Christian McCaffrey was named the cover athlete for Madden NFL 25 on Tuesday. He is the first running back since Peyton Hillis was on the cover of Madden 12 and the first 49er since Garrison Hearst graced the cover of the international version of Madden 99.
Mass hysteria about the Madden curse naturally followed the news of the Madden cover. The Madden curse hasn’t been as powerful as it once was, but as long as people think it exists, it will exist. It might not be as prevalent as it was 15-20 years ago, but every time EA Sports announces the cover athlete for its yearly football game, the talk of the curse rears its head.