Madden NFL 25 Cover Star Revealed

The cover star of an annual sports game series is probably less of a big deal in a world where digital sales dominate, and the game tile on your console will change several times per year to reflect in-game seasons of content, but it's still an exclusive club to grace the Madden cover. That's the company San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey is joining this year, as he's been revealed to be the Madden NFL 25 cover star.

McCaffrey--nickname CMC--started his career with the Carolina Panthers and has been a superstar in the league for years now, especially since he was traded to San Fran in 2022. Since then, he's largely shed the perception of being an injury-plagued player to instead be one of the league's (and fantasy leagues') most dynamic offensive weapons.

For some fans of his, CMC's Madden cover appearance is a dark omen. The "Madden Curse" is said to affect players who land on the cover by causing them to suffer poor statistical seasons or injuries. The truth, however, is cover stars tend to be coming off career-best seasons, after which they regress to the mean during their Madden cover season, and injuries will forever be prevalent in a sport like football. Since Madden started using cover stars in 2000, roughly as many stars didn't suffer any ill effects as those who did.

Still, aside from the talk of hexes, sports fans will surely debate who else could've (or should've) landed on the Madden 25 cover--I'd have guessed Justin Jefferson. Look for a lot more news on Madden NFL 25 here on GameSpot soon, all ahead of the game's launch on August 16 for all platforms, or as early as August 13 for those who purchase or preorder certain editions.