For years the so-called “Madden curse” has held that players who appear on the video game’s cover suffer a decline in production or a significant injury the following season. This year’s cover athlete, Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, will enter the season under that long-running narrative, according to this look back at recent cover stars.
Last year’s cover player, Saquon Barkley, posted more than 1,400 yards from scrimmage and nine total touchdowns, but those numbers represented a step back from his previous campaign. Barkley’s Philadelphia Eagles also fell short of expectations, losing to the San Francisco 49ers in the wild-card round, according to the review.
The 10 cover athletes before Barkley produced a mixed set of results. Christian McCaffrey followed an award-caliber year with a 2024 season limited by injury, appearing in four games and landing on injured reserve twice. Josh Allen combined for 44 total touchdowns but also threw a career-high 18 interceptions. Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady, who shared a cover, each enjoyed strong seasons — Brady threw 43 touchdowns, his highest total in more than a decade, while Mahomes threw 37 — though neither returned to the Super Bowl after their title bout.
Other outcomes varied as well. Lamar Jackson threw 26 touchdown passes and rushed for 1,005 yards after his cover season but did not reach the heights of his 2019 MVP campaign. Mahomes’ earlier cover appearance preceded another strong year that culminated in his first Super Bowl title. Antonio Brown posted his sixth consecutive 1,000-yard season and a career-best 15 touchdowns, and Tom Brady produced about 4,500 passing yards and 32 touchdowns in his post-cover season.
Injuries have also figured into the pattern. Rob Gronkowski battled injuries after his cover appearance, finishing the year on injured reserve even as he earned a Super Bowl ring when the Patriots defeated the Falcons in Super Bowl LI. Odell Beckham Jr. followed his rookie acclaim with 96 catches for 1,450 yards the next season. Taken together, the recent history is mixed rather than conclusively cursed, according to this review.
