Video: Eric Dickerson Laughs Off ‘Madden NFL Curse’ for 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey

Adam WellsJune 15, 2024

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

Pro Football Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson thinks San Francisco 49ers star Christian McCaffrey is going to be just fine after being named the cover athlete for Madden NFL 25 this week.

Speaking to TMZ Sports, Dickerson laughed off the notion of a Madden curse and drew a parallel with what people used to say about being on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

“I don’t believe in that crap,” Dickerson said about the curse. “They said the same thing about Sports Illustrated. I got on Sports Illustrated, I think I had 199 yards and had a big game the next week.”

EA Sports revealed the cover and release date for Madden NFL 25 on Tuesday.

Madden NFL 25 @EAMaddenNFLYour official #Madden25 Cover Athlete @CMC_22

🏆 NFL Rushing Yards Leader
🏆 2023 OPOY
🏆 Madden NFL Cover Athlete

Coming 8.16.24. Pre-Order Now
🔗: https://t.co/NpB7qARx5m pic.twitter.com/XSOwlDarfT

Even though the Madden curse has a long and storied history since EA Sports started putting players on the cover in 2001, someone seems to have found a cure because recent cover stars have fared just fine.

Josh Allen finished fifth in MVP voting last year and led the Buffalo Bills to their fourth straight AFC East title last year after being on the cover of Madden NFL 24. Tom Brady, who shared the cover of Madden NFL 22 with Patrick Mahomes, was the MVP runner-up that season.

It could be argued the 2021 season was the worst of Mahomes’ career, but that’s only because the bar for him is ridiculously high. Most quarterbacks would have had the best season of their career throwing for 4,839 yards, 37 touchdowns and a 66.3 completion percentage.

Lamar Jackson didn’t have his best season in 2020 coming off his first MVP award the previous year, but he threw for 2,757 yards, ran for 1,005 yards and led the Baltimore Ravens to an 11-4 record in his 15 starts.

The last Madden cover athlete who was a victim of the “curse” was Rob Gronkowski in 2016. He was limited to just eight games due to injuries, including a herniated disk in his back that required season-ending surgery.

49ers fans definitely hope the curse is over because McCaffrey is an essential part of one of the best offenses in the NFL. He was named Offensive Player of the Year last season after leading the league in rushing yards (1,459), yards from scrimmage (2,023) and tied for the league lead in total touchdowns (21).