the legendary NFL coach signed a $150 million deal that allows EA to use his name and likeness in perpetuity. Madden also earns additional millions annually in royalties from the games. But he could’ve earned even more.
When the company’s stock first went public, he was offered an opportunity to buy it for just $7.50 a share. Thinking EA was just trying to milk money out of him, Madden declined. He later called this decision the “dumbest thing [he] ever did in [his] life” — and for good reason.
EA’s stock was priced at $70 by 1999 and reached an all-time high of close to $150 a share in July 2018 — thanks in large part to the franchise that bears Madden’s name and will for the foreseeable future.