Every ‘Madden NFL’ cover star since 2000

We’re looking at all Madden NFL covers from the last two decades.

Editor’s note: This post was updated for 2024.

The Madden series has been around since EA Sports released John Madden Football on MS-DOS in 1988.

For the first decade, Madden himself graced the cover. The Super Bowl-winning coach-turned-fan-favorite-broadcaster-turned-Turducken-evangelizer is also something of a master at building a personal brand. Even though he hadn’t broadcasted a game since 2009, he remained a household name thanks to EA’s best-selling franchise.

After 2000, Mr. Madden finally started to share the screen with NFL superstars. Here’s a look at every player who’s been on a Madden cover. And remember: Patrick Mahomes is among the athletes to show the “Madden Curse” is just a myth.

MORE:

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The most hilarious ‘Madden NFL 22’ bugs and glitches

Madden NFL 22 has its fair share of bugs and some of them are hilarious.

There are many different types of video games. Some are just meant to be relaxing and casual to play, while others are built to test your reflexes and get you all competitive. Madden NFL 22 falls in the latter camp, aiming to bring you onto the field and make you feel like you actually participated in an NFL match. Most of the time, this works. You go out, play as best as you can, and you hope for that touchdown that will help you win the whole league.

But sometimes, things don’t go as planned. As with most video games, Madden NFL 22 is not free of bugs and glitches. And while some might be borderline annoying, some are hilarious. In this list, we have selected some of the funniest bugs and glitches that you can see in the latest installment. Let’s go!

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Ohio State football roster announced for Madden 22 Campus Legends

A look at all 32 Ohio State players that are a part of EA Sports NFL Madden 22’s Campus Legends mode. Active now.

In case you missed some pretty significant news — at least if you have been missing EA Sports’ NCAA Football, Madden NFL 22 has brought Ohio State to its Campus Legends mode. That’s right, you can once again play a football video game using the scarlet and gray, but only for a limited time, through January 31.

The opportunity began on January 14 and we weren’t originally sure what former Buckeye greats would be included until now. We’ve now got the entire 32-man roster you can choose from. It’s a literally who’s who of mainly recent Buckeye stars, and we’re sure you are going to enjoy every moment of it if you haven’t taken part already.

Here is a look at all former Ohio State football players that are a part of the roster for NFL Madden 22’s Buckeye roster. Go have some fun.

First … The offense

Ranking the best free mobile sports games right now

Wanna play golf? Tennis? Baseball? There’s an app for that.

Finding the best mobile sports title in a world where apps are made like pancakes can be a challenge. This can be even more the case when talking about sports mobile games in times of pandemic. After all, some of us don’t move as much and want to get a sense of activity. This is where sports games come in.

This ranking tackles the top sports mobile games available for free right now. From basketball to snowboarding, tennis, soccer, football, baseball, and even some Formula 1 – we’ve got them all. Take a deep dive with us to explore the world of the current picks for sports titles on the go.

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Titans’ Kevin Byard reacts to ‘Madden NFL 22’ botching his character model

Titans safety Kevin Byard’s character model in “Madden NFL 22” isn’t even remotely close.

Tennessee Titans safety Kevin Byard is no stranger to having a poorly-done character model in “Madden NFL” video games over the years, and it has happened once again in “Madden NFL 22.”

A Titans fan (@Allen_m on Twitter) shared a screenshot of Byard from the popular video game, and it’s clear that “Madden NFL 22” didn’t even try to get it right.

Instead of capturing the handsome, strapping young lad that Byard is, we get a hairless imposter with a face that doesn’t even come close to looking like the Titans safety — like, at all.

Shortly after the screenshot made the rounds, Byard reacted to it:

Whether Byard was available for the face scan or not is irrelevant; the game could have at least tried to come close to getting the former All-Pro’s character model right.

As the Titans fan in the original tweet points out, Byard’s model looks a lot like actor Dulé Hill, who has appeared in several television shows and movies over the years, including “Psych.”

As a matter of fact, the resemblance is uncanny, as you can see in the photo below (Hill is on the right).

Photo by Amy Sussman/Invision/AP

Something similar happened two years ago when “Madden NFL 20” also got it wrong; although this year’s version is definitely worse.

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WATCH: Jaguars players react to their Madden ratings

Jaguars players weren’t pleased with their ratings in the new Madden game.

With the NFL season just around the corner, another time-honored tradition is also about to arrive: the annual release of EA Sports’ Madden NFL video game. And as reliably as you can count on sports games releasing every year, you can believe that players will be unhappy with their Madden rankings.

Jacksonville safety Rayshawn Jenkins is one of those players.

“Madden obviously don’t watch film,” Jenkins said in a video tweeted by the official Jags account. “How I been the same overall for the past four years? Come on, bro… go watch the film, go look at my stats. Do that for me.”

Not everyone feels the same way, though. Defensive end Dawuane Smoot, a 71 overall, said he was just happy to be rated higher than he was last year. Receiver Phillip Dorsett II, who is a 75 overall but possesses 93 speed, said he just wants his speed to be higher.

Tight end Chris Manhertz, who just joined the team from Carolina as a free agent, wasn’t happy to hear he had a 70 overall.

“That’s average,” he sighed.

Rookie running back Travis Etienne has a surprisingly high rating for a rookie, even one taken in the first round, at 76 overall. However, he wasn’t pleased with this either.

“It’s going to be up definitely after Week 1,” he said. “Don’t feel too good about that.”

He wasn’t the only rookie unhappy with a rating in the 70s. Cornerback Tyson Campbell (71 overall) said he should be much higher.

“I’m going to prove myself, it should be in the 90s, though,” he said.

Defensive end Josh Allen didn’t even want to talk about it.

“I already know mine, it’s disrespectful,” Allen said, though he wouldn’t elaborate. “I don’t really want to say, it’s not for TV purposes.”

If there’s anyone on the team who should be happy with their rating, it’s cornerback Shaquill Griffin, whose 85 overall is the third-highest on the team. But the free-agent acquisition from Seattle said he wants to be in the 90s.

“Madden, after this year I better be over a 90,” he said. “I ain’t playing with y’all.”

The Jaguars are certainly a team with a lot to prove this season, and perhaps the Madden ratings will provide yet another chip on the shoulder of a team that’s coming off a 1-15 season.

Watch: Eagles players react to their ‘Madden NFL 22’ ratings

Watch: Eagles players react to their ‘Madden NFL 22’ ratings

EA Sports is set to officially release ‘Madden NFL 22’ later this month and the players are still reacting to their ratings.

“Do they rate us blindfolded?”

Guys spent most of the reaction trying to figure out who the highest-rated player was and why Jordan Mailata was rated so low.

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Madden 22 ratings: Chicago Bears LB Roquan Smith

The former Georgia star racked up 139 tackles, four sacks and two interceptions for the Bears in 2020.

Madden, the popular NFL video game produced by EA Sports, has released new player ratings ahead of the new edition set to hit stores on Aug. 20.

The first former Georgia Bulldog to be rated was Nick Chubb, who was given a 96 overall rating out of 99, good enough to rank him 2nd among all running backs.

Next up is former star linebacker Roquan Smith. The Chicago Bear is entering his fourth season after earning All-Pro second team honors in 2020 after racking up 139 tackles, four sacks, two interceptions and seven passes defended.

Smith is rated at 88 overall, which puts him at No. 7 among all NFL linebackers.

Smith had one of the best linebacker seasons in Georgia history during the Bulldogs championship run in 2017. The Montezuma, Ga., native earned SEC Championship MVP and All-America First Team honors, was named the AP SEC Defensive Player of the Year and won the 2017 Butkus Award, given to the nation’s top linebacker.

Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Roquan Smith (3) is awarded MVP after defeating the Auburn Tigers in the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Now, Smith is poised for another big season in Chicago in 2021. The Bears will kick off the year in a preseason matchup with the Dolphins on Aug. 14.

Titans’ Ryan Tannehill gets top 10 QB rating in Madden NFL 22

It’s a bad day for the Ryan Tannehill haters out there.

Examples of respect for what Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill has accomplished over the past few seasons are few and far between, but he is getting some from “Madden NFL 22” of all places.

The wildly-popular franchise revealed its top-10 quarterback ratings ahead of the game’s release next month, and in them Tannehill is tied for No. 8 with a rating of 87. Dallas Cowboys quarterback, Dak Prescott, received the same.

The only quarterback behind Tannehill in the top 10 is Atlanta Falcons signal-caller, Matt Ryan. The Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Tom Brady, and the Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers own the top-three spots, in that order.

Here’s a look at the full list.

It’s a bad day for all of the Tannehill haters out there.

“Madden NFL 22” hasn’t been totally kind to the Titans in their ratings, though.

After all, running back Derrick Henry received the second-highest overall rating among rushers despite being the best back in the NFL, and his break tackle rating was third at the position.

“Madden NFL 22” also released its list of the highest-rated safeties, and safety Kevin Byard was not on it.

The video game did show some respect to wide receiver Julio Jones, who earned a top-five rating among players at his position, but fellow wideout A.J. Brown did not make the top 10.

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Kendall Fuller is a top 10 cornerback in the NFL in ‘Madden NFL 22’

Kendall Fuller is a top-10 corner, according to ‘Madden NFL 22.’

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EA Sports missed the mark earlier this week when Washington defensive end Chase Young was somehow not listed as one of the top 10 edge rushers in the “Madden NFL 22” video game.

Perhaps, the folks at EA Sports slightly redeemed themselves with its top 10 cornerback ratings for the new game.

Washington cornerback Kendall Fuller made the list, receiving an 89 overall rating, and ranked as the No. 9 corner in the NFL.

Is Fuller actually the No. 9 cornerback in all of the NFL? That’s debatable. We do know Fuller is good — and versatile. His ability to play the slot, outside and at free safety, makes him an invaluable member of Ron Rivera’s defense.

Fuller had some good moments in his return to Washington in 2020. Overall, bringing back Fuller was one of the many smart moves Rivera made in his first season.

Fuller is slated to start at outside cornerback in 2021. However, if rookie Benjamin St-Juste can force his way into the lineup, Fuller could move back into the slot where he is one of the best in the NFL.

“Madden NFL 22” is slated for worldwide release on Aug. 20.