49ers' Christian McCaffrey to be featured on the cover of Madden NFL 25
EA Sports announced Tuesday that Christian McCaffrey, a San Francisco 49ers running back, will be the cover athlete for Madden NFL 25.
The video game will be released on August 16.
McCaffrey is the first 49ers player to appear on the series' cover.
He also becomes the first running back to receive the honour since Adrian Peterson and Barry Sanders appeared on separate covers of Madden NFL 25 in 2013. The video game was named to commemorate the series' 25th anniversary.
"It's really humbling," McCaffrey told ESPN. "I feel really grateful because obviously stuff like this is a testament to my teammates, my coaches, people who have helped me be in the position to have success, and so I feel really grateful for that."
"This is such a cool milestone for me, and to be on the cover, I think of those people who have helped me along the way, and obviously being the first 49ers player is really humbling when you think about how many greats have played for this organization. Definitely feel very fortunate."
McCaffrey, 28, signed a two-year contract extension worth $38 million last Tuesday. The contract included a $24 million guarantee for the 2023 NFL Offensive Player of the Year, who led the league with 1,459 rushing yards last season.
McCaffrey set a new standard for NFL running backs, earning an average of $19 million per season. His previous deal was worth an average of $16 million per year.
McCaffrey also led the NFL with 2,023 yards from scrimmage in 16 starts, and he and Miami's Raheem Mostert shared the league lead with 21 rushing/receiving touchdowns.
McCaffrey, a three-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time first-team All-Pro, has 6,185 rushing yards and 52 touchdowns. He also has 509 receptions for 4,320 yards and 29 touchdowns in 91 games (84 starts) for the Carolina Panthers (2017-22) and the 49ers (2022-23).
Carolina selected McCaffrey eighth overall in 2017, and traded him to San Francisco on October 20, 2022, for a package of draft picks.
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