Madden 25 is ready to be released in August and the announcement of the cover athlete will be happening on Tuesday, June 11. However, there are a few different options that EA Sports can go with for this year’s edition of the game. But which players make the most sense for the Madden 25 cover athlete?
List of Madden Cover Athletes over the years
- 1988: John Madden
- 1991: John Madden
- 1992: John Madden
- 1993: John Madden
- 1994: John Madden
- 1995: John Madden
- 1996: John Madden
- 1997: John Madden
- 1998: John Madden
- 1999: John Madden
- 2000: John Madden
- 2001: Eddie George
- 2002: Daunte Culpepper
- 2003: Marshall Faulk
- 2004: Michael Vick
- 2005: Ray Lewis
- 2006: Donovan McNabb
- 2007: Shaun Alexander
- 2008: Vince Young
- 2009: Brett Favre
- 2010: Troy Polamalu & Larry Fitzgerald
- 2011: Drew Brees
- 2012: Peyton Hillis
- 2013: Calvin Johnson
- 2014: Barry Sanders
- 2015: Richard Sherman
- 2016: Odell Beckham Jr.
- 2017: Rob Gronkowski
- 2018: Tom Brady
- 2019: Antonio Brown
- 2020: Patrick Mahomes
- 2021: Lamar Jackson
- 2022: Tom Brady & Patrick Mahomes
- 2023: John Madden
- 2024: Josh Allen
Madden 25 Cover Athlete Prediction: Travis Kelce
Okay, this one is probably going to happen with the NFL’s interest in the Kansas City Chiefs and tight end Travis Kelce dating Taylor Swift. He may be the most famous current player to non-football fans, which will draw some to know a certain player. Having the Kansas City Chiefs on the cover also helps as they are in the midst of the first three-peat in Super Bowl history.
Travis Kelce also is a solid player still as the three-time Super Bowl champion finished with 93 receptions on 121 targets for 984 yards (10.6 yards per catch) with five touchdown receptions. At 34 years old, that was actually a down season and the popularity could be a massive reason why we see a Kelce grace the cover.
Madden 25 Cover Athlete Prediction: Christian McCaffrey
The San Francisco 49ers have been one of the best teams in the NFL and running back Christian McCaffrey has been one of the best overall players in the sport. He won the 2023 Offensive Player of the Year and finished with 339 total touches for 2,023 yards (6.0 yards per touch) with 21 total touchdowns. With the name value and one of the best players in the sport, he could be the best non-quarterback and time is running out for him to get on the Madden cover.
Madden 25 Cover Athlete Prediction: Justin Jefferson
Justin Jefferson did have an outstanding season for the Minnesota Vikings and parlayed that into a massive contract extension. Despite only playing in 10 games last season, he finished with 68 receptions on 100 targets for 1,074 yards (15.8 yards per catch) with five touchdown receptions. Jefferson has shown the ability to be an elite player and could be a dominating figure with name value. He could be a great cover athlete for the game.
Madden 25 Cover Athlete Prediction: Sauce Gardner
The most unlikely of the predictions here could be the most interesting. There have been three defensive players who have ever been on the cover of Madden since the game was released and New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner would be an excellent choice. The big reason is the Jets have a lot of expectations this season and Gardner is already a two-time All-Pro cornerback in his first two years.
Sauce Gardner finished last year with 11 pass deflections, a forced fumble, and five tackles for loss. With the Jets having a vocal fanbase and the bright lights of New York being a factor, he would be an out-of-the-box choice for EA Sports to decide.
