The legendary quarterback of the New England Patriots Tom Brady has been named the cover athlete for Madden NFL 18 Electronic Arts announced today. Brady has never been on the cover of the game as it marks one of the few accolades he has yet to achieve. “The Madden NFL 18 cover is a great honor for me,” said Brady. “Especially since I have been playing the game since growing up next to EA headquarters in the Bay Area. I'm not one to believe in curses, so I'm ready to take the challenge head on like always! It doesn't stand a chance!!!”

Madden NFL 18 will run on the Frostbite Engine for the first time. The gameplay engine is also used in Battlefield 1, Star Wars Battlefront, and Rory McIllroy PGA Tour. This also marks the first time that teammates have been on the cover in back-to-back years. Last year, Rob Gronkowski graced the cover and while the Patriots won the Super Bowl, he had an injury-filled season. The Madden Curse has certainly made its marks over the years, and Tom Brady could be effected.

In addition to the cover news, Electronic Arts also announced pre-order bonuses for two versions of the game. If you pre-order the standard edition, you will receive numerous benefits including an elite player from your favorite team for Madden Ultimate Team along with five squad packs. To honor Tom Brady, the other version is known as G.O.A.T. Edition which features the standard edition along with one of five G.O.A.T. players for Ultimate Team. Players who pre-order this version will get access to the game three days early, while EA Access members can play up to ten hours starting Thursday, August 17. Madden NFL 18 will release Friday, August 25.