Philadelphia Eagles star running back Saquon Barkley is the Madden NFL 26 cover man. Barkley’s cover features the epic reverse hurdle he pulled off during his historic 2024 season, which ended with the Eagles beating the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
Barkley put out his own statement on the announcement along with a short hype video: “Hurdling onto the @EAMaddenNFL cover. Dream come true! Fly Eagles Fly.”
ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes Barkley is the first Eagle to grace the cover of the Madden series since Donovan McNabb for Madden NFL 06. The Eagles star will also be part of the 99 Club in the upcoming game.
Saquon Barkley’s historic 2024 Eagles season
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The Eagles made waves when they stole Saquon Barkley away from the rival New York Giants, and he promptly enjoyed not only the best season of his career but a historic campaign. The 28-year-old rushed for 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns on 5.8 yards per carry while also catching 33 passes for 278 yards and two scores. Barkley had a chance to break Eric Dickerson’s all-time regular-season rushing record of 2,105 yards, but Philadelphia held him out of Week 18.
Barkley continued his dominance in the playoffs, rushing for 499 yards and five touchdowns in four games. While he was mostly held in check in the Super Bowl, it didn’t matter thanks to the Eagles’ ferocious defense. Also, Barkley still managed to break Terrell Davis’ record for most rushing yards in a season when including the playoffs.
Madden NFL 26 release
As the Madden NFL 26 cover announcement notes, the game will be released on Aug. 14, with pre-ordering available now. EA Sports is offering a special “MVP Bundle” featuring the Deluxe Editions of both Madden NFL 26 and College Football 26.
The announcement also teased some special features for Madden NFL 26: “Signature QB tendencies. Unique coaching schemes. Game-changing weather. Experience it all in #Madden26.”
Jason Patt is the Editorial Director at ClutchPoints. The Illinois alumnus specializes in NBA, NFL, and MLB coverage, and he has previous bylines at SB Nation, FanSided, and Forbes.
