It's that time of year again when we wait with bated breath to see who will adorn the cover of this year's Madden NFL 22. EA Sports announced this week that the cover for the upcoming season will be revealed on Thursday, June 17, and the firm also provided us with a small teaser that leaves us with a few hints as to who it could be.

While we only have a few days till we find out who will grace this year's cover, we decided to go through a few possible contenders. Below are our top three choices for an individual cover athlete, as well as our top choices if EA Sports opts for a two-player cover, as they appear to be doing in the teaser above.

Coverage of the best individual players

1. BIlls QB Josh Allen

Three of the last four Madden NFL cover players have been quarterbacks, so it's only natural that our top pick would also be a quarterback. Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills is a great candidate for the latest iteration of the video game franchise, especially following an MVP-caliber season in 2020. Allen set career highs in passing yards and touchdowns last season and led Buffalo to the AFC Championship game. He is solidly established as a superstar at this stage in his career, and Bills Mafia would love to see him become the franchise's first player to have his face – and the team's emblem – on the cover.

2. Titans RB Derrick Henry

I'm not sure how you could ignore Derrick Henry if you're not going with a quarterback on the cover. Indeed, a probable leak from March indicated that Henry will be the cover athlete. While it is unknown whether Henry will see himself on this year's cover, he is unquestionably deserving. At times, the large-bodied running back appears to be something out of a video game as he routinely runs over defenders. Henry has led the league in rushing for back-to-back seasons and has the most years from scrimmage of any skill position player in 2020. (2,141). If an average of 126.7 rushing yards per game does not get you the Madden NFL cover, I'm not sure what will.

3. Rams DT Aaron Donald 

While you may scoff at the prospect of a defensive player appearing on the Madden NFL cover, it is far from unprecedented. Richard Sherman was the most recent defensive player to serve as the franchise's cover athlete in Madden NFL 15, following Troy Polamalu (shared with Larry Fitzgerald in Madden NFL 10) and Ray Lewis (Madden NFL 2005). If you're searching for a cover athlete on that side of the ball, no player is more dominant than Donald, who has been a member of the 99 Club for four consecutive seasons. With this in mind, there are few other avenues for advancement in the game aside than finally exploding onto the cover.