Is the Madden Curse Real?
On June 17th, 2021, EA announced the cover athletes for the next iteration of their beloved Madden NFL series: quarterbacks Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes, who were on the 2018 and 2019 editions respectively, will share their honor.
A player or team’s decline after a cover appearance has sparked some controversy over the years. Fans have dubbed the phenomenon as a “curse” that comes with being on the Madden cover. Today WYE takes a dive into each cover athlete to determine if this is true.
MADDEN NFL 2000: BARRY SANDERS/DORSEY LEVENS (EU)
The first-ever cover athlete in Madden history was the iconic Barry Sanders. Sanders was coming off of a season that saw him lead the league in carries(363), rush for 1,461 yards, and 4 touchdowns. Sanders had also been named to his 10th Pro Bowl consecutive Pro Bowl. This made it all the odder that Sanders abruptly retired in July 1999. Sanders would never play in the NFL after being on the Madden cover.
Dorsey Levens was on the European covers of Madden. He enjoyed a breakout 1999 season that saw him rush for 1,034 yards and 9 touchdowns in 14 games with the Green Bay Packers. However, his 2000 season was less successful. He would get injured and only played in 5 games, tallying only 224 yards and 3 touchdowns. He would be released by the Packers in 2001. He never got over 100 carries, rushed for more than 425 yards, or scored more than 4 touchdowns in a season ever again. He would retire a Philadelphia Eagle in 2004.
Curse Record: 2-0
The next year, Madden decided to keep the momentum going and feature another running back: Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans star Eddie George. George was coming off of a very successful 2000 season that saw him also lead the league in carries(403) and rush for career-high 1,509 yards and 14 touchdowns( also a career-high). The cover season would not be as kind to George.
He led the league in fumbles with 8(6 lost) and bobbled a pass that ended up in the hands of Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, who ran it back for a touchdown to end the Titans season that year. While he was a solid back for a few more years, he never averaged more than 3.5 yards a career ever again. George retired a Dallas Cowboy in 2004.
Curse Record: 3-0
MADDEN NFL 2002: DAUNTE CULPEPPER
Madden decided to switch it up and feature a young up and comer to be on the cover for Madden NFL 2002. Daunte Culpepper was really getting his roll-on in 2000, his first season as a stater, where he threw for just under 4,000 passing yards, 33 touchdowns and led his Minnesota Vikings to an 11-5 record.
Culpepper struggled with injuries and consistency in subsequent seasons. In 2001, Culpepper came crashing back down to earth. He threw 23 interceptions and had 16 fumbles(7 lost). In 2002, Culpepper led the NFL in picks with 23 and had an NFL record of 23 fumbles(9 lost).
2004 was a rebound year that saw him start every game and throw 39 touchdowns. Unfortunately for Culpepper, after that season, he wouldn’t play more than 7 games, throw for more than 1,570 yards, or throw for more than 6 touchdowns ever again. He was out of the NFL by 2010. Oh, he was also a member of that 2008 Detroit Lions team that went 0-16.
Curse Record: 4-0
MADDEN NFL 2003: MARSHALL FAULK
Madden 2003’s cover athlete was one of the best in the business. If anyone could break the curse, it had to be Marshall Faulk, right? Faulk had won a Super Bowl, a regular-season MVP, and was the Offensive Player of the Year three seasons in a row(1999-2001). The running force behind the “Greatest Show on Turf”, Marshall Faulk’s 3 year run from 1999-2001 was arguably the greatest in NFL history. In 1999, he rushed for 1,381 yards while also having 1,048 yards receiving. In 2000, he ran for 1,359 yards and had 18 rushing touchdowns. In 2001, he ran for a career-high 1,382 yards and had a career-high 9 receiving touchdowns. But after being featured on the Madden cover, it all went downhill. Faulk would never rush for 1,000 yards again and in his final season in 2005, he started one game. It’s the only time in his career where he failed to score a single rushing touchdown.
