Christian McCaffrey wasn’t going to wait long to test his fate when he was named the cover athlete for “Madden NFL 25” on Tuesday.
In an interview with NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the San Francisco 49ers running back was asked if he was at all worried about the fabled “Madden curse” when he accepted the offer to be the cover athlete, and he didn’t sound too worried.
“No, I’m not superstitious at all. I was super excited. It was a real honour. I was in shock when I first got the call. I never thought this would happen to me. I never thought someone would call me and tell me I was on the cover of Madden.”
“So when I got the call, I wasn’t thinking about the curse. I was just excited. I think that stuff is kind of a myth and whatever happens, happens. I’m excited to be on the cover.”
That’s a bold statement considering McCaffrey’s injury history.
McCaffrey is positioned as the NFL’s top running back this offseason after leading the league with a career-high 1,459 yards rushing, 564 yards receiving and a career-high 21 touchdowns in 2023. McCaffrey proved to be a good fit for the Niners last season, who carried him all the way to Super Bowl LVIII.
But McCaffrey has had issues staying healthy in the past, playing just 10 games total with the Carolina Panthers in 2020-2021. Could appearing on the cover of Madden mean further hardships for him?
Let’s take a closer look at how his predecessors have delivered.
Is the Madden curse over?
There’s no denying that in the history of “Madden NFL,” some of the athletes who have graced the cover have had poor years, or even worse, the following year.
Sure, there are some standout examples, like Michael Vick (2003) breaking his fibula or Peyton Hillis (2012) battling strep throat and hamstring issues that got him released at the end of the year for the franchise, but as you can see, the past 10 post-Madden seasons have been full of ups and downs, so let’s take a closer look here.
For comparison, we’ll use a five-point system named after Hillis, whose Cleveland Browns and assorted trolls fueled online voting for Vick after the scandal (probably to the relief of Madden’s publishers).
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Madden NFL 24 Josh AllenHe recorded a career-high in interceptions but had a relatively weak year as the Bills won the division but lost to the Chiefs in the divisional round. 3/5 Hillis.
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“Madden NFL 23” John Madden: Not applicable
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Madden NFL 22: Tom Brady and Patrick MahomesBrady finished his final season at age 45 on a somewhat slower note, but Mahomes was once again selected to the Pro Bowl and stunned the Bills with a “13 Second” game before losing to the Bengals in the AFC Championship. 2/5 Hillis.
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Madden NFL 21 Lamar JacksonHe didn’t play as well as he did in his last MVP year, but he played pretty well. The Ravens got off to a slow start and suffered a team-wide COVID-19 outbreak, but they still managed to clinch a wild-card berth and get revenge against the Titans before getting swept by the Bills. 2/5 Hillis
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“Madden NFL 20” Patrick Mahomes: I won the Super Bowl. 0/5 Hillis.
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“Madden NFL 19” Antonio BrownHe played reasonably well by his standards before clashing with Ben Roethlisberger, missing practice and being benched in Week 17 and demanding a trade. It was the start of one of the strangest periods any player has ever experienced. 5/5 Hillis.
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Madden NFL 18 Tom BradyHe won his third MVP award, led the NFL in passing yards and reached the Super Bowl, where the Patriots lost to the Eagles in a “Philly Special.” 1/5 Hillis.
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“Madden NFL 17” Rob GronkowskiHe missed a single down in the Patriots’ Super Bowl run after missing the season in Week 12 with a herniated disk. 4/5 Hillis, if you don’t mind the ring 5/5.
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Madden NFL 16, Odell Beckham Jr.: He had the most productive season of his career, setting career highs in receiving yards and touchdowns, but also served a one-game suspension for a safety while the Giants went 6-10. 1/5 Hillis.
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Madden NFL 15 – Richard Sherman: He was named first-team All-Pro three straight years and led the Seahawks to the Super Bowl only to lose to the Patriots in a game against Malcolm Butler. You may remember his dejected reaction making the news. 2/5 Hillis.
So it’s a mix of good and bad. It’s fair to say that most of the players who have appeared on Madden’s covers in the past decade have struggled with poor performance, but that’s the nature of football: players get injured or underperform, and their struggles are amplified by both the Madden cover and the expectations that come with being on the Madden cover during that season.
Many of these seasons, even bad ones, would bet their lives on to call a season like Allen’s 2023 season (4,306 passing yards and an 11-6 record) a down year. Everything is relative, there are very high standards, and at the end of the day, it’s very easy to call a season that doesn’t end in a Super Bowl a failure.
So unless there’s a continuation of the phenomenal success that’s so ingrained in American sports and video game culture, the curse will live on.
