Players will wear John Madden patches on their jerseys on Thanksgiving

For decades, tens of millions of Americans welcomed John Madden into their homes every year on Thanksgiving. And although Madden died in 2021 at the age of 85, his presence is still an important part of Thanksgiving football.

The NFL will honor Madden during this year's three Thanksgiving games by featuring jersey patches with a Madden silhouette worn by every player. The opening coin toss will also be a tribute to Madden, with the silhouette of Madden serving as "heads" and a six-legged turducken on the reverse side as "tails."

Madden famously awarded turkey legs to the player of the game in the Thanksgiving games he called during his long broadcasting career, and the NFL will remember Madden by having its broadcast partners choose a player of the game in each of the three games, with that player getting a $10,000 grant that will go to a high school or youth football program of the player's choice.

All three games will also include a video that features Madden, in his own words, describing what Thanksgiving meant to him.

This year's three Thanksgiving games are Packers at Lions at 12:30 p.m. ET on Fox, Commanders at Cowboys at 4:30 p.m. ET on CBS and 49ers at Seahawks at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC.