Odell Beckham Jr Named Finalist For NFL Madden 16 Cover

Odell Beckham Jr, the reigning Rookie of the Year and New York Giants wide receiver sensation has been named a final four finalist for the cover of Madden 16. Giants fans, please get out and vote against him; we do not need to be dealing with a potential Madden cover curse.


Anyone who plays sport video games on gaming consoles has either owned, played or seen someone play Madden, one of the greatest sports video games ever made. At the same time, people will know the supposed curse that comes along with it, as the cover athlete has fell victim to horrible injuries or ineffective play. With that being known, New York Giants fans might be a little nervous, as wide receiver sensation Odell Beckham Jr. is one of the four finalists that EA Sports selected to be on the cover of Madden 16.

Unlike in past years, when EA would either select the player, or more recently hold a monster bracket-style vote with each team having a representative, they decided to select four finalists to have fans vote on. In addition to Beckham Jr., New England Patriots’ tight end Rob Gronkowski, Arizona Cardinals’ cornerback Patrick Peterson and Pittsburgh Steelers’ wide receiver Antonio Brown were named finalists.

Beckham has quickly built up a profile for himself, with the catch against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football being the thing that put him on the map and made him a household name. People recognize him, and for good reason, as Beckham Jr. obliterated both Giants and NFL rookie records en route to a sensational rookie campaign of 91 receptions, 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns in only 12 games, earning Rookie of the Year honors.

The other players are no slouches though, as Brown has been a virtually unstoppable force for the Steelers the past two seasons, reeling in 239 receptions the last two seasons for 3,197 yards and 21 touchdowns.

Peterson is looked at as one of the game’s shutdown corners, electrifying fans not only on defense but special teams as well, where is one of the most talented punt returners around. In just four NFL seasons, Peterson has 15 interceptions and four touchdowns, getting the fans out of their seats.

But, with no offense, they do not have the name power that Gronkowski has. This has been the offseason of Gronkowski, who has seen his face plastered everywhere since the Patriots won the Super Bowl in February. He is seen on talk shows, in bars, sporting events and even movie sets. The guy is everywhere, and rightfully so, as he is the most dominant tight end in the NFL this season.

That is what makes his popularity so weird, as tight end is not normally a glorified position, but Gronkowski has chanced that with his extremely outgoing personality and not being afraid to be in the spotlight.

More from New York Giants

While all four players are obviously deserving, this is probably a two-horse race between Beckham Jr. and Gronkowski. They are the two most recognizable of the group, even though Brown would have something to say about that after his Mortal Kombat kick he delivered to the Browns punter in Week 1.

Even with that, it will come down to Beckham Jr. and Gronkowski. For Giants fans sake, hopefully Gronkowski or any of the other players win because they do not need that cloud hanging over their head of the potential Madden curse. So Giant fans, get onto your EA games and start voting for anyone but Beckham Jr. This will be the first vote probably that you do not want your player winning.

Next: How did the Giants fare in the Draft?

More from Empire Writes Back