After the year he had in his first season with the Philadelphia Eagles, there was no way EA Sports could pass up Saquon Barkley.
He was a Super Bowl Champion, AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year, and now the Madden NFL 26 cover athlete.
Electronic Arts Inc. and EA SPORTS unveiled the first look of the Madden NFL 26 cover on Monday, featuring the Eagles All-Pro running back.
This is only the second time that an Eagles player has been pictured on the cover, as he now joins Eagles Hall of Fame quarterback Donovan McNabb, who graced the front of the 2006 edition.
“I’m grateful to my teammates, coaches, and Eagles fans for their support,” Barkley said, “and I can’t wait to hit the field again to give Madden players more highlight-reel moments in Madden NFL 26.”
Saquon’s reverse hurdle was one incredible moment during the 2024 season, and that is exactly what they used for the cover.
The cover of #Madden26: pic.twitter.com/PAfgIO9RZ5
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 2, 2025
The NFL has never seen as great a season from a running back as Philadelphia Eagles’ Saquon Barkley had in 2024.
Everyone already knows about the NFL record 2,504 yards, but he also led the league in rushing attempts (345), yards per game (125.3), total touches (378), and total yards from scrimmage (2,283).
After putting up those numbers in 16 regular season games, Barkley also led the NFL in the postseason in attempts (91), rushing yards (499), rushing touchdowns (five), touches (104), and yards from scrimmage (574) in four games.
He was named to the Pro Bowl, AP first-team All-Pro, and won AP Offensive Player of the Year.
Barkley capped off the year with a Super Bowl victory.