The New England Patriots quarterback on the Madden NFL 18 cover was Tom Brady.
EA Sports selected Brady for Madden NFL 18’s cover after one of the most accomplished stretches of his career. The game’s standard and G.O.A.T. Edition artwork highlighted the Patriots quarterback, whose career achievements made him a natural fit for a title marketed around greatness. Madden NFL 18 was released in 2017 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
The cover also connected to New England’s recent success. Brady had led the Patriots to a dramatic overtime victory over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI after New England erased a 28–3 deficit. EA used imagery associated with that championship in the game’s promotional campaign.
Brady followed Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, who appeared on Madden NFL 17’s cover, making Brady the second consecutive New England player featured. Jimmy Garoppolo was Brady’s former backup, while Mac Jones became a Patriot later; Drew Bledsoe was an earlier Patriots quarterback, but none of them was the Madden NFL 18 cover athlete.