Matthew Stafford could earn another career-first accolade this offseason. Coming off the heels of his MVP victory in 2026, the Los Angeles Rams star and 17-year NFL veteran could be on the shortlist for something few other NFL players achieve: Gracing the cover of a video game.
NFL.com’s Bobby Kownack named Stafford as one of his top five contenders to grace the cover of Madden NFL 27, along with Bijan Robinson, Kenneth Walker, Myles Garrett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Heading into his 18th NFL season, Stafford’s never had a better shot at becoming a Madden cover boy. His 2025 campaign was that good. All that was missing was a trip to the Super Bowl, as he and the Rams fell just short in the NFC Championship Game. Stafford led the league with 4,707 passing yards, 46 touchdowns and a 7.7 touchdown percentage while throwing just eight interceptions on the way to winning Most Valuable Player. He’s carving out a potential path to Canton late in his career, and is wholly deserving of a feature spot on Madden NFL 27. Stafford would become the first reigning MVP to get the nod since Lamar Jackson in 2020 and the fifth different QB this decade.
Apart from his NFL MVP award, Stafford is also far and away the oldest potential cover athlete of Kownack’s contender list at 38 years old. However, he wouldn’t be the oldest player to make the cover. Brett Favre was named the cover athlete when he was 38 for Madden NFL 08, and Tom Brady was 39 when he was named the cover athlete for Madden NFL 18 and turned 40 by the time the game was released.
If Stafford made the cover, he would also be the second player in Rams history to achieve this accolade, alongside Marshall Faulk, who was on the cover of Madden NFL 03
So, it stands to reason that Stafford has a lot going for him to make the cover this year, if that’s the direction the video game company wants to go down for its cover athlete.
If Stafford does make the cover, though, it could come with the infamous “Madden curse.” The cover athlete has, at times throughout history, dealt with serious production declines or injury the year he made it. Saquon Barkley, who made the cover in 2025, rushed for just 1,140 yards and seven touchdowns this past season — his lowest totals in a season where he played at least 16 games.
Maybe it’s better for the Rams if their aging star doesn’t make the cover — if you believe in curses, that is.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Matthew Stafford named potential contender to be Madden cover athlete
Reporting by Oliver G., Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
