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Every Madden cover from 1988 to 2025. What is your favorite Madden cover?
A Visual History of Madden NFL: Every Year's Cover
We all know the famous line “EA Sports, it’s in the game,” which plays just before the Madden NFL title card. That line is enough to get any football fan excited about what is about to come next. It is synonymous with the anticipation of who the next cover athlete will be and how they will pose. Madden has become a cultural phenomenon over the years. What began as a way for NFL fans to literally “get in the game” has turned into a huge industry and E-sport. With so much love for this game and its cover athletes, let’s take a look at every Madden cover since the game debuted in 1988.
1988, John Madden Football, John Madden
The classic Madden cover is one for the ages. Who doesn’t love a young John Madden crashing through a wall of Xs and Os like the Kool-Aid Man? This cover set the tone for the series that would capture the hearts of many.
1990, John Madden Football, John Madden
This version of the Madden cover displays a fired-up John Madden who is as enthusiastic as ever in the photograph. This game kicked off the yearly versions of Madden that we have come to know and love.
1991, John Madden Football II, John Madden
Following the success of the first two games, EA Sports realized that they had something powerful on their hands. This cover placed John Madden among Xs and Os and felt as though he was walking the viewer through plays right there.
1991, John Madden Football ’92, John Madden
This version of Madden was the first to be complete with the year in the title. John Madden can be seen on the cover holding a microphone and speaking to the masses.
1992, John Madden Football ’93, John Madden
John Madden can be seen giving commentary in front of a plethora of television sets on this cover. He looks like he is truly having the time of his life in this photo.
1993, Madden NFL ’94, John Madden
John Madden took the cover once again as an announcer in front of the Bills’ stadium. It is a simple yet classic cover.
1994, Madden NFL 95, John Madden
This cover was another simple cover that gave us John Madden himself. It featured Madden in the booth, which is perhaps what he is best known for. The blurry players in the background provide the illusion that Madden is calling that very game.
1995, Madden NFL 96, John Madden
This version of the Madden cover displays John Madden looking on into a scrum on the field. Madden can be seen with his signature tie and great, subtle smile.
1996, Madden NFL 97, John Madden
John Madden looks great on this cover, where it appears he is pointing to the game player to draw you in and tell you that you can run an NFL team.
1997, Madden NFL 98, John Madden
John Madden seems to be giving a Michael Jordan shrug on this cover. By this point, the game was quite popular, and Madden’s shrug suggests that he is just enjoying the ride.
1998, Madden NFL 99, John Madden
This is one of the brighter covers in the early days of the game. John Madden is donning a suit and gives Madden 99 a classier feel.
1999, Madden NFL 2000, John Madden
John Madden himself was still gracing the cover of the game towards the turn of the century. Something about this cover is inviting yet intimidating. Madden stokes a cerebral mindset with his finger in the air, and the players in the background provide a fun shake-up to the cover.
2000, Madden NFL 2001, Eddie George
Eddie George was the first Madden cover athlete after the previous versions of the game were graced by John Madden himself. The blue on George’s Titans uniform pops on the cover and makes the game attractive for prospective players.
2001, Madden NFL 2002, Daunte Culpepper
Daunte Culpepper was a solid quarterback during his time in the NFL, and his Madden cover photo reflected his career.
2002, Madden NFL 2003, Marshall Faulk
As one of the great running backs of his generation, Marshall Faulk was more than deserving of the Madden cover treatment. His general suave was captured perfectly on the cover.
2003, Madden NFL 2004, Michael Vick
Michael Vick was a man ahead of his time as one of the greatest running quarterbacks of all time. He managed to grace the Madden cover in 2004 after rushing for nearly 1,000 yards.
2004, Ray Lewis, Madden NFL 2005, Ray Lewis
Ray Lewis was a scary cover athlete. He was an intimidating force on the field, and that was absolutely captured on his cover. The eyes say it all for Lewis.
2005, Madden NFL 06, Donovan McNabb
Donovan McNabb and head coach Andy Reid formed a great tandem with the Eagles back in the day. The team was fresh off a Super Bowl appearance which propelled McNabb to the cover of Madden.
2006, Madden NFL 07, Shaun Alexander
Madden 07 was the beginning of a series of very special and excellent versions of the game. Shaun Alexander was the engine that ran the Seahawks’ offense at the time and was deserving of the cover after having just won an MVP award.
