Saquon Barkley did a lot of things right during his first season with the Philadelphia Eagles, but one image will outlive will define the year long after he's retired from the game. That would be Barkley'sincredible backward hurdle, which he pulled off in a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars last season. That hurdle is the inspiration behind the "Madden 26" cover. Barkley was announced as the game's cover athlete Monday, and will be pictured on the cover in his iconic hurdle pose. @Saquonhurdled his way onto the cover of#Madden26Coming 8.14.25. Pre-Order Today.🔗:https://t.co/zm14BbUaJfpic.twitter.com/YyAjxKcCCi — Madden NFL 26 (@EAMaddenNFL)June 2, 2025 EA Sports' vice president of franchise strategy and marketing Evan Dexter confirmed the backward hurdle was the momentthe company wanted to capturefor the box art, according to PhiladelphiaEagles.com. "Saquon's reverse hurdle was one of the rare, defining moments in NFL history that would have once been described as 'something out of a video game.' Now, it's a display of the athleticism and creativity of one of football's most electrifying athletes." In a statement, Barkley said he was grateful to be the Madden cover athlete. He said he looked forward to making more highlights next season. Barkley also tweeted about the honor, calling it a "dream come true." He shared a quick clip of the photo shoot EA Sports used to capture the cover image. Hurdling onto the@EAMaddenNFLcover 🙏🏾Dream come true! Fly Eagles Fly 🦅https://t.co/zUTwOWHE1Upic.twitter.com/X1xQWIEpk6 — Saquon Barkley (@saquon)June 2, 2025 This story will be updated.
