Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen continues his rise in NFL stardom as he has been selected to be featured on the cover of Madden NFL 24. It marks the first time in franchise history that any Bills player has been featured on the cover of Madden and Allen is just the 10th QB in NFL history to be chosen for the Madden cover,  including Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Drew Brees, Brett Favre, Vince Young, Donovan McNabb, Michael Vick and Duante Culpepper.

'As a fan of Madden NFL since childhood, I'm honored to be the first Buffalo Bills player on the cover, and I wouldn't have gotten here without the support of my team and Bills Mafia,' Allen said in a statement. 'Superstar and mini-games are back in Madden, and I'm really excited for fans to see how the experiences have evolved.'

Allen, 27, is now considered one of the NFL's best quarterbacks, but he would have been considered a longshot to be on a Madden cover not long ago when he was playing for Reedley Community College in California.

Even after starring at Wyoming from 2015 to 2017, many doubted if the strong-armed Allen, who struggled with his accuracy throwing the ball, would make it in the NFL.

That changed in 2020 when Allen morphed into perhaps the top dual-threat QB in the sport. Allen threw for 4,544 yards and 37 touchdowns while also rushing for 421 yards and eight scores. More success followed in 2021 and 2022.

Thanks to the infamous Madden curse, some Bills fans might be wary of Allen's selection. Some players have suffered injuries, posted disappointing seasons, or descended into madness shortly after being named the Madden cover athlete, but Mahomes' Super Bowl 54 victory in the same season he donned the Madden cover might have put the curse to rest.

John Madden appeared on every Madden cover from 1988 through 1999 until EA began the tradition of selecting a cover athlete as the game grew in popularity. The first cover Madden didn't appear on was Madden NFL 2001, released in 2000 when Eddie George was selected as the cover athlete. Below is a list of each Madden cover athlete since 2000. Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes are the only players to appear on multiple Madden covers during that span.