The teaser showed two goats, one of which Madden 22 coins noticeably older than the othermaking a noise in a barn before emerging to reveal the date for the cover announcement.
As we only have just a few more days before we can determine who will be on this year's cover so we took on ourselves the task of rolling through a few candidates who might be eligible for this honour. Below, you'll find our top three options for an individual cover and our top choices if EA Sports decides to go with a cover featuring two players, as it appears they will be doing in this teaser.
The last three Madden NFL cover athletes have been quarterbacks, so it only makes sense that our top choice is someone who has a position under center. Bills quarterback Josh Allen is an ideal option for the most recent installment of the video game franchise, especially following a successful 2020 season where he grew into an MVP-caliber quarterback. Allen set career highs in passing yards and passing touchdowns last year, and had Buffalo close to being in the running for a Super Bowl appearance after appearing in the AFC Championship. At this moment in his career Allen is already a star. The Bills Mafia would love have Allen's logo and face on the cover of the Super Bowl.
If you're not interested in having to cover the quarterback I can't imagine why you should overlook Derrick Henry. In fact, there was a possible leak from March that suggested Henry as the cover athlete. Although it's unclear whether or not he'll appear on this year's cover, Henry is certainly deserving of it. Sometimes, the huge-bodied running back appears like something from an action movie as it is a constant threat to defenders every day. Henry was the league's top player in rushing for two consecutive seasons and also beat every skill position player in 2020 for the most seasons from the scrimmage (2141). If a season during which you average 126.7 yards of rushing per game doesn't earn you the cover of Madden NFL, I'm not sure what will.
While you might not like the idea that a defensive player could find his way onto the Madden NFL cover, it isn't really new. Richard Sherman was the last defensive player to serve as the cover player for the team in Madden NFL 15 and prior to that, we've seen players like Troy Polamalu (shared with Larry Fitzgerald, Madden NFL 10) and Ray Lewis (Madden NFL 2005) appear on the cover too. If you're searching on that particular side of the ball as a cover athlete there's no more dominant player than Donald, who has been part of the 99 Club for four straight seasons. In that light there aren't any alternatives to advancing within the game, other then finally making it onto the top of the list.
Following the release of the teaser earlier this week, everyone thought that it was the case. It's no secret that Tom Brady is considered the most successful quarterback ever (G.O.A.T), and Patrick Mahomes is widely considered to be the next great quarterback. So, it's only logical to think that there's a possibility or likelihood -- that there are two athletes on the cover. But when EA Sports trots out an older goat and a young goat in its teaser,, it's difficult not to think of Brady and Mahomes. Both quarterbacks have been featured on the Madden NFL Cover before, with Brady being featured for Madden NFL 18, and Mahomes being the next to do it for Madden NFL 20.
The combination could be Mut 22 coins yet it's an excellent idea. It seems like they were featured on the cover minutes before. Given that they went toe to toe in the previous Super Bowl, however, it's timely.