Each Thanksgiving, football enthusiasts fondly recall John Madden. For some, it’s the echo of his enthusiastic commentary during a thrilling touchdown. For others, it’s the nostalgic image of players vying for the prized turkey leg. And for many, it’s the quirky introduction of the turducken, a dish Madden showcased with great delight, turning it into a beloved holiday sports tradition.

For those who watched him coach, Madden will always be the Super Bowl-winning leader who forged the Raiders into one of the toughest teams in NFL lore. Many others remember him as the commentator who made football accessible and enjoyable. Yet, for a younger crowd, John Madden’s legacy is most strongly linked to the Madden NFL video game series, a powerhouse in the gaming world that has sold over 150 million copies and generated billions in revenue over nearly 40 years.

What isn’t widely known is how close the series came to losing Madden’s name. In the early 2000s, Electronic Arts seriously contemplated removing his name from the franchise. However, a pivotal negotiation not only retained Madden’s name but also secured him a lucrative nine-figure deal, surpassing his earnings from coaching and broadcasting combined. This is how a Thanksgiving icon, turducken advocate, and football enthusiast became the most valuable name in video game history.

How The Madden Franchise Began

The Madden franchise’s roots go back to the founding days of Electronic Arts. Established in 1982 by former Apple executive Trip Hawkins, EA championed a revolutionary idea: developers should be treated as artists. Hawkins believed in promoting game creators like music labels did with musicians, highlighting them with album-style covers and individual credits. This artistic vision quickly yielded successes such as “Pinball Construction Set,” “Archon,” and the celebrity-endorsed hit, “1 on 1 with Dr. J & Larry Bird.”

By the mid-1980s, Hawkins aspired to create a football game grounded in authenticity, steering away from arcade-like elements. This vision led EA to John Madden, whose deep understanding of football and dynamic personality made him the ideal collaborator. Madden insisted that the game feature realistic 11-on-11 football, a demand that posed significant technical challenges and required years of development. Yet, Hawkins was committed, convinced that authenticity would distinguish EA.

The outcome was “John Madden Football,” launched in 1988 for MS-DOS, the Apple II, and Commodore systems. Madden graced the cover, depicted breaking through a chalkboard with his signature “Boom!”—an image that perfectly reflected his character and EA’s cinematic marketing style. While the game lacked full seasons and official NFL teams due to licensing issues, it offered something unique: a strategic, realistic football experience shaped by Madden’s coaching insights.

EA skipped a 1989 installment, then began releasing annual editions starting in 1990. By 1994, the franchise secured NFL team licenses, and by 1995, real players finally appeared. New features rolled out every year – franchise mode, player creation, hit sticks, vision cones – transforming the series from a niche simulation experiment into a cultural phenomenon. By the late 1990s, Madden was no longer just one of EA’s games. It was EA’s flagship, the franchise that would come to define the entire company’s sports division.

The Exclusive NFL Licensing Deal That Changed Everything

By the early 2000s, Madden finally had a worthy competitor: 2K Sports. Its “ESPN NFL 2K5” was critically acclaimed, aggressively priced, and a genuine threat. EA responded by securing an exclusive NFL and NFLPA license in 2004, a deal reportedly worth $300 million. The agreement prevented competing companies from producing NFL simulation games, essentially handing EA a monopoly.

Inside EA, executives debated whether the franchise even needed Madden’s name anymore. Dropping it would have saved money and reshaped the brand. But eventually, leadership recognized that “Madden” was the brand. Removing it risked undermining decades of trust and recognition.

John Madden’s Mega-Deal

To keep the name, EA went back to Madden. Knowing he had nothing to lose and everything to gain, John and his agents drove a hard bargain. In the end, they negotiated one of the largest endorsement deals in sports history up to that point. Madden agreed to grant EA perpetual rights to his name and likeness in exchange for a one-time windfall of…

$150 million

That’s the same as around $290 million in today’s dollars. But that’s not all. John also negotiated an additional $3 million per year as a consulting retainer.

(Robert B. Stanton/NFLPhotoLibrary/Getty Images)

The Franchise Continues To Scale

The Madden NFL series exploded as gaming advanced. Annual releases consistently topped the charts, and the franchise eventually surpassed 150 million copies sold and $7 billion in revenue. The NFL repeatedly renewed its exclusive partnership with EA, including a $1.6 billion extension in 2020, guaranteeing exclusivity through 2026, followed by another renewal in 2025 that stretches the relationship through the 2030 season.

After Madden’s death in 2021, EA honored him by putting him on the cover of “Madden NFL 23,” his first appearance in more than 20 years. It was a full-circle moment for a man whose name had become synonymous with the sport.

Madden’s Legacy

John Madden didn’t just revolutionize football coaching and broadcasting. He helped create a global sports entertainment empire. The Madden NFL franchise remains a gateway into football for millions of young fans, a competitive battleground for gamers, and one of the most lucrative annual releases in entertainment.

And it all traces back to a coach who loved Thanksgiving football, loved sharing a turducken with the winning team, and loved breaking down X’s and O’s more than anyone else alive. Madden’s legacy is woven into every yard, every touchdown, and every digital snap taken in the game that bears his name.