell Beckham Jr. in 2014. He had an outstanding rookie season which was hailed as one of the best rookie seasons ever. And in doing so, he also won the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Season Award. His one-handed touchdown catch against the Dallas Cowboys from that season is considered to be right up there with the best of the best.

When EA Sports featured OBJ on their next cover, he was one of the youngest ones ever to receive the honor. Luckily for him, the Madden curse didn’t perform its magic this time also as he would go on to better his rookie season stats. Eventually OBJ has turned into an outstanding receiver in the league.

Madden NFL 17 - Rob Gronkowski (cover)

In the position of the tight end, Rob Gronkowski easily makes it to the Mount Rushmore. The career he has had especially alongside another great in Tom Brady speaks for itself. Although he was facing injury problems in his career by then, he still had great performances. In 2015, he had another terrific year with the New England Patriots when they reached the playoffs.

The Gronk as he is famously referred to was actually runner up in the previous years Madden NFL cover voting. Carrying over from that, he graced the 2017 edition but as always, the curse took over. This year was an injury laden one for Gronkowski. He missed most of the first four games with a hamstring injury. After playing in the next few games, he was hit hard in week 10 and suffered a pulmonary contusion keeping him out of the next game. In week 12 he suffered a back injury that required surgery, hence ending his season prematurely.

Madden NFL 18 - Tom Brady (cover)

How Tom Brady did not make it to a Madden NFL cover before the 2018 edition is quite perplexing. With the career that he had had even by then, this selection was long overdue. Brady is probably the greatest to have stepped foot on the turf for many people and his career doesn’t need any introduction. However, in 2016, Brady and the Patriots won their fifth Super Bowl ring and gave Brady his fourth Super Bowl MVP.

The time was definitely right for the Patriots signal caller to feature on a Madden NFL cover. In 2017, it was quite interesting to see who would come out on top of this battle - the Madden curse or the great Tom Brady. In the end Brady turned out too much for any curse to also handle as he would have a huge season passing for 4,577 yards with 32 touchdowns. Once again he led the Patriots to the Super Bowl where he threw for 505 yards and 3 touchdowns. Unfortunately the Patriots still lost to the Philadelphia Eagles, but Brady showed the world that he was above any curse.

Madden NFL 19 - Antonio Brown (cover)

Antonio Brown was at the time with the Pittsburgh Steelers who had drafted him in 2010. Initially, he took some time to get more playing action as he was behind many better wide receivers in the team. From season four onwards, Brown was getting more plays and his versatility was an important factor as he made life easier on quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. He had another exceptional year in 2017 leading the league in receiving yards.

From just the football point of view, Antonio Brown did not suffer from the curse as he had another stellar campaign. However, it was during the offseason where things got weird. He got into an argument with Ben Roethlisberger and then skipped practice. The result of which saw him benched for the last regular season game of 2018 and later on was traded to the then Oakland Raiders. Things didn’t go well in Oakland also as first he developed frostbite on his feet and missed 10 out of 11 training camps. Afterwards, he had issues regarding the new helmet. He wanted to continue wearing his old helmet but it was banned. With more roller coaster days ahead, he eventually demanded and got released by the Raiders.

Madden NFL 20 - Patrick Mahomes II (cover)

By now, Patrick Mahomes is a name that every NFL fan knows and every team fears. Even in his short career up to now, he has already established himself to be one of the greatest to ever grace the game of American football. But this was just after his 2018 season with the Kansas City Chiefs when he was handed the reins of the team after a year of being mentored behind Alex Smith. What transpired on the field was nothing short of amazing as he led the Chiefs all the way to the AFC Championship game. In the regular season he put up insane numbers such as 5,097 yards and 50 touchdowns in a high powered offense. Even though the Chiefs season ended against the Patriots in the AFC Championship game, Mahomes took home the NFL MVP and NFL Offensive Player of the Year Awards.

Initially, it looked like the curse was up to its old tricks again as Mahomes dislocated his patella in a week 7 game against the Denver Broncos. The Chiefs feared that Mahomes would miss many games, however, reports confirmed that the injury was not too severe. He resumed his duties as the starting quarterback and led the team to their first ever Super Bowl victory in 50 years.

Madden NFL 21 - Lamar Jackson (cover)

The Baltimore Ravens signed Lamar Jackson with the last pick of the first round in 2018. Initially, he was a backup to Joe Flacco but moved into the starters role after Flacco got injured. Lamar immediately put in exceptional performances and redefined the dual threat role of a quarterback. The next year, the Ravens traded Flacco and redesigned their playbook to suit the playing style of Jackson. He had an even better season than his rookie year and won the NFL MVP Award.

Lamar Jackson became the second straight athlete after Patrick Mahomes to sidestep the curse. The Raven’s quarterback would go on to terrorize the league with his dual threat abilities and took his team to the Divisional round of the Playoffs. In spite of Jackson himself being healthy, numerous members of the team were injured and this derailed the Ravens from going further as they lost to the Buffalo Bills.

Madden NFL 22 - Tom Brady & Patrick Mahomes II (cover)

One of the very few occasions when EA Sports has featured two athletes on the same cover. This time they went with Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes. One has had a career of a lifetime, winning 7 Super Bowls and widely considered the GOAT of the game. The other is on course to having a career of a lifetime, with 2 Super Bowl victories, 2 Super Bowl MVPs, and 2 NFL MVPs among other accolades. This cover featured a powerful pair and incidentally both had swatted away the curse in their previous attempts.

The two players who met off the field on the cover of EA Sports Madden NFL 22 ended up meeting each other on the grandest stage of all in the NFL. Super Bowl LV was a showdown between the Tom Brady led New England Patriots versus Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. As both players made it to the Championship game, the only thing that could be attributed to the curse if at all was that Patrick Mahomes' complete offensive line was in shambles due to injuries to key starters before the game.

Madden NFL 23 - John Madden (cover)

The legendary John Madden, the man after whom the game is named and the man who appeared on all the initial releases of the game before the late 90’s made his return. Unfortunately this time he was being honored for the sad reason of his passing away in December 2021. As this cover has no impact on any particular player, and with a break in the long standing trend, it will be interesting to see if the curse itself will come to an end.

Madden NFL 24 - Josh Allen (cover)

The Madden curse reared its ugly head once again as Josh Allen went on to throw career-high 18 picks in the regular season along with only 29 touchdowns (which were his lowest since the 2019 season). It's safe to say that late John Madden's appearance did not help to take away the curse as evident by Allen's regular season debacle along with losing in divisional round to Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City Chiefs once again.