The 3 Favorites to Be the Madden NFL 27 Cover Athlete

The NFL Draft is done, and rookies are beginning to practice at minicamp, and you know what that means: Madden season.

We are getting closer to the release of “Madden NFL 27,” and that means it’s time to discuss who might have the honor (or curse) of being this year’s cover athlete.

As we stand about three months from the release of the game, here are my three favorites to grace the cover later this summer.

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Matthew Stafford (Los Angeles Rams)

Maybe the frontrunner to get the gig, the L.A. quarterback won his first MVP after almost two decades of playing in the NFL. Stafford will lead the Rams in search of a second Lombardi Trophy with the franchise, and hopes to win his second Super Bowl the same way he won the first: at SoFi Stadium.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Seattle Seahawks)

If it isn’t the reigning MVP QB who has never been on the cover before, you put your money on the most exciting, marketable player of the team that just won the Super Bowl.

While Sam Darnold would be a fairytale-like journey to the “Madden” cover, it’s not unfair to say that his wide receiver, who won Offensive Player of the Year, is the more marketable of the two Seahawks offensive stars.

Drake Maye (New England Patriots)

If we’re aiming for a team not on the Pacific coast, why not strike while the iron is hot with Maye? The sophomore signal-caller out of North Carolina led the Patriots to the Super Bowl in his second season and was a single ballot away from usurping Stafford for MVP.

Although the lasting image of him getting blown up in the Super Bowl wasn’t the greatest, he’s a safe bet to continue to be one of the league’s main characters throughout 2026 and into the new year.

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This story was originally published May 12, 2026 at 4:44 PM.