Lamar Jackson is the cover athlete of Madden 21

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson revealed in a short video with Sporting News today that he’ll be the cover athlete for Madden 21. 

The 2019 NFL MVP is following in the footsteps of Kansas City Chiefs’ quarterback and 2018 MVP Patrick Mahomes, who just led his team to a Super Bowl LIV victory after gracing the cover of Madden 20. 

Jackson had an incredible 2019-20 campaign, leading the Ravens to a 14-2 overall record, winning the AFC North and taking MVP honors in his sophomore season. He threw 36 touchdowns with a 113.3 passer rating, rushed for 1,206 yards while averaging more than six yards per carry, and completed 66.1 percent of his passes while throwing for 3,127 total yards. 

Although his team lost to the Tennessee Titans in the second round of the playoffs, he was still one of the most impressive players to watch all year thanks to his dynamic play. And because he’s a dual-threat to throw and run the ball, his game translates extremely well to Madden. 

In his announcement video, Jackson said he doesn’t care about the legend of the Madden curse, citing the success Mahomes just had as his inspiration. 

“I should be on the cover of Madden,” Jackson said. “I’m not worried about a curse, Patrick Mahomes he was on the front and he won [Super Bowl] MVP so I want that curse and I hope that’s the curse.” 

An official draft of the cover will likely be revealed along with the first round of marketing some time in June in preparation for an August release, like most previous Madden titles. The last two games dropped on Aug. 7, so that might be the release date again this year.