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Saquon Barkley cover revealed for Madden NFL 26 release

Stephen Samraby:Steve Samra•06/02/25•

SamraSource

Saquon
Mark J. Rebilas

The cover athlete for Madden NFL 26 has been revealed. Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley will have the honor this season.

EA Sports made the announcement on Monday. You can check out the cover below, which depicts Barkley hurdling a defender in the team’s throwback uniforms. The Eagles running back famously hit a Jacksonville Jaguars defender with a similar play, hurdling backwards last season in a viral moment.

It’s certainly the latest accomplishment in what’s been a wild year and change for Barkley since becoming an Eagle. He’s found success in everything he’s done, almost breaking the single-season rushing record, winning a Super Bowl and becoming the highest paid running back in NFL history.

You read that right. While Barkley’s first deal with Philadelphia didn’t reach that mark, a two-year, $41.2 million contract extension got the job done. The agreement made Barkley the NFL’s first $20 million+ per-year running back as well, also offering him the ability to earn an additional $15 million in incentives and escalators.

It was an incredible reward for the running back, after Barkley ran for a career high 2,005 yards, 13 touchdowns and 5.8 yards per carry during the regular season. Adding in his postseason yardage, Barkley set the all-time rushing record (regular and postseason) with 2,504 yards.

He was a little quieter during the Eagles’ dominant 40-22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX. Still, it didn’t make a difference. Barkley was a large part in the turnaround from 2023 to ’24 in Philadelphia.

However, Barkley isn’t satisfied. He got a taste of what it’s like to win, and now he wants to start a dynasty in Philadelphia: “I said after the game, ‘Why can’t our dynasty start now?’” Barkley said at a Raising Cane’s in Trevose, Pennsylvania.

“Probably had a little bit of champagne and other stuff in my system at the time. But you really can’t focus on that. You got to enjoy the moment. It’s hard to win one, and you take it in, enjoy the moment and start all over. It kinda starts over.”

Alas, to the victor goes the spoils, and Saquon Barkley has certainly been enjoying a fruitful offseason. Still, success is far from guaranteed year to year in the NFL. We’ll see if the Eagles are built for another run behind their running back, or if the Madden Curse rears its ugly head in 2025.