From Tom Brady signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, to the league putting on its first-ever virtual NFL Draft in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been plenty of surprises during the NFL’s 2020 off-season. One thing that’s not surprising? The cover star for the next release of Madden NFL.
Earlier today, it was announced that last year’s league MVP and Baltimore Ravens quarterback, Lamar Jackson, will be gracing the cover athlete for Madden NFL 21.
The talented quarterback broke the news himself on a live media video call, stating, “It’s always been a dream of mine since I was a little kid. Since I first started playing Madden. It’s dope. (I’ve) had every Madden, so for me to be on the front of it that’s a dream come true. That’s an accomplishment for the kids around here where I’m from and stuff like that. It’s pretty cool."
Jackson continued, “I’m not worried about a curse. Patrick Mahomes was on the front and he won (Super Bowl) MVP, so I hope that’s a curse,” speaking to the “Madden Curse,” which refers to the injuries that former cover stars endured after gracing the cover of the annual NFL title. Although, technically, Mahomes did suffer an injury during the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl-winning season, it’s hard to deny that any sort of game curse is irrelevant after the quarterback’s MVP performance during Super Bowl LIV.
The yearly Madden release is generally available around early August, right before the regular season kicks off. Of course, with the global COVID-19 pandemic causing delays and other strains across all industries, it’s possible that the game will be delayed as well.
The NFL season is still moving forward with Free Agency, and even the NFL Draft, which will be held virtually this weekend. There has even been talk of games being played in empty stadiums for the sake of having a “normal” regular season.
No other details for Madden 21 have been released yet, but a delayed release wouldn’t be much of a shock. At any rate, Madden 20 was one of the more memorable games in the franchise in recent memory. Hopefully, Madden 21 will continue that trend - digitally empty stadiums or not.
