Madden Curse

The Madden Curse is famous. In fact, it is perhaps one of the more well known curses in the modern day. It is right up there with the Sports Illustrated Cover Jinx.

This is, of course, referring to the Madden NFL games that get made every year. Since 1999, the game featured a well known player prominently on the cover rather than it's name sake, John Madden. This was against what the creators wanted, but it still happened. John was never effected, the curse only targeted those that took over his place as a prominent figure on the cover.

The first player to be featured on the cover was Garrison Hearst. He was breaking several records set to get into the Hall of Fame before he was honored with the cover. Then, he got the 49-ers to the playoffs. That is when it happened. He broke his ankle. Hearst was unable to play for two seasons after that, and his game was never the same. Thus, the curse claimed its first victim.

In 2000, Barry Sanders was supposed to be featured on the cover of the game, but retired before training. Many fans were upset by this. The game was re-released that year with Dorsey Levens on the cover. He had a Superbowl streak that sadly came to an end with the Green Bay Packers didn't make Playoffs and Levens injured his knee.

In '01, Eddie George was next. He had a great season, actually. However, during the Playoffs, he fumbled a pass, allowing the Titans to take the ball to the end zone for a touchdown and the win. The following season, he was badly injured and never the same player after that.

Daunte Culpepper was next, in '02. He was a fast rising star. However, after being shown on the cover of Madden, he was not the same. Culpepper had a 4-7 record that season, but the worse was yet to come. He suffered a season ending knee injury and early retirement from the game. Culpepper was the first player to be forced from the game due to the curse.

Marshall Faulk was after Culpepper. He suffered an ankle injury. He could still play, but it was not full time and he never rushed 1000 yards ever again. This would continue to be a set back until his retirement.

Next came Michael Vick, who missed 11 games due to a broken fibula. This was 2004, and people started to see the trend for the first time. He had two more seasons in him before he was caught for dog fighting, but has been doing well since then.

Ray Lewis appeared on the '05 cover. During that season, he broke his wrist and missed one game. The curse seemed upset that it hadn't done more, as the following season, Lewis injured his thigh and missed 10 games. Now, the curse was satisfied.

Donovan McNabb was next. He suffered from a sports hernia. He was a five-time Pro-Bowler, but never went to the Pro-Bowl after he was featured on the cover. This lead to Shaun Alexander, who had season in '05 and '06, and was breaking records. However, in '07, he fractured his foot and was soon out of the league. Many fans believed that, if Alexander had never appeared on the cover, he would have had a great year again.

In 2008, LaDainian Tomlinson was supposed to grace the Madden cover, but fans petitioned the decision, fearing what would happen. So, they chose Vince Young, who was Offensive Rookie of the Year and had gone to Pro-Bowl his first season. However, the '08 season was a bad year for Young, who injured his quad and missed one game. On top of that, he was on suicide watch, quit his team, and none of the other Titans players respected him. He would later become a back-up player for the Eagles.

Brett Farve was the '09 cover feature. He was coming off of a feud with the Packers and now played for the NY Jets, though he had thought about retiring. He injured his bicep, but still played. This decision caused the Jets 4-out-of-5 games at the end of the season.

Troy Polamalu and Larry Fitzgerald were both featured on the 2010 cover. Polamalu, defensive stalwart for the Steelers, only played five games and had to quit due to numerous knee injuries. Fitzgerald, a wide receiver, had a normal season and even went to the Pro-Bowl. That is when the curse hit, injuring a rib and keeping him from the post season.

Drew Brees was the '11 cover player. He said that it was an honor and that the curse didn't exist. Well, it didn't injure Brees who played for the New Orleans Saints. The Seattle Seahawks had a losing season, but still managed to earn a Wildcard spot for playoffs, the first team to do so. Brees threw for more than 4,000 yards, led his Saints into the playoffs, where they faced the underdog Seahawks. Rather than injure his body, the curse struck at Brees' pride. The Saints, who were favorites to win, lost to the Seahawks.

Peyton Hillis was next. He had suffered from several things from strep throat to injured hamstring. He missed 10 games that season, and was not signed back to the Cleveland Browns. He became a free agent.

In 2013, Calvin Johnson was the first the be spared from the curse. He broke several records while playing for the Lions, and so much more. Many called Johnson the "Curse-Buster". However, this break was short lived, as Adrian Peterson was next to be hit by the curse. He did well in his first game, but Peterson had a nagging foot injury that saw the Viking’s record dropped back down to 5-10-1. This same injury took him out of the season December of that year.

2015 saw Richard Sherman on the cover. He was also not effected by the curse, at least, not during the season. Sherman took the Seahawks to their second consecutive Superbowl, but he almost didn't make the following season due to a torn ligament in his left elbow. Rather than get surgery, Sherman chose to heal naturally, which may have been what saved his career and making him a curse survivor.

Odell Beckham, Jr. managed to evade the curse as well, playing an amazing season in 2016, despite some on field disputes that resulted in the Giants’ receiver being suspended a game, but it did not effect his game, though it may have effected the team dynamic that season.

2017 was when Rob Gronkowski colored the cover of Madden. He was missing the first two games of the season, was a rare show in weeks 3 and 4, and really started playing week 5. He sat out week 11 when going up against the Seahawks, and was forced to leave the week 12 game against the Jets. He was a bench-warmer after that and watched the NE Patriots win the Superbowl without him.

Tom Brady was next. He avoided injury and statistic wavering all season. However, the Eagles won over the Patriots, causing many fans disappointment after the stellar season. Many say that the curse didn't get Brady, others would argue that losing the Superbowl that year was the curse getting him. Now two people can agree.

In 2019, Antonio Brown stepped up. Statistically, Brown had an excellent season. Off-season? Well, his time with the Steelers was over, and he requested to be traded, landing himself on the Raiders team. Brown underwent a Whole Body Cryotherapy treatment, leaving his feet frostbitten. Many saw the tie-in with the new format of the game, as it was made with the Frostbite engine. However, it was his helmet that almost did him in. He had worn the same helmet since his time as a rookie, and it was no longer safe for players to use. Brown was upset and got into a dispute over it, even threatening the retire. The only reason for him needing to go to a newer model of helmet is that the one he was using was too old, which could be a problem if not dealt with properly. He was given a one-year waiver for the helmet, but was forced to find a new one. He did not retire, but he also didn't warm up to his new helmet either.

Patrick Mahomes II was the 2020 player on the cover. He did contract a knee injury early in the season and was almost pulled from the game. However, the injury was not as bad as at first thought and Mahomes was allowed to play in later games. He even managed to take the Chiefs to the Superbowl and win it. This would be the first time in 50 years that such an event occurred. Many believe that Mahomes has beaten the curse, but this isn't the first time that someone dodged the curse during the playing season.

Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens is set to appear on the Madden NFL 21 cover. The question is, will he be the next to victim of the Madden Curse, or are the fans right and Mahomes has broken the curse once and for all?