San Francisco 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey Named Cover Star for ‘Madden NFL 25'
EA Sports has named San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey as the new cover star for the upcoming Madden NFL 25 video game. Despite the club having such a celebrated history with five Super Bowl trophies in eight appearances, it's surprisingly the first time a Niner has graced the cover of the storied franchise, as the NFL's reigning Offensive Player of the Year looks to continue his reign of dominance next season.
“Christian McCaffrey is a human highlight reel on NFL Sundays and our players love his dynamic abilities in Madden NFL, scoring more than 450 million touchdowns with him last year and making him the most popular running back in Madden NFL 24,” said Mike Mahar, Senior Production Director, Madden NFL. “Christian’s electrifying, dynamic and physical play style perfectly represents the gameplay innovations we’re bringing to Madden NFL 25 and made him the ideal fit for this year’s cover.”
McCaffrey and the 49ers fell short in a dramatic overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII, but that doesn't overshadow the year the superstar back had this past season — racking up 2,023 scrimmage yards over 339 total touches, amounting to 21 total touchdowns and tying the league record by scoring in 17 straight games. “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 in a statement. “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.”
For years, the "Madden Curse" was a very real thing that plagued not only the superstars themselves, but the fans of sed franchise. Since players replaced John Madden on the cover of the game, starting in 2001, a good majority of the Madden cover players have either had sub-par seasons or experienced serious injuries. In recent years, however, the fear-factor around the curse has lost some steam as Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen have all continued to have success — the former two moreso than the latter.
Fans who preorder Madden NFL 25 will be granted an early three-day period to play the game, 4,600 Madden points and much more. The game officially releases on August 16.
