Tom Brady Named Madden NFL 18 Cover Athlete

Tom Brady's accomplishments are impressive, to say the least. The 39-year-old from San Mateo, California is often regarded as the best quarterback of not only the modern era but of all-time.

His trophy room is cluttered as he's the proud owner of five Super Bowl rings (four of which he was named MVP for), 12 Pro Bowl appearances, two MVP awards, and several other accolades in his name.

His latest accolade won't take up that much space, but it's a big one.

Tom Brady has been named the cover athlete for EA Sports Madden NFL 18.

This marks the first time in Madden NFL history that teammates have been on the cover in back-to-back years. Last year's game featured explosive tight end Rob Gronkowski, Brady's teammate on the New England Patriots.

With every new Madden game, comes the question of the Madden curse. Most athletes to grace the cover of the Madden franchise end up getting injured or performing horrifically.

The history of the Madden curse is pretty insane.

After being dormant for two years, the curse came back in a big way and bit Rob Gronkowski bad. Gronkowski only played eight games and racked up just 540 receiving yards, a far cry from his 2015 season where he suited up for 15 games and hauled in a total of 1,176 receiving yards.

Other NFL players such as Michael Vick, Shaun Alexander, Donovan McNabb, Daunte Culpepper, and Peyton Hillis would all grace the cover and then proceed to have career-worst years or have their seasons cut short due to injury.

The Madden curse, believe it or not, is a big suspicion, one Tom Brady hopes to shove away.

"The Madden NFL 18 cover is a great honor for me," said Brady. "Especially since I have been playing the game since growing up next to EA headquarters in the Bay Area. I'm not one to believe in curses, so I'm ready to take the challenge head on like always! It doesn't stand a chance!!!"

EA also announced pre-order deals for two different editions of Madden NFL 18. "Fans who pre-order the standard edition will receive numerous benefits, including the choice of an Elite player from their favorite NFL team for use in Madden NFL 18 Ultimate Team, as well as five Squad Packs, redeemable at launch. In celebration of the Greatest of All Time, those looking for even more can opt for the G.O.A.T. Edition, which gets them not only what's in the standard edition, but also one of five G.O.A.T. players of their choice for Madden NFL 18 Ultimate Team, and more. Fans can also play the finished game before launch day: G.O.A.T. Edition owners get three-day early access, letting them start their season on Tuesday, August 22, while EA Access members can play for up to 10 hours starting Thursday, August 17 with the EA Access Play First Trial."

The game will bring changes this year as it'll be powered by Frostbite. "Frostbite delivers a significant visual leap not only to the players, but crowds, stadiums and more. Such a special game truly deserves an equally-special cover athlete."

Madden NFL 18 will be available around the world on August 25 for Xbox One and Playstation 4.