Rob Gronkowski Named Madden '17 Cover Athlete

FOXBOROUGH, MA - The cover of the Madden series is about to get Gronk'd.

Thursday, Patriots star Rob Gronkowski was named the cover athlete for Madden NFL '17. The cover photo shows a virtual version of the tight end performing his signature spike.

Gronkowski is the 21st athlete to appear on the cover since the 2001 edition of the game when EA Sports started placing athletes on the cover instead of the game's namesake. Last year, he was a finalist for the cover but lost to Odell Beckham Jr. of the New York Giants.

While the first Patriot to appear on the Madden cover, he's not the first to be on a video game cover. That honor goes to Tom Brady, who was on the front of the 2003 edition of the now discontinued NFL Gameday series for the PlayStation 2.

While exciting, Patriots fans will likely be hoping that Gronkowski doesn't succumb to the infamous Madden curse.