Christian McCaffrey has just fulfilled one of his childhood dreams. The San Francisco 49ers running back became the cover image of the long-awaited Madden NFL 25 video game, winning the race against the Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce.
The game, published by Electronic Arts (EA), will be available starting August 15 on all platforms, just a few weeks after the release of College Football 25, also from EA, turning the second half of 2024 into a dream for e-sports fans.
The video game will have two editions. The normal one will cost $69.99 in pre-order. It will have an item from the cover athlete, two strategy items to choose from, a superstar drip gear, and a Legendary XP Boost.
The deluxe edition will cost $99.99 and will have all those bonuses plus three days of early access, early access to the Ultimate Team Challenges, 4,600 Madden Points, and an AKA Player Item.
Christian McCaffrey is ecstatic
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the Niners star running back said, “Lifelong Dream Come True! #Madden25 Cover.” As usual, McCaffrey will appear on the covers of both editions. In the normal one, he can be seen doing a power pose. In the deluxe set, he is carrying the ball, chased by several rivals.
Speaking to People magazine, McCaffrey said he was “genuinely shocked” by the honor. He admitted, “I never expected to be on the cover of Madden. It’s something that I never even envisioned myself doing or accomplishing, so when I got the call, I felt unbelievably grateful.”
The runner assured that Madden’s video games were an important part of his childhood. The edition he remembers most is from 2001. “Eddie George was on the cover, and we played it on the Nintendo 64,” the runner recalled.
“I have three brothers, and there were four controllers, so it was perfect. We’d do two on two, and we’d play with the Broncos when you had my dad (Ed McCaffrey) and Rod Smith and Terrell Davis and all those guys, so it was just a lot of fun,” McCaffrey noted.
Madden NFL covers
For a long time, legendary coach and commentator John Madden was the cover image of the namesake video games. Starting in 2001, EA began to incorporate players into the design.
With his recent appearance, McCaffrey joined the likes of Marshall Faulk, Brett Favre, Drew Brees, Barry Sanders, Rob Gronkowski, Tom Brady, and Patrick Mahomes, among others.
For this year, the 49ers running back shared the list of candidates with Kelce, C.J. Stroud, Micah Parsons, and Justin Jefferson. Given his recent achievements, Kelce was at the top of the list. However, in the end, it was McCaffrey who took the honors.