Curse Record: 5-0
Madden 2004 is still arguably the greatest game ever made in the series. Madden needed a PLAYMAKER on the cover and chose to feature its most polarizing cover athlete to date, Atlanta Falcons’ quarterback Michael Vick. With Vick’s 95 speed and 97 throw power, he was a matchup nightmare to play against. Vick’s cannon arm along with his scrambling ability made him a human highlight reel. In 2006, Vick would rush for 1,039 yards in a season, a quarterback record at the time. In 2003, Vick actually fractured his fibula less than a week after the release of the game and he missed 11 games. Making matters worse, Vick had multiple run-ins with the law after landing the Madden cover. It all came to a head when in August 2007 when Vick was convicted and sentenced to prison time for his role in a dogfighting ring. He spent the 2007 and 2008 seasons in prison and was released by the Falcons. He was given another chance with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2010, where he won Comeback Player of the Year and led Philadelphia to a 10-6 record. Injuries would soon get the better of Vick and after and losing his job to Nick Foles in 2013, he wouldn’t start more than 10 games ever again. He retired from professional football in 2017 after spending the entire 2016 season as a free agent.
Curse Record: 6-0
After offenses were virtually unstoppable in 2004, Madden emphasized defense in 2005, using the tagline: “Fear the D” and introducing the hit stick. Madden wanted an athlete that represented that season’s focus and got future Hall of Famer Ray Lewis for the cover. Lewis was the 2003 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, he tallied 163 tackles and 6 interceptions(career-high) while leading the Baltimore Ravens to an NFC North division title. In his cover year in 2004, he would notch 147 tackles, 0 interceptions(for the first time in his career) but the Ravens would miss the postseason. He would subsequently play only 6 games in 2005 as well. Lewis would enjoy a Hall of Fame career, capping it off with a Super Bowl win in his final season in 2012. Although not the worst the curse could’ve done, the timing is still impeccable. This is highly debatable and I could see why someone believes the curse didn’t affect Lewis. That said, the immediate effects of the curse are hard to ignore, so it earns the point.
Curse Record: 7-0
MADDEN NFL 2006: DONOVAN MCNABB
Donovan McNabb was lighting the league on fire back in 2004. He threw for 31 touchdowns and led the Philadelphia Eagles to the Super Bowl. But his cover year in 2005 was the polar opposite. McNabb’s completion rate dipped below 60%, his touchdowns from the previous year were nearly halved, he threw more interceptions than he threw in 2004 with 9, he missed half the season with an injury, beefed with star receiver Terrell Owens, and the Eagles went 6-10. McNabb would be a solid quarterback for a couple more seasons before losing his job to Michael Vick, being sent to Washington, and throwing 15 interceptions(career-high). He would retire after the 2012 season.
Curse Record: 8-0
MADDEN NFL 2007: SHAUN ALEXANDER
Shaun Alexander was one of the most consistent backs in the league when he won the Madden 07’ cover. Alexander had rushed for over 1,000 yards from 2001-2005. In 2005, Alexander rushed for 1,880 yards, which led the league, and 27 touchdowns, which was an NFL record at the time. Of course Alexander started to decline during his cover year. He failed to rush for 1,000 yards for the first time since 2000. Alexander also got injured and only played 10 games that season. The injury bug would plague Alexander for the remainder of his career, which ended after his last NFL season in 2008 for Washington.
Curse Record: 9-0
The original choice for the Madden 08 cover athlete was Chargers star running back LaDainian Tomlinson. Fans were so fearful of the curse affecting LT however, that a petition and website SaveLTfromMadden.com were founded. EA opted to select Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young to replace LT. Young was coming off a great rookie season that saw him win the Offensive Rookie of the Year and earn a selected to the Pro Bowl. Unfortunately, Young’s cover year of 2007 didn’t go as well. Young threw 17 interceptions and was benched for veteran Kerry Collins. Collins would eventually lead the Titans to a 13-3 record and the playoffs. Losing the trust of head coach Jeff Fisher, Young never was able to get it going in Tennessee. After 2007, he never started more than 10 games in a season ever again. By 2010, he was off the Titans. He played one season with the Philadelphia Eagles as a backup and was out of the NFL by the 2012 season.
