The Short Version
The NFL offseason is full of major milestones that help us count down the hours until the regular season is back in full force. Sure, free agency and the NFL Draft are nice, but one of the marquee days on the calendar for fans of the virtual gridiron comes when EA Sports unveils the cover athlete for the upcoming edition of the "Madden NFL" video game.
This year, we'll find out who'll grace the cover on Thursday, June 4. This is a prestigious honor for players with "Madden NFL" becoming synonymous with the league as a whole, and (for the most part) just a single player being named as the cover athlete. Most players have now grown up playing the game and dream of one day donning the cover just as much as the y dream of hearing the ir name called on draft night.
For one NFL star, that dream will be fulfilled sooner rather than later. With the announcement imminent, let's rank a handful of players who have a strong case to be this year's cover athlete and follow in the footsteps of Saquon Barkley (Madden NFL 26), Christian McCaffrey (Madden NFL 25), Josh Allen (Madden NFL 24), and other stars who have come before the m. 5.
The Useful Context
Jaxon Smith-Njigba The last time a wide receiver was on the cover of Madden, you have to go all the way back to "Madden NFL 19," where Antonio Brown was on the cover of the main edition, while Terrell Owens donned the cover of the Hall of Fame edition. Before that, Odell Beckham Jr. was on Madden NFL 16.
Wideouts may be few and far between when it comes to gracing the cover, but Smith-Njigba has a heck of a case for "Madden NFL 27." The former first-round pick is coming off a prolific 2025 season in which he led the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards (also a new franchise record).
Not only that, but Smith-Njigba helped the Seahawks win Super Bowl LX, making him just the fifth player to lead the NFL in receiving yards and win the Super Bowl in the same season. Smith-Njiba's season also earned him Offensive Player of the Year, making him the first Seahawks player to win the award since running back Shaun Alexander, who was a prior Madden cover athlete (Madden NFL 07).
The Part Still Unclear
Running backs have had EA Sports' eye over the last few season s, with Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey being the most recent athletes to be on the cover of Madden. If the y want to continue that trend, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more enticing back than Robinson. The Falcons running back is coming off a career year in which he led the NFL with 2,298 scrimmage yards. Robinson also scored 11 total touchdowns.
He's also a fantasy football darling, which oftentimes coincides with one day getting on the cover of Madden. With Robinson just entering the prime of his career, he'd make a lot of sense to don the cover, especially after the year he had in 2025. It's a near lock that whoever is the cover athlete for "Madden NFL 27" is, the y'll be a quarterback.
The game has gone two straight years with out a QB on the cover, and that's far too long for the game's liking. After all, quarterbacks run the NFL, so it would seem like EA Sports is past due to get one on the cover and be the first since Josh Allen was on "Madden NFL 24." With that in mind, let's look at Drake Maye.