Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley was chosen to be the cover athlete for Madden 26, the latest installment in EA Sports’ popular NFL video game franchise.
The 28-year-old isn’t worried about becoming the latest victim of the proverbial ‘Madden curse’ after his selection.
Barkley was asked by Tom Pelissero on NFL Network’s ‘The Insiders’ whether he believed in curses, specifically the one associated with appearing on the Madden cover.
‘Nah, I’m a believer in God,’ Barkley replied. ‘That’s my mindset, to be completely honest.’
Saquon Barkley discusses Madden curse
Some superstitious Eagles fans might cringe at the thought of their superstar running back on the cover of the video game franchise.
Barkley – who became the ninth NFL player to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season last year – remains unbothered by the superstition.
‘I’ve had injuries before. I tore my knee, I stepped on a foot and rolled my ankle and was out 4-to-6 weeks, and there was no curse then,’ Barkley said. ‘That’s just how life works. You’re gonna have your ups and downs, but my mindset is coming in, work, do what I need to do, and the rest is in God’s hands.’
The idea of the Madden curse dates back to Madden 1999, when San Francisco 49ers running back Garrison Hearst became the first athlete to appear on the international edition of the game’s cover.
Hearst enjoyed a quality 1998 NFL season, running for 1,570 yards and seven touchdowns with the 49ers. However, he suffered a gruesome broken ankle in a playoff game against the Atlanta Falcons. Complications from the injury – including avascular necrosis, which caused a bone in his injured foot to die – kept him out of the league for two seasons before he returned to play for the 49ers in 2001.
Since then, numerous stars to grace the Madden cover have also dealt with injury issues. That includes Madden 25 cover athlete Christian McCaffrey, who was limited to four games in 2024 because of Achilles tendonitis and a PCL sprain in his knee.
Meanwhile, the cover athletes who have remained healthy have often seen a step back in production.
Saquon Barkley Madden cover: How it was made
The Madden 26 cover features a snapshot of Barkley’s iconic hurdle from the 2024 NFL season, during which he jumped backward over Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jarrian Jones.
Barkley revealed during his interview with NFL Network that he received help in recreating the jump.
‘I would love to say I actually have that body control, but I would just be lying to you,’ Barkley said, referencing a brief clip he shared of the shoot on social media. ‘I was strapped in there and they’re pulling me up.’
Barkley credited the shoot with helping him to realize just how difficult his reverse hurdle was to execute.
‘That’s when I realized the play that I had when I jumped over someone backwards, how special it was,’ he said. ‘When we had to recreate it, I was like, ‘I don’t know if I feel comfortable doing this not in the midst of a game.”
Barkley also explained that being strapped into the harness to create the cover photo wasn’t necessarily easy.
‘It made me grow so much more respect for any superhero – Spider-Man, Superman any of those guys, those actors or actresses that have to put that on and perform,’ Barkley said. ‘Shoutout to them.’