Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes flexed his muscle on the NFL last season -- and now he's doing just that on the cover of football's most popular video game.
On Thursday night, EA Sports announced the reigning NFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year as the cover athlete of "Madden NFL 20". Mahomes also had the opportunity to contribute to the new "Face of Franchise: QB1" career campaign mode that will allow gamers to create their own quarterback and experience his journey from college to the NFL.
"When you're a little kid," Mahomes told The Undefeated, "you dream of being on the cover of Madden ... having your picture up there."
Breaking: NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes will be this year's Madden cover athlete. pic.twitter.com/G3Sd6e0EV8
— ESPN (@espn) April 25, 2019
At 23 years old, Mahomes is the third-youngest player in Madden history to grace the cover of the game, behind only wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. on "Madden 16" and Michael Vick on "Madden 04."
Mahomes began last year's "Madden 19" -- covered by former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown -- with a player rating of 77. But his stock on the game steadily increased during the 2018 regular season, which Mahomes finished as the NFL's leader in passing touchdowns (50) and second in the league in passing yards (5,097).
The Chiefs quarterback's "Madden 19" rating reached a high of 94. Now as the "Madden 20" cover athlete, coming off an MVP season, Mahomes has a chance to join the game's exclusive 99 club, though his hopes are for higher.
"I expect my rating to be a 100," Mahomes said. "I'm thinking that's what we should go with. I want a little 100 emoji by my name."
The first set of player ratings for "Madden 20" will be unveiled this summer ahead of the game's worldwide release on Aug. 2.