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Ranking the 10 best all-time Madden game covers

In case you missed it, Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley will grace the cover of Madden 2026. The image will be of him and his now iconic backward hurdle over Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jarrion Jones during the 2024 season. Unfortunately for Jones, he will be featured as well, but not in a good way.

The downside to being on the cover of the popular video game is the infamous “Madden curse.” Many players who have had the honor experienced either significant injuries or decline in production the following season. That trend appeared to break for some time, but 2025’s cover man — San Francisco 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey — got hit with the curse as he missed 13 games with an Achilles and calf injury last season.

With all that in mind, I took a stab at ranking the top 10 best Madden covers of all time. Here’s what I came up with (graphics via NFL.com). . ..

No. 10: Madden 2001 featuring Tennessee Titans RB Eddie George

This cover wasn’t super innovative, but it marked the first time that John Madden himself wasn’t on it. George was coming off a stellar 1999 season in which he rushed for 1,304 yards and nine touchdowns, also tacking on 47 receptions for 458 yards and four additional TDs. He avoided the curse the following year, racking up 1,962 yards from scrimmage and 16 total TDs in 2000.

No. 9: Madden 2005 featuring Baltimore Ravens LB Ray Lewis

Lewis was in his prime at this time and was arguably the most feared defender in the league. The Madden franchise focused in on the defensive side of the ball in this iteration, debuting the iconic Hit Stick. In the season following its release, Lewis recorded 147 total tackles and was named a First-Team All-Pro.

No. 8: Madden 2012 featuring Cleveland Browns RB Peyton Hillis

Unfortunately for Hillis, he is known as one of the weaker selection to be on the cover of Madden as his career took a downward spiral afterwards. However, he made my list for three reasons. The first is that it’s just a really cool picture of Hillis and his physical prowess with the old school facemask. Secondly, he was coming off a very good 2010 season in which he rushed for 1,177 yards, caught 61 passes for 477 yards, and posted 13 total TDs. Lastly, this was the fist cover to be decided by a fan vote, which shows just how popular he was at the time.

No. 7: Madden 2004 featuring Atlanta Falcons QB Michael Vick

Similar to George’s, this is a pretty standard graphic, but Vick took the Madden franchise to the next level. Like in real life, his speed was impossible to defend. We’re used to it now, but back then playing with Vick was like playing with Sonic the Hedgehog. Vick was coming off a 2002 campaign in which he rushed for 777 yards and eight TDs. He was bit by the curse in 2003, missing 11 games with a fractured fibula.

No. 6: Madden 2022 featuring Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Tom Brady and Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes

Fresh off their Super Bowl LV matchup in 2020, both of these future Hall of Fame QBs were featured on this cover. Each had previously been on individually, with Brady on the 2018 edition and Mahomes on 2020. There may never be two all-time greats of their caliber on the same cover again. The game itself was pretty forgettable as the franchise had begun a bit of a decline.

No. 5: Madden 1988/2023 featuring John Madden

You’ve always got to love the original. Entitled “John Madden Football,” the game was available for the Apple II computer. That would hold us over until 1991 when the second version of the game was released, with a new one coming out every single year since. Following Madden’s death in December of 2021, his original 1988 cover was used again for the 2023 edition in tribute to the Hall of Fame coach.

No. 4: Madden 2016 featuring New York Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr.

Beckham took the NFL by storm as a rookie in 2014, recording 91 receptions for 1,305 yards and 12 TDs. He also made his iconic one-handed catch in Week 12 of that season, which is what’s featured on the cover. He did not fall victim to the curse production-wise as he increased his receptions, yardage, and TD total, but he was suspended for one game after an altercation with Carolina Panthers cornerback Josh Norman.

No. 3: Madden 2014 (25th Anniversary) featuring Detroit Lions RB Barry Sanders

Fun fact: Sanders was on the international cover of Madden 2000. For its 25th anniversary, they brought the Hall of Fame RB back. Minnesota Vikings RB Adrian Peterson was also on the cover for Madden 2014, but for the Xbox One and PS4 versions, while Sanders was featured on Xbox 360 and PS3. Sanders’ cover just seems more iconic to me than Peterson’s.

No. 2: Madden 2026 featuring Saquon Barkley (graphic via official Madden X account)

As we discussed in the opening, Barkley’s hurdle over Jones was an instant classic play. In 2024 he became just the ninth player ever to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season, and his 2,504 total scrimmage yards during the regular season and playoffs combined is an NFL record. Barkley capped his historic season off with a win in Super Bowl LIX.

No. 1: Madden 2010 featuring Arizona Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald and Pittsburgh Steelers S Troy Polamalu

Coming off their matchup in Super Bowl XLIII, Fitzgerald and Polamalu were the first players to share the cover of the game. It broke the mold of the old traditional plain white background, giving it an artsy feel. This iteration was also the debut of the popular Madden Ultimate Team (MUT), and was one of the best games in the history of the franchise. Fitzgerald avoided the curse as he had a huge 2009 season, but Polamalu missed 11 games with an MCL injury.

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