Many football fans and gamers have a collection of Madden NFL boxes on a shelf at home, but with a series spanning over 25 years of annual releases, it's quite the feat to possess the entire lineup -- not to mention the financial investment to get such a full set.
Fortunately, a physical collection isn't required for a nostalgic trip down memory lane. After all, a digital photo album does the trick just as well.
To celebrate the reveal that Caleb Williams will be on the "Madden NFL 27" cover, we've assembled the Madden NFL franchise's cover stars since 2000 below.
Madden NFL 2000 - John Madden
John Madden starred on the series' cover from 1988 through the 1990s, but Madden NFL 2000 marked his final appearance on the box art during his lifetime -- it was time for the athletes to venture into the spotlight. The game itself was a fine addition to the series, bringing very much needed improvements to Franchise Mode.
Madden NFL 2001 - Eddie George
The Tennessee Titans' Eddie George stepped into John Madden's massive shoes, marking the series' jump onto PS2. Madden NFL 2001 was also the first game of the franchise to include teams from Europe, so there's a fact for your next trivia night.
Madden NFL 2002 - Daunte Culpepper
The Minnesota Vikings' quarterback earned his spot on the cover with mighty performances in the preceding years, thereby presiding over yet another hardware jump: Madden NFL 2002 was the first game of the series to appear on Xbox and GameCube.
Madden NFL 2003 - Marshall Faulk
The Greatest Show on Turf was long overdue for an appearance on the series' cover. Alongside Faulk, Madden NFL 2003 contained another significant debut: Al Michaels joined John Madden as the play-by-play commentator for the first time.
Madden NFL 2004 - Michael Vick
Vick was more than a mere cover star in Madden NFL 2004 -- he was practically a cheat code. His Speed of 95 made him impossible to catch for any other athlete in the game and following series entries had to nerf him to make things competitive again. Honestly, that's partly why the title is the best Madden NFL game to date: The shenanigans were simply too good.
Madden NFL 2005 - Ray Lewis
Madden NFL 2005 was set to bring a major overhaul to defensive gameplay, so featuring Lewis on the cover was essentially a statement by the developers - a technique they'd repeat over the years. This entry introduced the Hit Stick, brought a fantastic iteration of the Franchise Mode to the table, and is generally regarded as one of the best games in the series, just behind its immediate predecessor. It was a golden age for Madden.