Is the 'Madden curse' real? Here's how the last 15 cover athletes have fared. Saquon Barkley, backward hurdle and all, was unveiled as the cover athlete for Madden NFL 26, which will be released this summer.

Eagles running back Saquon Barkley and his famous backward hurdle will be on the Madden 2026 cover. Can be break the "Madden curse"?

Barkley rushed for 2,005 yards on 345 carries this season for a staggering 5.8 yards per carry. 13 of those touches ended in the end zone for the MVP candidate who finished just 101 yards shy of Eric Dickerson's regular season record. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 5, 2025, where it first appeared.