Steelers receiver Antonio Brown featured on Madden cover

PITTSBURGH -- Antonio Brown's broad NFL appeal just got a serious boost.

The All-Pro Pittsburgh Steelers receiver is the cover athlete for the video game "Madden 19," EA announced Wednesday.

The cover features a helmetless and smiling Brown, which is a departure from the action shots featured in recent years. This is a fitting tribute to Brown, who is constantly smiling on and off the field.

Brown follows Tom Brady (2018), Rob Gronkowski (2017), Odell Beckham (2016) and Richard Sherman (2015) as stars to introduce the popular video game.

Brown has matched elite production on the field -- including an NFL-record five straight 100-catch seasons -- with marketing appeal. Brown's jersey is one of the league's top-sellers. Brown has endorsed products for AT&T/DirecTV, Campbell's Soup, Pepsi, Nike, NFL Sunday Ticket and more.

"Since day one, everything I do is business savvy," Brown told ESPN in 2017 about his off-field appeal. "I'm a walking-around business. I'm not just an athlete or a football player. I'm a walking-around business. I have to conduct myself in such a way."