The NFL community is mourning the loss of legendary NFL figure John Madden. Madden tragically and suddenly passed away Tuesday at age 85. Madden is known across every generation for his Oakland Raiders coaching career, larger-than-life commentary, or his video game franchise, Madden.The Madden franchise has picked a new cover athlete for its game every year since 2001. Before that, Madden himself was the cover for the franchise between 1988 and 2000.Since his passing, fans of the franchise have taken to social media to exclaim that Madden should grace the cover of Madden 2023.NFL fans call for John Madden to be the cover of Madden 23Al Michaels and John Madden at the 12th Annual ESPY Awards - ShowThe most liked tweet to come out in support of Madden being the video game's cover star was from Ari Meirov. Meirov works for Pro Football Focus and directs his tweet towards the franchise, telling them to make it happen. Meirov wasn't alone, as countless others were in support.Ari Meirov@MySportsUpdateJohn Madden should be on the cover of Madden 23. Make it happen, @EAMaddenNFL.7:39 AM · Dec 28, 2021543086861John Madden should be on the cover of Madden 23. Make it happen, @EAMaddenNFL.Among others to voice their support include professional YouTubers. In this instance, "Zirksee," as he goes by, is best known for his Madden gameplay on YouTube.ZirkClaus ❄️@ZirkseeIt shouldn’t even have to be said, absolutely @EaMaddenNFL should make John Madden the Madden 23 cover.7:43 AM · Dec 28, 20211515139It shouldn’t even have to be said, absolutely @EaMaddenNFL should make John Madden the Madden 23 cover.Support for the Hall of Famer getting the respect he deserves is popular. USA Today reporter Tyler Dragon was amongst those supporters.Tyler Dragon@TheTylerDragonHopefully Madden 23 will actually have John Madden on the cover. That would be a great tribute to the Hall of Famer.7:40 AM · Dec 28, 2021128769Hopefully Madden 23 will actually have John Madden on the cover. That would be a great tribute to the Hall of Famer.One fan even suggested the franchise rename its game entirely in its next release. The suggested name by Rob Waziak is the same one the company used in their first Madden game released in 1988.Rob Waziak@WazNFLSkip the Madden NFL 23 name.Name it John Madden Football. twitter.com/EverydayFFB/st…Adam Stark@EverydayFFBThe cover of Madden23 has to be John Madden9:08 AM · Dec 28, 202159728The cover of Madden23 has to be John MaddenSkip the Madden NFL 23 name.Name it John Madden Football. twitter.com/EverydayFFB/st…One fan posted a cover image of every Madden cover ever. They argue there will be no objections to their claim of choosing Madden as the cover.CGS Boston Podcast@CGSBostonPodEA needs to put John Madden back on the cover for Madden 23. Who says no?#NFL | #Madden | #EASports10:10 AM · Dec 29, 202143EA needs to put John Madden back on the cover for Madden 23. Who says no?#NFL | #Madden | #EASports https://t.co/jqSHXH3ZiwAlfredo Brown took his beliefs a step further. He believes the franchise should try and make it so Patt Summerall and Madden can commentate over games. That would be truly revolutionary if EA Sports could find enough archived footage to make it work.Alfredo Brown@AlfredoBrownGMI really want @EAMaddenNFL 23 to, not only have John Madden on the cover, but also have an option for Pat Summerall & John Madden to be the commentators. There’s got to be more than enough audio to put something together for those 2 legends.8:53 AM · Dec 29, 2021111I really want @EAMaddenNFL 23 to, not only have John Madden on the cover, but also have an option for Pat Summerall & John Madden to be the commentators. There’s got to be more than enough audio to put something together for those 2 legends. https://t.co/ju3kz05FU7Anthony Faulds took to Twitter to share his custom design for what a Madden cover could look like next year.Anthony Faulds@antwon_createsMadden 23 will be the first release of the franchise since Coach John Madden's passing. Many are calling for @EAMaddenNFL to put him on the cover. Here is my renditionRIP Coach John Madden #Photoshop #Graphics #Madden #CoachMadden #Raiders #RaiderNation #NFL #Legend #HoFer11:48 AM · Dec 28, 20211511Madden 23 will be the first release of the franchise since Coach John Madden's passing. Many are calling for @EAMaddenNFL to put him on the cover. Here is my renditionRIP Coach John Madden #Photoshop #Graphics #Madden #CoachMadden #Raiders #RaiderNation #NFL #Legend #HoFer https://t.co/JUaTeTT9GQGiven how beloved Madden was, it's hard to find people who disagree with writer Brendan Sugrue's take.Brendan Sugrue@BrendanSugrueSo we're in agreement that @EASPORTS needs to put John Madden on the cover of MADDEN 23, right? @EAMaddenNFL9:57 AM · Dec 28, 2021687So we're in agreement that @EASPORTS needs to put John Madden on the cover of MADDEN 23, right? @EAMaddenNFLOne fan came up with some incredible ideas that would likely draw in many buyers. Recreating Madden's greatest moments as a coach is an innovative idea we've seen companies like 2K Sports do before in NBA 2K11 for Michael Jordan.Anthony Russo@Anthony_Russo97Requests for Madden 23:John Madden on the coverRecreate some of Madden’s biggest games as a coachRelive games with some of Madden’s best commentaryMake it a good game to actually honor the legend who built the franchise7:34 AM · Dec 28, 202193Requests for Madden 23:John Madden on the coverRecreate some of Madden’s biggest games as a coachRelive games with some of Madden’s best commentaryMake it a good game to actually honor the legend who built the franchiseFinally, a fan called for Madden to make the cover of John Madden on every edition. Rather than paying extra for a deluxe edition with him on the cover, he should be on every edition.#88 Forever. | #LetsGoBuffalo #ForeverNE @BuffaloSabres06Put him on the cover of Madden 23, and call it John Madden Football 23. Not just the deluxe edition, no BS. Make HIM the cover. This man is a legend.@EAMaddenNFL @NFL twitter.com/AdamSchefter/s…Adam Schefter@AdamSchefterLegend….7:28 AM · Dec 28, 2021214Legend…. https://t.co/T1cttXFIsfPut him on the cover of Madden 23, and call it John Madden Football 23. Not just the deluxe edition, no BS. Make HIM the cover. This man is a legend.@EAMaddenNFL @NFL twitter.com/AdamSchefter/s…Time will tell if EA Sports will follow through with their fan requests. The new Madden is likely to be released in August of 2022, given its history of release dates.