Speculation about the Madden 23 cover athlete has basically been going since Madden 22 was unveiled, but the wait is over.
We've got all the details you need on who was chosen for the Madden 23 cover and the various versions players can get this year.
Who is on the cover of Madden 23?
For several years, we've seen the top athletes in the NFL earn the honor of gracing the annual Madden cover, but things went old school this time.
Hearkening back to the roots of the series, and honoring his passing, John Madden was selected to be on the cover of Madden 23.
There was speculation about John Madden being on the cover of Madden 23 basically the moment news broke that he had passed away in late 2021.
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While it was a choice some diehard critics of the series didn't want, few can argue with the importance John Madden had for this franchise.
It's also far from the first time John Madden was the face of this series, as he was on the cover of several early Madden titles.
It's been over a decade since the namesake found his way to the spotlight like this, and EA has chosen to honor his passing with three different unique Madden 23 covers.
Will there be an alternate cover athlete for Madden 23?
We've seen variants in the past, sometimes with a legend on an alternate cover or in some franchises having a regional variant for international versions.
Madden 22 changed things up by having dual cover athletes in Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes, but things are staying simple this year.
There are three versions of the Madden 23 cover and each one pays homage to a different stage in John Madden's legendary career.
The far left cover (PS5 and Xbox Series X|S) highlights his time as the Super Bowl winning head coach of the Oakland Raiders, and the middle cover (PS4, Xbox One, and PC) shows his time as a broadcaster in a shot reminiscent of many covers in the late 90s.
On the right, this All Madden Edition cover for all platforms is a variation on the original John Madden Football cover featuring the man himself.