What is the Madden curse? A complete history of NFL stars who experienced cover jinx

Curses!

Being selected as the cover star for the "Madden" video games is one of the highest off-the-field honors for an NFL star. Typically reserved for the best or most recognizable (except if you're Peyton Hillis), EA Sports has always picked one of the game's best to be the posterchild for the long-running NFL video game franchise.

That said, whether it's by voodoo, hex, or old-fashioned bad luck, NFL stars who grace the cover of the "Madden" franchise haven't exactly had the best health or production luck in the seasons following their feature. Thus has been dubbed the "Madden Curse."

While the curse has lost some of its mojo, a lot of NFL players have still fallen victim to it at some juncture or another.

Here's what to know about the "Madden" curse, and how it's affected players on the cover:

MORE: Why is Madden named after John Madden?

What is the Madden curse?

The "Madden curse" speaks to an unfortunate trend of NFL stars who are on the cover of "Madden" video games. For a lengthy period of time, players would end up injured, while others would put forth unproductive seasons.

Of the 26 NFL players who have appeared on the cover of "Madden" since 1999, 15 have suffered injuries, with the curse tailing off in the mid-2010s.

When did the Madden curse start?

The start of the Madden curse is typically attributed to Garrison Hearst, who graced the international cover for Madden 99 (the first NFL player on the game's cover).

The 49ers running back enjoyed a productive 1998 season, rushing for 1,570 yards and seven touchdowns. However, Hearst broke his fibula on the first play from scrimmage during the NFC divisional playoff game against the Falcons. He went on to miss the next two NFL seasons due to complications from the injury.

MORE: Full list of Madden covers by year

Is the Madden curse real?

Almost every cover athlete has either dealt with a step back in production or injury. Here's the list of players who have been on the cover, and the dark cloud that followed in most cases:

— Garrison Hearst, Madden 1999: Hearst was on the international edition of Madden, and suffered a gruesome broken ankle in the playoffs vs. the Falcons.

— Barry Sanders, Madden 2000: Sanders was on the cover alongside John Madden in 2000, and he unexpectedly retired prior to the start of the 1999 season.

— Eddie George, Madden 2001: George enjoyed a very successful season, skirting by the Madden curse.

— Daunte Culpepper, Madden 2002: Culpepper was coming off an excellent 2001 season, but suffered a season-ending knee injury late in the year. 

— Marshall Faulk, Madden 2003: Faulk suffered an ankle injury that shelved him for a pair of games. The 2001 season would be the last year that Faulk would rush for over 1,000 yards.

— Michael Vick, Madden 2004: Vick suffered a fractured fibula during the preseason, missing 11 games in the 2003 campaign. 

— Ray Lewis, Madden 2005: Lewis suffered a broken wrist that forced him to sit out the final game of the 2004 season. It would be the first time he would miss time since 2002.

— Donovan McNabb, Madden 2006: McNabb injured his groin during a Week 10 matchup with the Cowboys, and was placed on season-ending IR later that week.

— Shaun Alexander, Madden 2007: The reigning MVP suffered a broken foot in Week 3, but would return later in the season.

— Vince Young, Madden 2008: Young missed a game after dealing with a quad injury, which would be the only game he would miss that season. 

— Brett Favre, Madden 2009: Favre, who was retired when he was named the cover athlete for the game, returned to play for the Jets in '09. While he wouldn't miss a game, he would suffer an injured biceps tendon and the Jets would finish the season 1-4.

— Larry Fitzgerald and Troy Polamalu, Madden 2010: The first game to feature multiple cover stars means double the chance someone will get hurt. Polamalu missed time while dealing with a career-threatening knee injury, while Fitzgerald dealt with injuries to his knee and elbow, but would miss no time.

— Drew Brees, Madden 2011: Brees would avoid injury in 2011, helping lead the Saints to the playoffs. They would, though, lose to the 7-9 Seahawks in the wild card round in a major upset.

— Peyton Hillis, Madden 2012: Hillis was voted the cover athlete by fans, and that … turned out to be something of a mistake. He dealt with hamstring issues twice during the season and sat out a game with strep throat.

— Calvin Johnson, Madden 2013: The Lions wide receiver avoided the curse, putting together one of the greatest receiving seasons in NFL history in 2012, catching 122 passes for 1,964 yards and five touchdowns.

— Adrian Peterson, Madden 25 (2014): Peterson suffered a foot sprain in Week 16 and also dealt with a groin injury that same season. He would miss two games and undergo surgery following the season.

— Richard Sherman, Madden 2015: The Seahawks defensive back played in all 16 regular season games in 2014, but would undergo Tommy John surgery following Seattle's Super Bowl loss to the Patriots. He suffered the elbow injury during the NFC championship game vs. the 49ers.

— Odell Beckham Jr., Madden 2016: Beckham would deal with a couple of lingering hamstring issues, but he was given a one-game suspension late in the season after an altercation with Panthers heel Josh Norman. 

— Rob Gronkowski, Madden 2017: Gronkowski played in eight games in 2016, starting just six games as he was dealing with three separate injuries. He suffered a hamstring injury that forced him to sit out a few games, a pulmonary contusion and a back injury that required season-ending surgery.

— Tom Brady, Madden 2018: Brady followed up a Patriot-featured game with a Patriot-featured cover of his own, and as it turns out, no curse can touch the GOAT. Brady played in all 16 games, won the MVP and helped lead the Patriots to the Super Bowl. They were defeated by Nick Foles and the Eagles.

— Antonio Brown, Madden 2019: Brown suffered a knee injury in the penultimate game of the 2018 season, but reports say that he missed time because of issues with the team instead. It would be his last season in a Steeler uniform.

— Patrick Mahomes, Madden 2020: Mahomes missed some time with a dislocated kneecap later in the season, this after suffering an ankle injury in Week 1. He would miss two games, and the Chiefs would go on to win the Super Bowl.

— Lamar Jackson, Madden 2021: Jackson would miss a single game in 2020, when he was added to the COVID-19 list. He would also suffer a small knee injury, but would play through it.

— Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady, Madden 2022: Mahomes would play in all 17 regular season games, but would come up short of making it to the Super Bowl after an AFC championship game loss to the Bengals. He also would suffer a concussion in the regular season and the playoffs, but cleared protocol both times. Brady would also play in all 17 games and avoid any kind of injury throughout the 2021 season.

— Josh Allen, Madden 2024: Allen played in all 17 games during the 2023 NFL season, throwing for 4,306 yards and 29 touchdowns while rushing for 524 yards and a career-high 15 additional TDs. But some would argue he had a down year, as he led all NFL quarterbacks in turnovers (18 INTs, 4 fumbles lost) while the Bills fell short of their Super Bowl goal yet again.

Who broke the Madden curse?

Depending on how you view the curse, there are a few different NFL players who may have broken it.

— In 2008, a (then) retired Brett Favre was named the cover athlete for "Madden 09," but Favre returned to the field after he was traded to the Jets. While Favre didn't miss a game in 2008, he suffered a biceps tendon injury, leading to a 1-4 finish for New York. They would miss the playoffs.

— In 2010, Drew Brees was named the cover athlete for "Madden 2011." Brees stayed fully healthy all season long, helping lead the Saints to the playoffs. New Orleans was then downed by the 7-9 Seahawks in the first round of the 2011 NFL playoffs.

Since then, a number of players have still hit the shelf, but only one (Rob Gronkowski) would miss extended time with injury.

List of Madden cover athletes

An NFL star has been featured on the cover of Madden since at least 1999. Here's the complete list:

*Hearst appeared on the international edition of "Madden '99"

**Alternate version for PS4/Xbox One