For the first time since 2012, the Madden cover will feature an active running back, as EA Sports chose Christian McCaffrey to grace the cover of this year’s game.
The San Francisco 49ers do-it-all running back is coming off the best season of his career, leading the league with 1,459 yards rushing on 272 carries and 14 touchdowns on the ground, adding 67 catches for 564 yards and 7 TDs through the air. His versatility as a rusher and pass catcher has made the Niners offense even more dynamic since his arrival in 2022, and also made him a natural fit for the Madden NFL 25 cover (which will release on August 16).
McCaffrey will feature on both the Standard Edition and Deluxe Edition covers, with the Deluxe being a particularly cool look of him running directly at the camera and away from the defense (in this case, the Las Vegas Raiders).
“To be on the cover of Madden NFL is a career achievement and an honor I share with all of my teammates, coaches and 49er Faithful who have helped make it possible,” said McCaffrey. “I’m pumped to get back on the field this year to give Madden players more reasons to keep scoring touchdowns with me in Madden NFL 25.”
As the EA Sports team noted in a release, McCaffrey was the most popular running back for Madden players in 2023, with 450 million touchdowns being scored by the virtual McCaffrey in last year’s game.
The last running back on the cover of the game was Barry Sanders for the Madden 25th anniversary game in 2014 and the last active back was Peyton Hillis of the Browns on Madden 12 after winning a fan voting competition. McCaffrey also becomes the first 49ers player on the game’s main cover — Garrison Hearst once graced the Madden international edition in 1999.
