As in previous years, EA Sports conducted a fan vote via ESPN to elect the cover athlete for the game.

[1] Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman won the cover vote and the rest of the Legion of Boom defense was featured on the game's start menu.

Due to the late release of the game, EA created a much smaller bracket than the previous years with a cover vote.

[3] Also featured in the bracket were Alshon Jeffery, Jimmy Graham, Demaryius Thomas, Luke Kuechly, Colin Kaepernick, Nick Foles, Cam Newton, Antonio Brown, Jamaal Charles, A. J.

Work was made on using technology introduced in previous installments, along with a new "global dynamic camera system", to give the game's "broadcasts" a more professional feel with more details; these include the replacement of pre-rendered "post-play" cut scenes with dynamic scenes that feature players interacting, and can, additionally, respond to references of players by commentators with relevant camera shots and on-screen graphics, and the revival of the halftime show.

In a review for gaming website Destructoid, Steven Hansen called the last-gen versions an "extra scummy ripoff" that tends to run poorly due to slow loading times and a "clunky" UI.