Curse Record: 10-0
EA decided to make Brett Favre the cover athlete for Madden 09’ due to the fact that his Packer days were now done. After being the man for 17 seasons, Favre would be suiting up elsewhere. EA even printed two versions of the cover, one in his Packer jersey and one in his new Jets jersey.
During his cover year in 2008, Favre would not only play one lone season with the New York Jets, but he led the league in interceptions with 22. Although he would have a career renaissance with the Minnesota Vikings in 2009 that saw him throw 33 touchdowns, that season ended in heartbreak as Favre threw a season-ending pick that sent the New Orleans Saints to Super Bowl 44. In what proved to be Favre’s final season in 2010, he went 5-8 as a starter and threw 19 interceptions before retiring for good.
Curse Record: 11-0
MADDEN NFL 2010: TROY POLAMALU & LARRY FITZGERALD
EA decided to switch things up for Madden 10’ and feature two athletes on the cover. However, this wouldn’t affect the curse as it affected both athletes in different ways. Troy Polamalu missed 13 games with an MCL after appearing on the cover and the Pittsburgh Steelers missed the playoffs. Although Larry Fitzgerald’s numbers didn’t change too much, Fitzgerald had to deal with years of subpar QB play. After Kurt Warner’s 2010 retirement, the Arizona Cardinals opened up 2010 with quarterbacks John Skelton, Derek Anderson and Richard Bartel. The Cardinals also missed the playoffs from 2010 to 2013. Both would go on to have Hall of Fame careers and Fitzgerald is still playing as of 2021.
Curse Record: 13-0
Drew Brees was the next athlete to try his hand at taking on the curse. Although the curse did not affect Brees personally as he set career highs in yards and touchdowns in 2011, his team was beset by scandal. In his cover year of 2010, his team was upset in the Wild Card Round by the 7-9 Seattle Seahawks, becoming the first team to lose in the playoffs to a team with a negative record. He also threw a career high 22 interceptions that season. In 2012, Head Coach Sean Payton, general manager Mickey Loomis, and interim coach Joe Vitt were all given suspensions by the NFL for their roles in the Bountygate scandal to purposely injure players for money. The Saints finished 7-9 and missed the playoffs. Just to add insult to injury, the Saints also gave up the Minnesota Miracle play, which saw rookie safety Marcus Williams completely fail to tackle Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs in bounds, which allowed Diggs to score a walk off touchdown for Minnesota to advance to the 2017 NFC Championship game. Also in 2020, Drew Brees threw 3 interceptions against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a playoff game in what would turn out to be his last NFL game.
Curse Record: 14-0
MADDEN NFL 2012: PEYTON HILLIS
EA tried mixing things up again with a fan vote to determine who was on the cover and the winner was………oh I’m sorry, I thought about Peyton Hillis and almost fell asleep. Easily, the WORST cover athlete in Madden history, it seemed like he only made the cover so people could make fun of him. His season wasn’t too crazy as he only rushed for 1,100 yards(11th in the NFL), 11 rushing touchdowns(6th in the NFL) and he had 8 fumbles(which led the NFL). After that season, he never ran for more than 600 yards, never averaged more than 3.6 yards a carry and never started double digits games ever again. After bouncing around the NFL, Hillis was out of the NFL after the 2014 season.
Curse Record: 15-0
MADDEN NFL 2013: CALVIN JOHNSON
This year the curse faced perhaps its greatest foe up to this point in Calvin ‘Megatron’ Johnson. During his cover year in 2012, Megatron caught 122 passes(which led the league) for 1,964 yards(an NFL record) but the curse would still strike as the Lions went from 10-6 to 4-12, Megatron dropped from 12 touchdowns to just 5 and played the whole season with broken fingers. Much like Barry Sanders, Megatron would also opt for early retirement, lasting playing in the 2015 season. Maybe a bit of a reach to some but I’m counting it as a win for the curse.
