The news was announced on Wednesday. EA Sports announced that not only will Jackson return to the field to play for the first time in a while after Madden NFL 15, but Jackson will also have the privilege of becoming an official Madden cover athlete. After nearly 35 years since his NFL career started around 1987 Jackson can be seen on a cover featuring a digital version of Madden NFL 22. On Friday, players are once more in a position to play alongside him in virtual reality. EA Sports also teamed up with Nike to revisit the iconic sportswear brand's Bo Knows ad campaign by creating a digitally rendered version of his signature footwear which is called the Nike Air Bo Turf in the gameplay.
Jackson is the seventh running back to be named a Madden cover athlete. He follows Eddie George (Madden 2001), Marshall Faulk (Madden 2003), Shaun Alexander (Madden 2007), Peyton Hillis (Madden 12), Adrian Peterson and Barry Sanders (both Madden 25).
In the days before the cover reveal, The Undefeated's Aaron Dodson caught up with Jackson to talk about the Tecmo Bowl days, how Bo Knows came to life as well as his Madden return, and much more.