By Kenny Burgess Contributor
Updated 6/16/23 7:25pm ET
Gracing the cover of EA Sports Madden NFL Football is one of the highest honors an NFL player can receive. But there has always been a stigma around the bad fortune that follows. This is known as the “Madden Curse”.
Josh Allen was officially announced on Jun. 7 as the Madden 24 cover boy and here at Only Players, we decided to look into the past cover athletes and determine if the Madden Curse is real, and what it could mean for Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills.
*Note: John Madden was featured on the Cover of Madden 23. So that season wasn’t taken into consideration.
Madden 22: Tom Brady & Patrick Mahomes
Madden 22 featured two of the best quarterbacks in the world on their cover. These two had met in Super Bowl LV in the prior season, so it was only fitting that these two generational talents shared the cover.
In the following season, both quarterbacks seemed to do just fine. Patrick Mahomes threw for 4,839 yards and threw for 37 touchdowns while leading the Chiefs to a 12-5 record and another AFC Championship Game appearance. It appears it was business as usual for Mahomes and the Chiefs following his appearance on the cover.
Coming off his Super Bowl win, Tom Brady was unbelievable in the following season for the Buccaneers. Brady had his career-high in passing yards that season with 5,316 and he recorded 43 passing touchdowns. The Bucs finished the season 13-4, but fell to the eventual champion Rams in the divisional round. Even though the Bucs couldn’t repeat as champs, I wouldn’t call this a bad season for Brady by any means.
Consensus: No Madden Curse for either player
Madden 21: Lamar Jackson
Following his MVP season, Lamar Jackson was donned with the honor of being the Madden cover boy. Jackson became the only player besides Tom Brady to be voted the unanimous MVP and was more than deserving to be the cover athlete.
The next season saw Jackson miss two games due to injury, but besides that, it was another hyper-productive season for the Ravens’ signal-caller. Jackson finished up the season with 2,757 yards through the air and added another 1,005 on the ground, and ended the season with 33 total touchdowns. The Ravens had another successful season, which saw them make the playoffs with an 11-5 record. This season saw Jackson and the Ravens win their only postseason game with him under center when they beat the Tennessee Titans on the road before they fell to the Buffalo Bills. Jackson wasn’t the same QB we saw the prior season, but it’s hard to follow up a unanimous MVP season. By no means would I say there was a Madden Curse in this season.
Consensus: No Madden Curse
Madden 20: Patrick Mahomes
Just one year after being the Chiefs’ full-time starter, Mahomes was put on the Madden Cover for the first time. The year prior, Mahomes took the league by storm, throwing for 50 touchdown passes and accumulating 5,000 yards through the air. Not only were his counting numbers impressive, but Mahomes was also flashy and played with a unique style. This made him the obvious and at the time, the only choice to be on the cover of Madden.
The next season did start off perfectly for Mahomes as he missed two games at the end of October with a knee injury, but that didn’t prevent him from having another solid season. Mahomes recorded 28 total touchdowns and had an elite passer rating of 105.3. The Chiefs ended up the season with a 12-4 record and winning the AFC Championship. In Super Bowl LIV, the Chiefs went on to beat the 49ers 31-20 and Mahomes was named the game’s MVP. Regardless of his small hiccup with injuries/some lower counting numbers, Mahomes was still incredible and his season ended with the Lombardi Trophy. I definitely don’t think winning a Super Bowl and being named the MVP classifies as a Madden Curse.
Consensus: No Madden Curse
Madden 19: Antonio Brown
While nowadays Antonio Brown is more well-known for his off-the-field antics, people may forget that for a stretch of time, he was one of the most dominant receivers of all time. Brown earned the cover after racking up a league-leading 1,533 yards while averaging 109.5 yards per game and hauling in nine touchdown passes. This production teamed with Brown’s eccentric personality and his noteworthy touchdown dances made him a dream cover athlete for EA Sports at the time.
The following season was Brown’s final season in Pittsburgh and he continued to be one of the best receivers in the NFL. Brown had 104 receptions for 1,297 yards and a league-leading 15 touchdowns. Brown’s dominant season was more of the same and he showed no signs of suffering from the Madden Curse.
Consensus: No Madden Curse
Madden 18: Tom Brady
The year prior to appearing on the Madden Cover was an interesting one for Brady — he was coming off a season where he had to sit out the first four games of the season due to his role in the “Deflategate” scandal. It didn’t matter much to Brady and his Patriots as they went on to win Super Bowl LI with a historic comeback win against the Atlanta Falcons.
After being named the cover athlete, Brady did what he does best and defied all the odds by beating the Madden Curse. Brady threw for a league-leading 4,577 yards, and 32 touchdowns, and was named NFL MVP. The Patriots reached another Super Bowl, but ended up falling short to Nick Foles and the Eagles. This seemed to be another successful season for a cover athlete and many called this the beginning of the end for the Madden Curse.
Consensus: No Madden Curse
Now what does this mean for Allen and his Bills this season? The true answer is who knows. But going off the past five years, it appears as if the Madden Curse may be dead.
Allen’s regular season passing total line currently sits at 4,200.5 yards (-112) and he has surpassed that in each of the last three seasons. With similar weapons returning around him, Allen has given us no reason to believe he can’t surpass the 4,200-yard mark again. Allen also comes into the year tied with the best odds for the MVP title at +700, along with Mahomes and Joe Burrow. While Allen will be in the running for the MVP, I’m not sure if I like the value of him being the favorite. I would advise fading the Madden Curse and riding with the over in passing yards for Allen. I would stay away from Allen as the MVP, but that isn’t because of him being the cover boy. It’s more due to the hyper-competitive AFC.
As for the Bills, their team’s futures bets are some of the hardest to gauge going into this season. This has nothing to do with Allen or any doubt I may have in him, but the division as a whole is extremely tough and the AFC East might be considered the toughest in football. The Bills’ win total is set at 10.5 (-134), their odds to win the AFC East are +130, and their Super Bowl odds are +900.
I have faith that Allen and the Bills will continue their team success next season and won’t be hindered by the curse. I like the Bills to win the AFC East yet again and win over 10.5 games next season. However, while two of the previous cover athletes guided their teams to the Lombardi Trophy, I don’t see the same fate for the Bills and I would advise against them winning it all next season.
I think Allen should be honored to be the Madden cover athlete as it’s something that very few people can say they have accomplished. I also think we can say that over the past five years, it has been proven that the curse is dead. So don’t worry Buffalo fans, this announcement isn’t the nail in your season’s coffin. If Allen and the Bills falter, it will be their own doing.
Photo credit: Josh Allen’s Twitter
