Who are the top 10 most dominant stars to make the cover of Madden all-time?

Every summer, the Madden cover athlete is revealed and generates an incredible amount of hype. Who will it be? That buzz lasts for most of the summer until the game comes out, and then soon after, actual football is upon us, with the NFL's regular season usually starting very soon after the release of the game. 

This year, Saquon Barkley was named to the cover— reigning Super Bowl champion and the newest member of the 2,000-yard single-season rushing club. 

Being picked for the Madden cover is a huge accomplishment. Only the best players make it there, and sometimes, an all-time great player is picked for the cover – think Barry Sanders in 2014. The game's release dates back to the late 1980s and has picked up steam every year since. That is a lot of star power for the game's cover. So, who are the best cover athletes to be picked?

With that question in mind, FOX Sports Research compiled a list of the top 10 Madden cover athletes as we head into the 2026 version of the game.

The only coach on this list and fitting that it's the coach the game is named after. Madden was an elite coach, but also delivered in the broadcast booth and his games helped integrate everyone from young children to older adults into the world of football. He is the person who has been on the cover of the game the most (and rightly so), but his coaching acumen was a big reason why it made sense. The Hall of Famer claimed 10 or more wins in five of his last seven seasons on the sidelines, while also winning his lone Super Bowl with the Raiders in 1976.

The true definition of a gunslinger, Favre was a prolific passer for a staggering 20 seasons in the league (19 as a starter). He won three consecutive league MVP awards from 1995 to 1997 — he's still