5 Players Need to be on the Cover of Madden NFL 17

There has been a lot of speculation on who will appear on the Madden 17 cover. Community predictions have been focused around MVP Cam Newton and Super Bowl MVP Von Miller. Or could it be Rob Gronkowski? No one knows... yet! 

Although the decision is no longer open to a vote, a look at the cover history should give us a pretty good indication of the possibilities. It's unlikely that any recent cover athlete will repeat, which rules out Drew Brees, Adrian Peterson, Richard Sherman and Odell Beckham Jr.

Tom Brady has won four Super Bowls and made 11 Pro Bowl teams, but he's somehow never landed the Madden cover over the course of his 16 seasons in the NFL. EA might be wary of Brady for another year given that he'll be suspended to start the season, so Brady might have a better chance with Madden 18. Alternatively, teammate Rob Gronkowski - who was a cover finalist last year - would be a perfect choice.

J.J. Watt and Aaron Rodgers both received a 99 overall rating when Madden NFL 2016 released, and both players are hugely popular and are likely to dominate this coming season.

Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera joked that he voted for Richard Sherman when Cam Newton was a finalist for the Madden 15 cover to avoid the Madden curse, but Newton dabbing on the cover of Madden 17 would be the most talked about cover in the series' history.