Among the distinctions that NFL players covet is being chosen to appear on the cover of the Madden football video game.
Following the announcement of Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen as the Madden 24 cover athlete, BetMichigan.com took a break from reviewing Michigan sports betting apps to examine the history of the Madden cover athlete phenomenon.
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How We Determined Our List
We used ProFootballReference's “approximate value” stat to determine which players at running back or wide receiver have had the most productive seasons in the year that they graced the cover. In this list, we ranked all cover running backs and wide receivers.
Lions Hall of Fame RB Barry Sanders was excluded as he was retired when on the cover of Madden 25 (2014).
Pro-football-reference.com says this in explaining its approximate value stat: “This is our attempt to put a single number on each player-season since 1960 so that we can (very approximately) compare across years and across positions.”
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Best WR or RB Years After Madden Cover
| Madden/Year | Player | Approximate Value | Notable Stats |
| Madden 13 (2012) | Calvin Johnson | 14 | 122 Receptions, 1,964 Receiving Yards, 5 Receiving TDs |
| Madden 01 (2000) | Eddie George | 14 | 1,509 Rushing Yards, 14 Rushing TDs, 50 Receptions, 453 Receiving Yards, 2 Receiving TDs |
| Madden 16 (2015) | Odell Beckham Jr. | 13 | 96 Receptions, 1,450 Receiving Yards, 13 Receiving TDs |
| Madden 19 (2018) | Antonio Brown | 10 | 104 Receptions, 1,297 Receiving Yards, 15 Receiving TDs |
| Madden 10 (2009) | Larry Fitzgerald | 9 | 97 Receptions, 1,092 Yards, 13 Receiving TDs |
| Madden 03 (2002) | Marshall Faulk | 9 | 953 Rushing Yards, 8 Rushing TDs, 80 Receptions, 537 Receiving Yards, 2 Receiving TDs |
Calvin Johnson Stood Out in 2012
Lions fans will be proud to know that former Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson, who was on the Madden 13 cover, enjoyed a mammoth 2012 season. That year was so good, he tied for the lead in the RB-WR category with Tennessee running back Eddie George (2000) in PFR’s “approximate value” with a score of 14.
In 2012, Johnson had had 122 receptions for 1,964 receiving yards and five receiving TDs.
Johnson was in the midst of a streak of six Pro Bowl selections and was honored four times as an All-Pro in that span.
Michigan sports betting customers more interested in the upcoming season can get the Lions at anywhere from +2000 to +2500 odds to win their first Super Bowl in February 2024.
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How Idea of ‘Madden Curse’ Came About
The Madden game cover has been a double-edged sword for some players. Indeed, it is an honor to be the face of the game, but it also carries with it the shadow of being something of a curse. An example of that was Cleveland running back Peyton Hillis. He was on the cover following his 1,000-yard rushing season in 2010, but he saw his career fizzle immediately after that. He was out of the league by 2014.
No such ill fortune befell Calvin Johnson.
After his super season in 2012, he went on to have three more great campaigns in which he caught a total of 243 passes and 29 touchdowns for more than 1,000 yards each season.
Then, he surprised the football world with his retirement from the NFL after the 2015 season.
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Johnson Earned Way Into Hall of Fame
His career came before there were any of the best Michigan sports betting promos to use, as his retirement happened before there was any online wagering on sports in the Great Lakes State.
After Johnson built a resume of nine impeccable seasons with the Lions, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021. He is Detroit’s all-time leader in every major statistical category among receivers.
Behind Johnson in the Pro Football Reference approximate value scoring as a Madden cover player is another wide receiver, Odell Beckham Jr. (Madden 16), who is now with Baltimore. Beckham earned an approximate value score of 13.
As for this year’s Lions, customers using the BetMGM Bonus Code Michigan can bet on Detroit at +140 odds to win the NFC North for their first division title since 1993.
More: Lions Playoff Chances
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