Who has been on the Madden NFL cover? Players since 2000 - ESPN

Many football fans and gamers have a collection of Madden NFL boxes on a shelf at home, but with a series spanning over 25 years of annual releases, it's quite the feat to possess the entire lineup — not to mention the financial investment to get such a full set.

Fortunately, a physical collection isn't required for a nostalgic trip down memory lane. After all, a digital photo album does the trick just as well.

To celebrate the reveal that Saquon Barkley will be on the Madden 26 cover, we've assembled the Madden NFL franchise's cover stars since the year 2000 below.

John Madden starred on the series' cover throughout the 1990s, but Madden NFL 2000 marked his final appearance on the box art during his lifetime — it was time for the athletes to venture into the spotlight. The game itself was a fine addition to the series, bringing very much needed improvements to Franchise Mode.

The Tennessee Titans' Eddie George stepped into John Madden's massive shoes, marking the series' jump onto PS2. Madden NFL 2001 was also the first game of the franchise to include teams from Europe, so there's a fact for your next trivia night.

The Minnesota Vikings' quarterback earned his spot on the cover with mighty performances in the preceding years, thereby presiding over yet another hardware jump: Madden NFL 2002 was the first game of the series to appear on Xbox and GameCube.

The Greatest Show on Turf was long overdue for an appearance on the series' cover. Alongside Faulk, Madden NFL 2003 contained another significant debut: Al Michaels joined John Madden as the play-by-play commentator for the first time.

Vick was more than a mere cover star in Madden NFL 2004 — he was practically a cheat code. His Speed of 95 made him impossible to catch