Story by
Madden 2026 cover to feature Saquon Barkley's hurdle. Can Eagles RB break Madden curse?
- Story by
- Madden 2026 cover to feature Saquon Barkley's hurdle. Can Eagles RB break Madden curse?
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley has hurdled onto the cover of Madden NFL 2026.
After a record-setting season , Barkley and his famous backwards hurdle will be featured on the cover of the popular video game.
Advertisement
Here's when it will release and how to get a copy:
When does Madden '26 come out?
The release date for Madden NFL 2026 is Aug. 14, 2025.
How do preorder Madden NFL 2026
To preorder the game, visit the EA Sports website here .
Saquon Barkley Madden cover reaction
Barkley referred to making the cover as a "dream come true" in a post shared to social media .
"It starts with imagination," Barkley said. "Being a kid, having those moments, playing video games and saying, 'Why can't I do it in real life?'"
To celebrate, Geno's Steak in South Philly deck out its facade with Barkley sign and changed its name it "Steakquon's."
Advertisement
What is Madden 99 Club? Barkley's Madden rating
Barkley will be the second Eagles player to be on the cover of a Madden game. Donovan McNabb was the first to do so for the 2006 iteration of the game.
Celebrate the Eagles' Super Bowl win with our new book
Madden NFL: Eagles Saquon Barkley reacts − with a twist − to Madden NFL adding backwards hurdle to game
Saquon Barkley hurdle added to Madden
It's not surprising that Barkley will grace the cover of this year's Madden.
Barkley's improbable backwards hurdle over a Jacksonville Jaguars defender in the Birds' Week 9 win was added to Madden NFL 2025.
Advertisement
The Barkley hurdle: Eagles Saquon Barkley's backwards hurdle 'best play I ever saw'. Social media goes bonkers
Here's how it looks in the game:
Who did Saquon Barkley jump over?
Shortly after Barkley took a pass in the flat from quarterback Jalen Hurts broke a tackle, spun away from another defender and then leaped backward over defensive back Jarrian Jones − social media went wild.
It wasn't long after that play — maybe the most memorable of the year — was added to Madden.
Saquon Barkley's record-setting season
Barkley was selected for the honor following his first season with the Eagles where he rushed for 2,504 yards — the most ever in a season when counting the playoffs.
Advertisement
He also had the most scrimmage yards in a season with 2,857. His 499 rushing yards were the third most all-time in one postseason and his 2,005 rushing yards was eighth most all-time in a regular season.
He also added 15 total touchdowns in the regular season and five more in the playoffs, which was capped by the Birds' 40-22 Super Bowl 59 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs .
What is the Madden curse?
Some might say this is bad news for Barkley and Eagles fans due to the "Madden curse" as some players have sustained major injuries or sudden downfalls after gracing the cover.
Here's a look at some of more notable "cursed" seasons by players who were on the Madden cover:
Advertisement
2025: San Francisco 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey played only four games this past season due to a right knee injury.
2017: New England Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski missed the first four games of the 2018 season and started only six games total due to a herniated disk and other injuries.
2012: Cleveland Browns RB Peyton Hillis , who came out of nowhere to rush for 1,000-plus yards, missed six games with an injury the following season and never reached his 2012 peak again.
2011: New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees wasn't bitten by the injury bug, but he did toss a career-high and franchise-record 22 picks as the Saints missed the playoffs.
Advertisement
2010: Steelers S Troy Polamalu , who shared the cover with Arizona Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald , missed 11 games because of an MCL injury.
2009: New York Jets QB Brett Favre forced his way out of Green Bay after a Hall-of-Fame career with the Packers and then out on throw a league-leading 22 interceptions.
2008: Titans QB Vince Young threw only nine touchdowns and was picked 17 times before being benched.
2007: Seattle Seahawks RB Shaun Alexander rushed for only 896 yards and five-straight 1,000-plus yard seasons.
2006: Philadelphia Eagles QB Donovan McNabb missed half of the season due to injuries and had a public feud with star WR Terrell Owens the following season after losing to the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.
Advertisement
2004: Atlanta Falcons QB Michael Vick fractured a fibula less than a week after the game's release, causing him to miss all but five games that season.
2003: Rams RB Marshall Faulk, a model of consistency after five-straight 1,000-plus rushing yard season, fell short of the mark and never reached it again.
2002: Minnesota Vikings QB Daunte Culpepper missed six games due to injuries and lost 16 fumbles.
Who broke the Madden curse?
After years of bad luck, many speculate that Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson broke the Madden curse by posting a career year with 122 receptions for 1,964 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Advertisement
Madden covers by year and athlete
Madden first put an athlete on the cover in 2001, when Tennessee Titans running back Eddie George was chosen to front the game. Below is a look at all of the people to earn the cover art nod since then.
-
2001: Eddie George, RB, Tennessee Titans
-
2002: Daunte Culpepper, QB, Minnesota Vikings
-
2003: Marshall Faulk, RB, St. Louis Rams
-
2004: Michael Vick, QB, Atlanta Falcons
-
2005: Ray Lewis, LB, Baltimore Ravens
-
2006: Donovan McNabb, QB, Philadelphia Eagles
-
2007: Shaun Alexander, RB, Seattle Seahawks
-
2008: Vince Young, QB, Tennessee Titans
-
2009: Brett Favre, QB, Green Bay Packers
-
2010: Troy Polamalu, S, Pittsburgh Steelers and Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals
-
2011: Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints
-
2012: Peyton Hillis, RB, Cleveland Browns
-
2013: Calvin Johnson, WR, Detroit Lions
-
2014: Barry Sanders, RB, Detroit Lions
-
2014: Adrian Peterson , RB, Minnesota Vikings
-
2015: Richard Sherman , CB, Seattle Seahawks
-
2016: Odell Beckham Jr. , WR, New York Giants
-
2017: Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England Patriots
-
2018: Tom Brady , QB, New England Patriots
-
2019: Antonio Brown , WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
-
2020: Patrick Mahomes , QB, Kansas City Chiefs
-
2021: Lamar Jackson , QB, Baltimore Ravens
-
2022: Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs and Tom Brady, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
-
2023: John Madden, Pro Football Hall of Fame coach
-
2024: Josh Allen , QB, Buffalo Bills
-
2025: Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers
-
2026: Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
Jacob Camenker contributed this story
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: What is Madden 99 club? Eagles' Saquon Barkley on Madden 2026 cover