2007, Madden NFL 08, Vince Young
Believe it or not, there was once a time when Vince Young was a budding star in the NFL. Unfortunately, his career never fully materialized into anything substantial, and he flamed out of the NFL. He made a solid Madden cover athlete, though.
2008, Madden NFL 09, Brett Favre
That Packer green looks very nice on the cover of Madden. Not to mention, Madden 09 brought great gameplay and fun game modes. An overall solid cover and game.
2009, Madden NFL 10, Troy Polamalu/Larry Fitzgerald
The face-off between Troy Polamalu and Larry Fitzgerald was profound, considering they had just faced off in the Super Bowl. That particular Super Bowl produced fireworks that were alluded to in the introduction of this version of Madden.
2010, Madden NFL 11, Drew Brees
Fresh off a Super Bowl victory, Drew Brees received a chance to grace the cover of Madden. The Saints’ gold is striking on this cover. Additionally, the background art depicts the journey of champions who had been through so much following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.
2011, Madden NFL 12, Peyton Hillis
Do you remember Peyton Hillis? He was a virtual nobody who took the league by storm in 2010. Hillis’ light burned quickly, but this Madden cover was one for the ages.
2012, Madden NFL 13, Calvin Johnson
Former Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson graced the Madden cover during the height of his reign. Additionally, Madden 13 is accepted as one of the better Madden games in recent memory.
2013, Madden NFL 25, Barry Sanders
The 25th anniversary of Madden gave us one of the greatest running backs of all time on the cover in Barry Sanders. EA Sports was not rolling out cover athletes when Sanders was still in the league, so it was only fitting that he be tapped as the cover for this special edition.
2014, Madden NFL 15, Richard Sherman
At the height of his game, Sherman was one of the most feared cornerbacks in the NFL. He donned the fantastic Seahawks blue and those great gloves that formed the logo. All of those features are on display on this cover.
2015, Madden NFL 16, Odell Beckham Jr.
After Odell Beckham Jr. made “The Catch,” he was all the rage in the NFL. This version of Madden added an animation that mimicked that catch. The animation was frustrating as an opponent, yet oh so sweet if you were on the receiving end.
2016, Madden NFL 17, Rob Gronkowski
The Gronk spike is one of the most iconic celebrations in NFL history. It is synonymous with the player and demonstrates his personality. It was captured in great fashion for the cover of this great video game.
2017, Madden NFL 18, Tom Brady
This version of the Madden cover is simply relatively boring. The dark background shrouds the dark colors of Tom Brady’s uniform.
2018, Madden NFL 19, Antonio Brown
Antonio Brown was the top wide receiver in the league when he graced the Madden cover. His cover is simply a shot of him screaming into the heavens, but the black and yellow of the Steelers’ uniforms works well in the photo.
2019, Madden NFL 20, Patrick Mahomes
Patrick Mahomes took up the mantle of Madden cover athlete in 2019 after displaying talent unlike anything we had ever seen the year prior. Mahomes’ cover is not an action shot, but it provides cool colors that can spark the interest of the reader.
2020, Madden NFL 21, Lamar Jackson
Lamar Jackson burst onto the scene as an MVP in 2019 and was rewarded as the Madden cover athlete. This cover provided a collage of Jackson’s career to that point.
2021, Madden NFL 22, Tom Brady/Patrick Mahomes
Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes provided Madden with a cover that propelled the past into the future. It was a symbolic representation of Brady’s ongoing stranglehold on the league and Mahomes’ continuing ascension in Brady’s twilight years.
2022, Madden NFL 23, John Madden
The Madden 23 cover paid homage to the game’s originator, who died in December before the release of the game. While simple, Madden’s autographs throughout the screen were a fantastic send-off for the star player, coach, and commentator. Additionally, the special edition version of the game mimics the original cover.
2023, Madden NFL 24, Josh Allen
Josh Allen finally broke through as the Madden cover athlete in 2023. His cover is simple yet symbolic. It displays Allen calm before a game, which demonstrates that Allen is always locked in, no matter the odds against him.
2024, Madden NFL 25, Christian McCaffrey
Christian McCaffrey looks menacing in his Madden cover photo. He looks like he is ready to run straight through the screen and through whoever is playing the game.
2025, Madden NFL 26, Saquon Barkley
Saquon Barkley’s amazing backwards hurdle in the 2024 season will feature on this year’s version of Madden. Given how profound the play was, this list is the perfect place to highlight an upcoming all-time great Madden cover.