Curse Record: 16-0
MADDEN NFL 25: BARRY SANDERS & ADRIAN PETERSON
EA decided that Barry Sanders would be the cover athlete for the last generation of consoles (Xbox 360, PS3) and Adrian Peterson would be the cover athlete for the next generation of consoles (PS4, Xbox One). With Sanders retired, the curse haunted Adrian Peterson. In 2012, Adrian Peterson had an MVP season that saw him rush for 2,097 yards, nearly breaking Eric Dickerson’s single-season record. He would also take home the Offensive Player of the Year award that year. In 2014, the curse would officially strike as Peterson was suspended after child abuse allegations surfaced. He would miss all but one game in 2014. Peterson would have some solid seasons after the cover year but was pretty much a backup after 2018. As of 2021, Peterson is a free agent, not quite done with the game yet, it will be interesting to see how much gas Peterson has left.
Curse Record: 17-0
MADDEN NFL 15: RICHARD SHERMAN
Madden featured a premier cornerback Richard Sherman for Madden 15. A face in the heralded “Legion of Boom” secondary, Sherman was coming off of a Super Bowl championship and one of the best defensive seasons by a team in NFL history. Sherman also caught 8 interceptions that year which made him a great choice to be on the cover. In his curse year of 2014, Sherman’s interceptions dropped in half with him snatching 4 and the curse would strike during Super Bowl 49 when the spirit of Madden somehow convinced Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll to throw the ball at the one-yard line instead of handing it off to star running back Marshawn Lynch. Russell Wilson’s pass was intercepted at the goal line by Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler and Seattle would lose the big game. In 2017, Sherman was hampered by an Achilles injury that would cause him to miss 7 games. He was released by Seattle that offseason. After spending time on the rival San Francisco 49ers, as of 2021, Sherman is a free agent. Still got something left, we’ll see where Sherman ends up. Another debatable one as Sherman’s play was still very good but that call in the Super Bowl all but confirmed it for me.
Curse Record: 18-0
MADDEN NFL 16: ODELL BECKHAM JR.
Madden NFL 16’ featured the most popular player in the NFL at the time, Odell Beckham Jr. The curse didn’t hit Beckham Jr. directly but he did eventually succumb to its powers. In 2015, his curse year, he had 96 catches for 1,450 yards and 13 touchdowns. The yards and touchdowns were career highs. However, injuries would soon plague Beckham Jr. In 2017, Beckham Jr. would only play in 4 games before opting for ankle surgery. The next season in 2018, he only played in 12 games. In 2020, after 7 games, Beckham Jr’s season was cut short due to a torn ACL.
Curse Record: 19-0
MADDEN NFL 2017: ROB GRONKOWSKI
New England Patriot star Rob Gronkowski tried his hand at breaking the Madden Curse in 2016. Gronkowski made the cover after a great 2015 season that saw him catch 72 passes for 1,176 yards(which led all tight ends) and 11 touchdowns. In his cover year of 2016, Gronkowski struggled with injuries. A hamstring injury, a herniated disc, and other injuries had him placed on injured reserve. Despite this, the Patriots were still able to win Super Bowl 51. Gronkowski would win two more Super Bowl titles since being on the cover, most recently with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020.
Curse Record: 20-0
The ultimate test. Could the GOAT beat the curse? Tom Brady had a great season during his cover year, winning the NFL MVP award at 40 years old. Brady led the league in passing with 4,577 yards and threw 32 touchdowns. Despite throwing for a Super Bowl record 505 yards, Brady and his New England Patriots came up short in Super Bowl 53 by the score of 41-33. Brady has won two Super Bowls since being on the cover, the latest coming with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020.
