Madden 24 cover athlete prediction: Five deserving stars

Joe Burrow (Cincinnati Bengals)

What’s not to like about Joe Cool? Since coming into the league in 2020, Joe Burrow has become a media darling. Regardless of how you feel about him as a quarterback — and he’s a pretty darn good one — the thing about Joe Burrow is he’s just so effortlessly cool. I mean, have you seen his drip?

On the field, Burrow’s skills match his wardrobe. He may not offer the dual-threat playmaking ability as some of the other quarterbacks in the league, but he’s certainly excelled with his arm.

In 2021, his sophomore season, Burrow led the Bengals to a tough Super Bowl loss. There’s a good chance he would’ve been on the cover of Madden 23 had it not featured John Madden.

But after a follow-up season in which Burrow posted impressive stats — 4,475 yards and 35 touchdowns — while leading the Bengals to their second consecutive AFC Conference Championship, he’s certainly now a worthy candidate for the Madden 24 cover.

The Bengals have become a totally different team since drafting Burrow with the first overall pick in the 2020 draft. And while you can argue that they’ve surrounded him with incredible talent on offense, he’s still the one making the throws and reading the defense.

I say put Joe Burrow on the cover of Madden 24 but don’t put him in a Bengals uniform. Instead, put him front-and-center in one of his ridiculously awesome and outlandish outfits. Burrow may not be the best quarterback in the league — that honor belongs to Patrick Mahomes — but he’s certainly the coolest. And that should be worth something when determining the cover athlete.