5 NFL players destined to be on Madden cover in the future

3. Michael Thomas, WR, New Orleans Saints

Since entering the NFL in 2016, Michael Thomas has ascended to the peak of the mountain. The 27-year-old won the Offensive Player of the Year award last season for breaking Marvin Harrison’s single-season receptions record with 149. He also led the NFL with 1,725 yards and scored nine touchdowns as the Saints went 13-3, winning the NFC South for the third consecutive season.

Four wide receivers saw themselves featured on the cover of Madden during the 2010s. Larry Fitzgerald appeared alongside Troy Polamalu on Madden 10, which is still the only cover to feature two players. Calvin Johnson (Madden 13), Odell Beckham (Madden 16), and Antonio Brown (Madden 19) also grabbed cover spots.

Despite the game coming out annually, Madden never has enough additions to feature every superstar in the NFL. With so many wide receivers ascending to All-Pro levels over the past several seasons, some top pass-catchers will end their careers without appearing on the game’s cover.

During the 2010s, only Brown and Johnson arguably reached greater heights than Julio Jones. While Thomas became a force late in the decade, Jones averaged 96.2 receiving yards per game through the first nine seasons of his career. A two-time First and three-time Second-Team All-Pro, Jones barely missed qualifying for this list.