49ers star lands on cover of Madden (hopefully, no curse ensues)

Christian McCaffrey will grace the cover of Madden 25, becoming the first 49ers player to do so in the video game's history.

Never in the history of EA Sports' Madden video games has a San Francisco 49ers player graced the cover.

Until now.

As announced by the video game company itself, All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey will be on the cover of the legendary game for its 2025 edition:

The reigning Offensive Player of the Year who was in contention for NFL MVP honors last season after leading the league with 2,023 all-purpose yards becomes the first Niners player since running back Garrison Hearst back in the late 1990s to grace the cover.

Others may have been close, but it's understandable why McCaffrey is the one chosen. And it's quite an honor, especially among fans who purchase the game on a yearly basis.

Will Christian McCaffrey fall victim to the 'Madden curse?'

While gracing the cover of Madden is a rare accolade, there is something of a curse that has long been associated with players who are featured in such a way.

Over the last 25 years, the number of players who either suffered an injury or down year the season after being placed on the cover outnumbers those who backed up their Madden-cover campaign.

Just check out this breakdown from CBS Sports' Cody Benjamin.

The hope, of course, will be that McCaffrey doesn't fall into either one of those unfortunate categories and instead rewards San Francisco with the kind of play indicative of the recent contract extension and raise he just received.

Madden 25 will be available for fans this upcoming August, right when the 2024 NFL preseason will be kicking off.

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