Trivia time: Which player has had the most 99 overall ratings in Madden history? Answer: Aaron Donald.
He’s been a 99 overall an NFL record seven times, one more than Peyton Manning. He won’t be in this year’s game after announcing his retirement, but it’s a good bet that EA would’ve given him a 99 rating once again after earning another All-Pro selection in 2023.
It’s sad to think about Donald being absent from Madden for the first time since he came into the NFL 10 years ago, but EA has a chance to honor the future Hall of Famer in a great way. Donald should be the cover athlete for “Madden 25”.
Now that he’s retired, there’s no concern about a so-called “Madden Curse” for Donald, which will put Rams fans at ease if EA does make him the face of this year’s game. And as the player with the most 99 overall ratings in Madden history, it’s about time he gets recognized for his dominance on the virtual gridiron, in addition to the actual one.
Better yet, Donald wants to be on the cover. A Rams fan on Reddit screenshotted Donald’s Instagram story where he pitched being on the cover.
Do it madden you cowards (from AD’s most recent story on IG)
byu/barrenarrows inLosAngelesRams
Not only is it long overdue that Donald appear on the cover, but it’s been far too long since any defensive player was on the front of the game. Aside from John Madden himself being on the cover of “Madden 23”, a quarterback has been the cover athlete in each of the last four years. No defensive player has been on the cover since “Madden 15”, which came out 10 years ago – fittingly, the same year Donald came into the NFL. Richard Sherman was on the cover that year.
Before that, you have to go all the way back to “Madden 2005” when Ray Lewis was on the cover. That was the only other time a defensive player appeared on the cover alone; Troy Polamalu shared it with Larry Fitzgerald in “Madden 10”.
By putting Donald on the front this year, it’ll continue the “tradition” of putting a defensive player on the cover every 10 years.
Last season’s MVP, Lamar Jackson, has already been on the cover before. Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes has been on it twice. There isn’t a great quarterback option, so why not go with Donald?
Make it happen, EA.
