If the good folks from EA Sports come knocking on Drake Maye's door about next year's cover, he doesn't sound too worried about the so-called "Madden curse" - even after watching Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams get hurt during the second game of the season in which he graced the popular video game's cover.
"Any time you grow up playing the game of Madden I think it's a pretty hard honor to give up," Maye told WEEI's 'Rich, Ken, and Ted' during his weekly appearance on Monday afternoon.
Williams suffered a hamstring strain during the Bears' 9-3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings Sunday. Although he avoided a tear, he became the 16th player who headlined the game and subsequently suffered an injury or sharp decline in play during that season. There have been 28 players featured on Madden's cover since 'Madden 2000.'
"The Madden curse was something me and my brothers talked about as a funny thing growing up," Maye said, but he was unaware of the rate of injuries that have plagued cover stars. "Good God," he said, when told.
Most recently, San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey battled Achilles injuries that cut his 2024 season short, right after he had appeared on the cover of 'Madden 25.'
Maye suggested the rate of injuries and play decline are more about the nature of football than anything supernatural.
"I don't think that's in the hands, that that plays any card. It's something that's unfortunate or unlucky," he said.
For the record, Maye's rating in 'Madden 27' is an 89, while Williams' rating is a 91. Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez holds the highest Madden rating at the position in the game with a 98.
Two Patriots plays have tested the "Madden curse." Rob Gronkowski was on the cover of 'Madden 17' and a back injury requiring surgery cut his 2016 season down to just eight games. Tom Brady, on the other hand, made the cover of 'Madden 18' and won league MVP in 2017, the first season he played in his 40's.
