The release of Madden NFL 22 is on the horizon and the cover athletes for the new entry in the franchise have recently been released. On the surface, the cover athlete has little to do with the game, but more often than not it tends to have a thematic connection to gameplay and experience changes.
Madden NFL is a series that dates back to 1988, and the tradition of annual cover athletes goes back to the year 2000. It's good to pay homage to the past and understand what the last decade of Madden NFL looked like on store shelves.
10 Calvin Johnson (Madden 13)
The now-retired NFL great Calvin Johnson was one of the game's most dominant wide receivers during his time with the Detroit Lions. Following a 2011 season that saw him post 16 touchdowns and over 1,600 receiving yards, Johnson managed to win the cover of Madden NFL 13.
The final vote came down to quarterback Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers and Johnson. No one knew that 4 years later he would retire from the NFL, resulting in a strained relationship with the Detroit Lions organization.
9 Adrian Peterson/Barry Sanders (Madden 25)
In 2013, both Sony and Microsoft released their next-generation consoles, the PS4 and Xbox One. It also happened to be the 25th anniversary of the Madden NFL franchise, which is why that year's entry was titled Madden 25 and not Madden 14.
The game featured a different running back cover athlete for each generation, with NFL Hall of Fame runner and Detroit Lions great Barry Sanders appearing on the PS3/Xbox 360 covers, and Minnesota Vikings superstar Adrian Peterson starring on the next-gen covers for the PS4 and Xbox One.
8 Richard Sherman (Madden 15)
These days the star cornerback is dealing with off the field issues related to his mental health and personal struggles. In 2014, the Stanford product was part of the Seattle Seahawks feared secondary nicknamed "The Legion of Boom".
He was the first defensive player to solely appear on the cover of Madden NFL since Ray Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens in 2004, with the last defensive player period was in 2009 when Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu shared the cover with Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.
7 Odell Beckham Jr. (Madden 16)
Odell Beckham Jr. will go down in history as having arguably the greatest catch in NFL history, but he's broke many other records during his time in the league.
When he beat out New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski for the cover of Madden NFL 16 in 2015, he also became the youngest player to ever grace the cover at just 23 years of age.
He's currently a member of the Cleveland Browns and is looking to bounce back to greatness in 2021 following a string of injury-riddled seasons.
6 Rob Gronkowski (Madden 17)
After losing the cover of Madden NFL 16 to Odell Beckham Jr. in 2015, Rob Gronkowski managed to work his way onto the cover of Madden NFL 17 the following year. D
uring his time with the New England Patriots, Gronkowski established himself as a key member of the team's success and cemented himself as arguably one of the greatest tight ends of all time.
He's currently coming off of a Super Bowl title alongside his longtime friend and quarterback Tom Brady, both as members of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
5 Tom Brady (Madden 18)
Tom Brady is not only the most accomplished player of the last two decades, he has an unrivaled 7 Super Bowl rings and 5 Super Bowl MVPs. Depending on if you're a fan of his or not, you either love him or hate him.
He ended up being on the cover of Madden 18 in 2017, which was exciting for some and gut-wrenching for others. Though this was the first time the NFL legend graced the cover, it wouldn't be his last as he managed to make his way back on in 2021.
4 Antonio Brown (Madden 19)
In 2021 it's hard to imagine that Antonio Brown was once one of the faces of the NFL, but before his off-the-field issues and personality became a problem in Pittsburgh he was helping the Steelers find playoff success.
During 2018 Brown signed a contract extension that instantly made him the NFL's top-paid wideout at the time, and in that same year, he was gifted with the cover of Madden NFL 19 and would be the last time he was considered a major marketable star in the sport.
3 Patrick Mahomes (Madden 20)
Patrick Mahomes has been a starting quarterback in the NFL for just 3 seasons and he's already established himself as the best of the best in the league. During his first full season as a starter for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2018, he ended up throwing for 50 touchdowns and over 5,000 yards.
It came as a shock to absolutely no one that he was then named the cover athlete for Madden NFL 20 in 2019 following one of the most impressive first-year outings the NFL has ever seen at the quarterback position.
2 Lamar Jackson (Madden 21)
Now, Lamar Jackson may not be the prototypical NFL quarterback, but it's that uniqueness that has made him special in the league. In 2019 Jackson proved doubters wrong when he threw for over 3,000 yards, 36 touchdowns, and only 6 interceptions.
He ran for over 1,200 yards and 7 touchdowns as well. He was crowned the NFL's Most Valuable Player following the 2019 season, and as an additional reward was named the cover athlete of Madden NFL 21 in 2020.
1 Tom Brady/Patrick Mahomes (Madden 22)
Madden NFL 22 will be Electronic Arts' first Madden title built and developed for the PS5 and Xbox Series X, which comes with a lot of expectations. For the first time since Madden NFL 10, two NFL players will share the cover equally.
Those two players happen to be Tampa Bay Buccaneer and reigning Super Bowl Champion quarterback, Tom Brady, as well as the face of the NFL and the league's best quarterback, Patrick Mahomes. The cover is meant to symbolize the game's modern legends and what the future has in store in terms of greatness.