Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley’s iconic backwards hurdle will forever be memorialized on the cover of “Madden NFL 26.” The airborne Barkley is featured front and center on the latest installment of EA Sports’ flagship video game franchise, which is set for release on Aug. 14, 2025.
Barkley is the second straight running back to be featured on “Madden’s” cover, following San Francisco 49ers standout Christian McCaffrey.
Barkley and the NFL gave a behind the scenes look at the making of the cover. The RB captioned the social media post, “Hurdling onto the [Madden] cover. Dream come true! Fly Eagles Fly.”
It’s another feather in the cap for Barkley, who had a career year in 2024 while helping guide the Eagles to victory in Super Bowl 59. He led the NFL with 345 carries for 2,005 yards while logging a personal-best 13 touchdowns on the ground.
His 2,283 yards from scrimmage also led the league. He’s just the ninth running back in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season and came 101 yards short of breaking Erick Dickerson’s single-season rushing record.
Of course, none of his touches stand out like the one that produced his reverse hurdle. Barkley caught a pass out of the backfield in a Week 9 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, made the line to gain to convert on third-and-6, put one defender in the spin cycle, and then cleared Jaguars defensive back Jarrian Jones by hurdling with his back to the defender.
He was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week after tallying 199 yards and two touchdowns against Jacksonville.
Barkley signed a two-year contract extension worth $41.2 million in March, making him the first running back in NFL history to earn at least $20 million per year.