EA Sports announced Friday that it will reveal the cover for the highly anticipated Madden NFL 25 video game on Tuesday.
Madden will officially hit store shelves on Aug. 16, although those who purchase the special edition will have early access and can begin playing on Aug. 13.
Last year’s Madden NFL 24 featured Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen on the cover, marking the fourth time in five years that a QB was the cover athlete.
EA has yet to give any indication regarding who the Madden 25 cover athlete may be, but a player who had a big year the previous season is typically chosen.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was NFL MVP last season, however, he was on the cover of Madden 21, while reigning Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs was on the cover of Madden 20 and Madden 22.
Some players who have never been on the cover of Madden and could be under consideration include San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill, Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
Defensive players gracing the cover of Madden are something of a rarity, but reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns or 2023 sack leader T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers could be in the running.
McCaffrey and Kelce are perhaps the co-favorites given that their respective teams reached the Super Bowl last season.
McCaffrey led the NFL in rushing last season by nearly 300 yards with 1,459 yards and also led the league in yards from scrimmage (2,023) and touchdowns (21) en route to being named NFL Offensive Player of the Year and finishing third in the MVP voting.
Kelce won his third career Super Bowl with the Chiefs last season, and although he had a down year by his standards with 984 yards and five touchdowns, he exploded for 355 yards and three touchdowns in four playoff games.
He was also the talk of the NFL last season due in large part to his relationship with global pop star Taylor Swift, who attended many of his games.
The NFL appealed to an entirely new demographic and fanbase last season thanks to Swift, and EA could provide Madden with a similar boost by putting Kelce on the cover.