Brett Favre

The first non-active cover athlete who returned from retirement days before launch.

Brett Favre holds a unique and historic place in the history of Madden NFL 09, marking a singular moment where the cover athlete was not an active player at the time of announcement. Announced on April 23, 2008, during an appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman, Favre was revealed as the face of the game while still listed as retired from the Green Bay Packers. This made him the first non-active player to grace the cover of a Madden title. His status shifted dramatically just five days before the August 12, 2008 release date when he came out of retirement and was traded to the New York Jets, forcing EA Sports to create an alternative cover featuring him in a Jets uniform.

Quick Facts

Role: Quarterback
Primary team affiliation: Green Bay Packers; New York Jets
Cover athlete status: First non-active player at announcement

Lore & Background

Favre's Madden NFL 09 story was shaped by his real-life comeback: he unretired and was traded to the New York Jets about five days before the game came out in North America. Although he appeared on the standard cover wearing a Green Bay Packers uniform, EA Sports did not reissue the physical packaging for all consoles. Instead, they released a free alternative cover of Favre in a Jets uniform for download and printing from their website starting August 7, 2008, the same day as the trade.

Initially, this downloadable option was unavailable for Nintendo DS and Wii, which utilized alternate covers by default; however, on September 15, 2008, EA released a specific cover shot of Favre as a Jet for the Wii version. The Xbox 360 did not have an alternate cover by default, and the downloadable cover was available for it. Inside the game, Favre's availability varied significantly by platform: he was a playable character in every version except the Nintendo DS.

On the Wii, PlayStation Portable (PSP), and PlayStation 2 editions, he did not appear on the active New York Jets roster but was instead placed on the historic 2007 Packers team. Players could manually transfer him to the free agent pool and sign him to any of the 32 NFL teams for the 2008 season. Conversely, a specific roster update released on August 12, 2008, for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions immediately placed Favre on the New York Jets as their starting quarterback.

Reader's Guide

Navigating Brett Favre's presence in Madden NFL 09 requires understanding the platform-specific differences in his roster availability and cover art. For PS3 and Xbox 360 players, a roster update released on August 12, 2008, automatically added Favre to the New York Jets as the starting quarterback. If you are playing on Wii, PSP, or PS2, Favre will not appear on the Jets initially; instead, look for him on the 2007 Packers historic team. From there, you can transfer him to the free agent roster and sign him to any of the 32 teams for the 2008 season.

For Nintendo DS owners, be aware that Favre is not a playable character in this version at all. Even so, the game's cover still shows Favre in his Green Bay Packers uniform. If you have PS3, Xbox 360, PSP, or PS2, you can download and print a free Jets-themed alternative cover from the EA Sports website to match your game's internal roster. The Spanish version of the game features Roberto Garza on the cover instead.