Lamar Jackson Responds to Madden NFL 21 Cover Reveal

There was little doubt after last season that the new Madden cover athlete would be anyone other than Baltimore Ravens quarterback and reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson, especially since former MVP Patrick Mahomes was on the cover of the game last year. Jackson became a phenomenon in his second season in the league this past year, and it earned him the opportunity to appear on the cover of Madden NFL 21. On Tuesday morning, EA Sports revealed the first gameplay trailer for the upcoming installment of the long-running game franchise, as well as all three Jackson-starring covers.

Jackson had let slip back in April that he would be on the cover of Madden 21, but he had another message for fans once things were made official. Not long after the covers were revealed online, Jackson took to Twitter to say that starring on the front of the game was a dream come true.

“From South Florida to the cover of Madden 21, a dream come true,” Jackson wrote in the tweet.

In addition his words on Twitter, Jackson shared a message with EA Sports about his excitement about being on the cover of Madden. He’s been playing Madden ever since he was a kid, so this gig is one that he’s been hoping to get for years.

“I grew up playing Madden and owned every copy I could get my hands on, so to be on the cover of Madden NFL 21 is a dream come true, especially when the cover represents so much of my story,” said Jackson. “The welcome to the Madden family from around the league and from fans has been phenomenal and I think people will have a lot of fun with the new features coming in this year’s game.”

The new story mode in Madden NFL 21, Face of the Franchise, is built on parallels to Jackon’s football career. You begin the story as a star mobile quarterback in high school, before heading to college and being given the option to pivot to running back or wide receiver. After college, and his first season in the NFL, Jackson still had doubters that thought he would be better suited to playing a different skill position. One of his most famous quotes came at the beginning of his MVP season when, after throwing for five touchdowns against the Miami Dolphins, Jackson quipped in an interview, “Not bad for a running back.”

Are you looking forward to playing Madden 21? What do you think of the covers? Let us know in the comments!

Madden NFL 21 will be released on August 28th. The MVP Edition will be available three days earlier, on August 25th.

Photo credit: Getty/Silas Walker