Christian McCaffrey reset the operating again market with a document contract extension this offseason. Now, the San Francisco 49ers star has added one other historic notch to his belt: “Madden” cowl athlete.
EA Sports activities introduced Tuesday that McCaffrey, the reigning Offensive Participant of the Yr, will headline “Madden NFL 25,” changing into the primary 49ers participant to grace the sport's cowl in additional than 25 years. McCaffrey may even be the primary operating again to seem on the quilt of “Madden” in additional than a decade.
The star calls being on “Madden” “a lifelong dream come true!” he wrote on social networks.
Not since Garrison Hearst, former Bay Space All-Professional and Comeback Participant of the Yr, has the 49ers' normal landed on the quilt of the NFL's annual online game; Hearst appeared on “Madden NFL 99,” launched in 1998, alongside the late John Madden. In the meantime, earlier than McCaffrey, the final operating backs to seem on the quilt have been Detroit Lions nice Barry Sanders and former Minnesota Vikings star Adrian Peterson, who shared the dignity in 2013 for the twenty fifth anniversary of “Madden.”
One of many present faces of the 49ers, McCaffrey was the catalyst for San Francisco's run to Tremendous Bowl LVIII in 2023, main the NFL with a career-high 1,459 dashing yards and a couple of,023 yards from scrimmage. He additionally totaled 21 touchdowns, incomes his third profession Professional Bowl nomination a yr after serving to San Francisco advance to the NFC championship recreation.
McCaffrey, 28, spent the primary 5 and a half seasons of his NFL profession with the Carolina Panthers, who drafted him No. 8 general out of Stanford in 2017. He twice topped 100 receptions as a go risk at Carolina. , had a career-high 1,005 receiving yards in 2019. His new contract with the 49ers makes him the very best paid participant within the recreation at his place, averaging $19 million per yr.
Earlier than McCaffrey's announcement as this yr's “Madden” star, some followers did Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow predicted because the 2025 choose. 4 of the final 5 covers featured quarterbacks, with the one exception highlighting Madden himself.