Steve McNair in Madden NFL 09: Why He's Not Unlockable

You cannot unlock Steve McNair in Madden NFL 09. Two hard barriers prevent it:

Licensing Rights

EA Sports lacked the rights to McNair's likeness and statistics for the 2008-2009 season. NFL player likenesses require active NFLPA membership or individual legend agreements—neither applied to McNair for Madden 09.

Retirement Timing

McNair retired after the 2007 season. Madden NFL 09's roster reflects the 2008 active player pool. Retired players only appear if specifically licensed as "Legends" or "Hall of Famers"—McNair wasn't included in that year's legend roster.

Later Appearances

McNair appears as a playable legend in subsequent Madden titles (Madden 10 onwards) once EA secured his rights for their classic player programs.

No cheat, code, or workaround adds him to Madden 09. The data simply doesn't exist on the disc.