Which Madden Cover Athletes Have Had the Best Seasons?

June 22, 2023 11:22am

Fact Checked by Pat McLoone

With the NFL preseason set to begin in less than two months, football fans are anxiously awaiting the release of Madden '24.

Following the announcement of Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen as the Madden 24 cover athlete, BetMassachusetts.com – your source for sports betting in Massachusetts – examined which NFL players had the best seasons while gracing the cover.

We utilizedPro-Football-Reference.com’s approximate value stat to determine the players whose performance laughed at the so-called “Madden Curse.”

We excluded the late John Madden, who has been on the cover 12 times, and Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders, who was retired while on the cover for Madden 25 (2014).

Here is what we found out:

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Best Seasons as Madden Cover Athlete

Madden/Year	Player	Approximate Value	Notable Stats
Madden 18 (2017)	Tom Brady	20	13-3 Record, 4,577 Passing Yards, 66.3% Completion,32 TD, 8 INT
Madden 22 (2021)	Patrick Mahomes & Brady	18 (Mahomes)	12-5 Record, 4,839 Yards, 66.3% Completion, 37 TD, 13 INT, 381 Rushing Yards, 2 Rushing TD (Mahomes)
Madden 21 (2020)	Lamar Jackson	18	11-4 Record, 2,757 Yards, 64.4% Completion, 26 TD, 9 INT, 1,005 Rushing Yards, 7 Rushing TD
Madden 15 (2014)	Richard Sherman	18	12-4 Record, 4 INT, 8 PD, 1 FF, 57 TKL, 2 TFL
Madden 05 (2004)	Ray Lewis	18	9-7 Record, 147 TKL, 6 TFL, 1 SK, 1 FF, 2 FR, 6 PD

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Of Course It’s Brady

You won’t need the help of any Massachusetts betting apps to figure Tom Brady is on this list.

In fact, the GOAT was the GOAT in the greatest sports video game ever created.

When he graced the cover for Madden 18 (2017), Brady registered an approximate value of 20. He led the Patriots to a 13-3 regular season record, throwing for 4,577 yards (66.3% completion percentage) with 32 touchdowns and only eight interceptions.

The Patriots went on to win their fifth Super Bowl title in a historic comeback. New England overcame a 28-3 deficit in the third quarter to stun the Atlanta Falcons in overtime, 34-28, scoring 31 unanswered points.

In 2018, the favored Patriots lost to the Philadelphia Eagles for the NFL title, 41-33.

This year’s Patriots are not only a long shot to win the Super Bowl, they are picked to finish at the bottom on the AFC East.

FanDuel Massachusetts has the Patriots at +5500 to win it all, tied with the Atlanta Falcons for 21^st among the league’s 32 teams. The Patriots are +750 to win the division, behind the Buffalo Bills (+130), New York Jets (+250) and the Miami Dolphins (+290).

How the Patriots playoff chances play out will keep fans anxious all season.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (Madden 22 - 2021), Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (Madden 21 - 2020), former Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman (Madden 15 - 2014) and former Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis (Madden 05 - 2004) all tied for second with an approximate value of 18.

Madden 24 will be released to the public on Friday, Aug. 18 with an early access date of Tuesday, Aug. 15.

BetMassachusetts.com will be following the Patriots and other pro teams in the state as well as providing the best Massachusetts sports betting promos.

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