NFL's Best Wide Receiver Is Aware Of Madden Curse, Doesn't Want To Be Cover Star

Electronic Arts can go ahead and mark one potential star player off its list for cover athlete on next year's edition of the Madden NFL franchise. Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase revealed during a press conference this week that he doesn't want to appear on the game's cover, seemingly aware of the Madden curse.

On X, Bengals columnist Mike Petraglia shared a video clip of Chase where the star wide receiver discusses video games. While he does play Madden, Chase clearly doesn't want to be the game's cover athlete. When asked about the possibility, the NFL's wide receiver leader in catches, yards, and touchdowns replied: "No, I don't want that [knocks on wood]. No."

Chase offered a "no comment" when directly questioned about the Madden curse. However, the Bengals wide receiver was open to appearing on the cover of a NFL Street revival game. CBS Sports recently ran through the data of Madden cover stars for this century (2000-24), finding that 58% of the players were "cursed"--meaning they dealt with an injury or decline in performance. However, the report states that only 25% in the past decade have been "cursed."