Madden NFL 23 has revealed the cover for the 2022 edition of the game, and it appears that EA Sports has finally gotten its decision right.Madden 23 will honor John Madden on its cover. He died on Dec. 28, 2021 at age 85, so this cover will serve as a tribute to him.Madden, the Hall of Fame Raiders coach turned legendary broadcaster, was one of the NFL's most influential figures throughout his wide-ranging career. He led the Raiders to a win in Super Bowl 11 before Bradley McDougald Jersey retiring and stepping into the booth to help a generation of football fans learn more about the game.Additionally, Madden helped to found the popular Madden NFL video game series back in the 1980s. It has since grown into one of the most succe sful video game franchises of all time.Here's a look at the cover that EA chose for Madden in 2022 as well as a recent history of the game's cover athletes.MORE: John Madden will appear on the cover of Madden NFL 23 in a throwback of sorts. The cover art chosen by EA pays tribute to the first John Madden Football game from 1988, which saw NFL Seattle Seahawks Jersey the then-blond-haired, 52-year-old coach bursting through a playbook page and holding a football.John Madden will be on the cover of Madden 23. (@sportingnews) Madden is and helped to found it. He was approached by the founder of EA,Trip Hawkins, in 1984 Ethan Pocic Jersey when the game was first proposed to him. Madden was on board for the game but wanted to make it as realistic as po sible. As such, its release didn't occur until 1988.Why did Madden want to be involved with the game? He saw it as a way to educate fans about football, as he explained in 2012."Its a way for people to learn the game and participate in the game at a pretty sophisticated level," .Madden served as the main face of the program throughout its early days and appeared on every cover until Madden NFL 2001, which was released in 2000. So, it's fitting that he would once again appear on its cover as a tribute to his life, career and impact on the Madden franchise.MORE: Plenty of NFL media C. J. Prosise Jersey personalities reacted to Madden's latest stint as a cover athlete. Below are some of the notable reactions to EA's announcement:The Madden 23 cover. As it should be.Its the first time John Madden is on the cover since 2000. Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) Perfect. Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) Love this. So much. Nancy Armour (@nrarmour) It's the only cover that should be considered for this year. Chris Rosvoglou (@RosvoglouReport) Boom! Hes on his back! Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) Hey hey, heck of a play Ben Volin (@BenVolin) This is L.J. Collier Jersey perfect Joel A. Erickson (@JoelAErickson) Great call, . Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) The cover CoachFull reveal June 2nd: Madden NFL 23 (@EAMaddenNFL) MORE: In the early days of the Madden franchise, John Madden served as the primary cover athlete for the game. He appeared on every cover of the game from its first release in 1988 through 1999. The first cover he didn't appear on came in 2000, when Eddie George was selected as the cover athlete.Below is a list of each Madden cover athlete since 2000. The only players to appear on multiple Madden covers during that span are Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes.YearGameCover athlete2000Madden NFL 2001Eddie George2001Madden NFL 2002Daunte Culpepper2002Madden NFL 2003Marshall Faulk2003Madden NFL 2004Michael Vick2004Madden NFL 2005Ray Lewis2005Madden Delano Hill Jersey NFL 06Donovan McNabb2006Madden NFL 07Shaun Alexander2007Madden NFL 08Vince Young2008Madden NFL 09Brett Favre2009Madden NFL 10Troy Polamalu Larry Fitzgerald2010Madden NFL 11Drew Brees2011Madden NFL 12Peyton Hillis2012Madden NFL 13Calvin Johnson2013Madden NFL 25Barry Sanders Adrian Peterson2014Madden NFL 15Richard Sherman2015Madden NFL 16Odell Beckham Jr.2016Madden NFL 17Rob Gronkowski2017Madden NFL 18Tom Brady2018Madden NFL 19Antonio Brown2019Madden NFL 20Patrick Mahomes2020Madden NFL 21Lamar Jackson2021Madden NFL 22Tom Brady Patrick Mahomes2022Madden NFL 23John MaddenBENDER: EA Sports is releasing its first Madden 23 trailer on June 2, the date after announcing that Madden would be featured on the cover. The trailer will appear below once EA officially releases it.