Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen is the latest NFL star to grace the Madden cover. Godspeed, Josh.
Josh Allen is arguably the best QB in football not named Patrick Mahomes. His combination of arm talent and mobility has made him a premier dual threat quarterback. He can toss downfield bombs or power-drive his way through the defense. Now, however, he runs the risk of suffering the most severe curse in all of sports: the Madden curse.
EA Sports announced Wednesday that Allen will grace the cover of Madden 24. The Bills star now joins Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady, Lamar Jackson, and Antonio Brown as the most recent athletes to receive the honor.
It's a beautiful cover too: Allen perched in the stands, surrounded by the Bills Mafia, one of the most supportive fandoms in all of sports.
If only the Madden cover didn't mean bad tidings.
Protect Josh Allen at all costs after his anointment on Madden 24 cover
The Madden curse is very real. Antonio Brown donned the cover in 2019. What happened after that? You're all well aware of his career arc. How about Lamar Jackson, the former MVP who donned the cover in 2021? Oh, that was his worst full season to date — he went 7-5 on the field, dealt with injuries, and only threw 16 touchdowns to 13 interceptions.
Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady are invincible and do not count. Josh Allen is not Patrick Mahomes or Tom Brady — and Buffalo fans should be greatly concerned.
Of course, in actuality, the cover probably has very little to do with on-field performance. Lamar Jackson remains breathtaking and innately gifted. It's not like Antonio Brown fell off a cliff because of mysterious supernatural forces — he made bad decision after bad decision off the field.
Correlation does not equal causation. The Bills are talent-laden and capable of winning the Super Bowl. That said, sports by nature invite superstition. Malady can leave fans grasping for straws — and this is one heck of a straw to grasp. If Allen's season goes south for one reason or another, don't be shocked if people circle back to his conspicuous placement on the front of sports' most popular video game.