Curse Record: 21-0
MADDEN NFL 2019: ANTONIO BROWN
In the prime of his career, Antonio Brown was an easy choice for the Madden 19 cover. Arguably the best receiver in the NFL, Brown put up a league-leading 1,533 yards and 9 touchdowns in 2017. His cover year, a season later, Brown would catch for 1,297 yards and a league-leading 15 touchdowns. The curse would soon get to Brown too, however. After 2018, Brown’s behavior took a turn. He’d skip practices and get into arguments with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger which led to him being benched at the end of the season. Brown eventually asked for a trade and forced his way out of Pittsburgh. He was dealt to the Raiders but his problems continued. Brown caught frostbite that kept him out of training camp, filed a grievance over the helmet he was wearing, called Raiders general manager Mike Mayock a racial slur, and even demanded his release from the Raiders. After only playing 1 game in 2019 with the Patriots, he was given a chance by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020 and helped Tampa win Super Bowl 55. Despite the positive turn, Brown’s fall from grace after his cover season gave the Curse another win.
Curse Record: 22-0
MADDEN NFL 20: PATRICK MAHOMES
Patrick Mahomes became the face of the NFL and a new target for the curse in 2020. Mahomes was coming off of his first season as a starter in 2018 that saw him throw for 5,097 yards, 50 touchdowns (led the league), and an NFL MVP award season as his Chiefs went 12-4. In 2019, his “curse” year, Mahomes would have a dip in production but still have a great season. Mahomes would dislocate his patella in Week 7 and miss 3 weeks but still threw for 4,031 yards and 26 touchdowns while going 11-3 as a starter. Mahomes would cap off the season by defeating the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl 54. This one is definitely debatable as well and might sound a bit nit-picky but Mahomes did get injured and his touchdown totals were cut in half.
Curse Record: 23-0
Last year’s Madden saw the dynamic Lamar Jackson grace the game’s cover. Jackson was coming off of a record-breaking season that saw him take the record for the most rushing yards for a QB in a season with 1,206, surpassing Michael Vick’s record from 2006. Jackson went 13-2 as a starter and also led the league in touchdowns with 36. Jackson would take home the MVP award for his efforts. During his cover year in 2020, Jackson also had a slight dip in production: he threw 10 fewer touchdowns, a career-high in interceptions, and fumbled the ball 10 times. Still, he posted an 11-4 record and made the playoffs. However, against the Buffalo Bills, Jackson would only throw for 162 yards and rush for 34 yards as the Ravens would lose 17-3. Jackson also threw the game-ending pick-six at the end of the third quarter and then was taken out of the game with a concussion that ended Baltimore’s season. Similar to Mahomes, the curse’s effects were not as strong as in years past, but it still struck. Definitely up for debate as well.
Curse Record: 24-0
MADDEN NFL 22: TOM BRADY & PATRICK MAHOMES
Madden NFL 22: Tom Brady/Patrick Mahomes
For the first time since Madden 10, there are two athletes on the cover. Two former cover athletes returning to try and take down the curse on the newest edition of the game. Two athletes that, depending on who you ask, did in fact beat the curse in their respective years. With the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers coming off of a Super Bowl 55 appearance, it will be interesting to see what the curse has planned for both athletes or if this will be the year all doubt is silenced and we can finally put the Madden Curse behind us.
Curse Record: TBD
There are some debatable examples of Madden cover athletes beating (Barry Sanders, Ray Lewis, Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Richard Sherman, Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, and Lamar Jackson) it can be argued that the curse was sustained given the way some of these players’ seasons ended (some may be reaching, I know). But something we all can agree on is that the curse has definitely gotten weaker over the years. The earlier victims got it way worse and were never truly the same after the cover but the more recent covers only saw slight dips in production or minor injuries. This is definitely a fun sports debate to have as we’ve all kinda grown up with the cover. But in my eyes, no man has truly beaten the Madden Curse all the way. I believe someone will soon. Nothing lasts forever and all good things must come to an end.