It’s a good time to be Christian McCaffrey.
First, the San Francisco 49ers star running back received a two-year contract extension with an average annual value of $19 million. Now, he is the latest cover star of the iconic Madden NFL video game series.
EA Sports announced Tuesday that McCaffrey will be on the cover of Madden 25.
The reigning Offensive Player of the Year is the first running back to be on the cover since Adrian Peterson and Barry Sanders were on different covers in 2014. He is also the first 49ers player to be featured on the worldwide cover of the game, although Garrison Hearst was on the international edition’s cover in 1999.
“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,” McCaffrey said in a press release. “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.”
McCaffrey was a logical choice coming off a dominant individual season and Super Bowl appearance. What’s more, the reigning MVP in Lamar Jackson was just on the cover in Madden 21, while Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes was on the cover by himself for Madden 20 and with Tom Brady for Madden 22.
All roads pointed to McCaffrey, and that is the direction EA Sports chose.
The recognition comes after arguably the best individual season in a career that already includes two First-Team All-Pro selections and three Pro Bowl nods.
The 28-year-old ran for an NFL-best 1,459 yards and 14 touchdowns while adding 67 catches for 564 yards and seven scores as a receiver. His versatility and ability to impact the game as a three-down back is unrivaled in today’s NFL, which places so much emphasis on running backs being able to do just that.
There is no reason to expect McCaffrey to slow down in the near future either, as he is part of a loaded 49ers offense that also features Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk, among others.
Opposing defenses can only focus so much attention on the star running back, which gives him even more room to exploit as a touchdown machine in head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense.
It is only fitting that the running back who puts up video-game numbers on the actual field is the latest cover star for football’s most famous video game.
Madden launches worldwide on Aug. 16 and will be available on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation5, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC via EA app for Windows, Steam and Epic Games Store.
Those who pre-order the Madden NFL 25 Deluxe Edition will receive three-day early access.