While it was a fierce battle between the New England Patriot's Rob Gronkowski and the New York Giant's Odell Beckham Jr., it was the one-handed-catching marvel with only a year of NFL playing time under his belt who came out as the winner/cover star of Madden NFL 16 after the conclusion of fan voting. In addition to Gronkowski, the 2014 Rookie of the Year beat out Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson and Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown.

As for any "Madden Curse," the last two wide receivers to appear on the cover had career years. Calvin Johnson of the Lions put up career-highs in catches (122) and receiving yards (1,964) after adorning the Madden 2012 cover while Cardinals wideout Larry Fitzgerald had 97 catches, 1,092 yards, and a career-high 13 touchdowns after sharing the Madden 2010 cover with Steelers safety Troy Polamalu.