Just days before the Madden 22 cover is set to be revealed, EA Sports is dropping hints about who will be on the cover. A teaser indicates two athletes will be the face of the video game this year, igniting speculation about which NFL players have been given the honor.

The short video that hit social media Monday morning shows two goats coming out of a barn. The trailer ends with former Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis talking on the phone, saying, “Yeah, they did it again.”

There appear to be a few indicators that suggest only a handful of potential candidates to be on the cover.

First, there are the goats, which might be the most important clue. Two animals suggest that EA Sports chose multiple cover athletes, which was last the case when Troy Polamalu and Larry Fitzgerald were both included on the Madden 10 cover 12 years ago. It’s pretty clear that the two players have been or will be referred to as the greatest of all time (GOAT).

Tom Brady is widely viewed as the greatest quarterback of all time, a title he solidified by winning his fifth Super Bowl MVP award in February. Brady defeated the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes, who could one day challenge Brady for that spot.

One of the goats in the video is bigger than the other, leading to speculation that the Madden 22 cover will feature the current GOAT and the Baby GOAT, which some have called Mahomes. When Polamalu and Larry Fitzgerald were on the Madden cover, they had just met in the Super Bowl.

Mahomes was the Madden 20 cover athlete, coming off his NFL MVP campaign. Brady was on the Madden 18 cover four years ago.

It’s possible that the two goats could represent athletes who are the greatest at different positions. Maybe Brady and teammate Rob Gronkowski, who might be the best tight end ever, will be on the cover after winning Super Bowl LV.

Plenty of Twitter users speculated that Drew Brees will join Brady on the cover. Brees could make sense as a cover athlete if EA Sports chooses to honor him just a few months after his retirement. The New Orleans Saints quarterback became the Madden 11 cover athlete after defeating Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV.

Aaron Rodgers is another possibility to be paired with Brady. The Green Bay Packers quarterback won his third NFL MVP award last season.

Rodgers, who may not suit up for the Packers in 2021, has never been a Madden cover athlete. Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was on the cover of Madden 21.

The Madden 22 cover athlete will be revealed Thursday. The game is expected to be released sometime in August.

Super Bowl LV featured legendary quarterback Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and rising star Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, a duel likely to draw a big audience
Super Bowl LV will be feature legendary quarterback Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and rising star Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, a duel likely to draw a big audience. GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / JAMIE SQUIRE