Latest news with #MaddenNFL2025
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Madden NFL 26 cover: Saquon Barkley joins list of NFL players on Madden video game cover
The Madden video game has been entertaining football and video game fans since the first edition of the game was released in 1988. The latest edition, Madden NFL 26, is set to be released on Aug. 14, 2025. The latest athlete on the cover for the game? The Philadelphia Eagles' Saquon Barkley is set to grace the cover of the 2026 edition, EA Sports, the maker of the game, announced, joining a long line of Madden cover athletes. The image of Barkley will be of his famous backwards hurdle from last season. Madden started putting athletes on the cover in 2001, with Tennessee Titans running back Eddie George getting the honor on the Madden NFL 2001 cover. This will be the second straight version of the game with a running back on the cover after the San Francisco 49ers' Christian McCaffrey was on the cover of Madden NFL 2025. 2001: Eddie George, RB, Tennessee Titans 2002: Daunte Culpepper, QB, Minnesota Vikings 2003: Marshall Faulk, RB, St. Louis Rams 2004: Michael Vick, QB, Atlanta Falcons 2005: Ray Lewis, LB, Baltimore Ravens 2006: Donovan McNabb, QB, Philadelphia Eagles 2007: Shaun Alexander, RB, Seattle Seahawks 2008: Vince Young, QB, Tennessee Titans 2009: Brett Favre, QB, Green Bay Packers 2010: Troy Polamalu, S, Pittsburgh Steelers and Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals 2011: Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints 2012: Peyton Hillis, RB, Cleveland Browns 2013: Calvin Johnson, WR, Detroit Lions 2014: Barry Sanders, RB, Detroit Lions 2014: Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota Vikings 2015: Richard Sherman, CB, Seattle Seahawks 2016: Odell Beckham Jr., WR, New York Giants 2017: Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England Patriots 2018: Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots 2019: Antonio Brown, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers 2020: Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs 2021: Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens 2022: Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs and Tom Brady, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2023: John Madden, Pro Football Hall of Fame coach 2024: Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills 2025: Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers 2026: Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles The only Cardinals player to get on the cover while he was playing for Arizona was WR Larry Fitzgerald, who shared the cover with Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu in 2010. Reach Jeremy Cluff at Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff. Support local journalism: Subscribe to today. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Madden NFL game covers through the years: Saquon Barkley joins list
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Eagles' Saquon Barkley and his backwards hurdle to be on Madden NFL 2026 cover
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley has hurdled onto the cover of Madden NFL 2026. After a record-setting season, Barkley and his famous backwards hurdle will be featured on the cover of the popular video game. Advertisement Here's when it will release and how to get a copy: When is Madden NFL 2026 being released? The release date for Madden NFL 2026 is Aug. 14, 2025. Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley will be on the cover of Madden NFL 2026. How do preorder Madden NFL 2026 To preorder the game, visit the EA Sports website here. The Barkley hurdle: Eagles Saquon Barkley's backwards hurdle 'best play I ever saw'. Social media goes bonkers Madden NFL: Eagles Saquon Barkley reacts − with a twist − to Madden NFL adding backwards hurdle to game Saquon Barkley hurdle added to Madden It's not surprising that Barkley will grace the cover of this year's Madden. Barkley's improbable backwards hurdle over a Jacksonville Jaguars defender in the Birds' Week 9 win was added to Madden NFL 2025. Advertisement Here's how it looks in the game: Saquon Barkley's hurdle goes viral Shortly after Barkley took a pass in the flat from quarterback Jalen Hurts broke a tackle, spun away from another defender and then leaped backward over defensive back Jarrian Jones − social media went wild. It wasn't long after that play — maybe the most memorable of the year — was added to Madden. Saquon Barkley's record-setting season Barkley was selected for the honor following his first season with the Eagles where he rushed for 2,504 yards — the most ever in a season when counting the playoffs. He also had the most scrimmage yards in a season with 2,857. His 499 rushing yards were the third most all-time in one postseason and his 2,005 rushing yards was eighth most all-time in a regular season. Advertisement He also added 15 total touchdowns in the regular season and five more in the playoffs, which was capped by the Birds' 40-22 Super Bowl 59 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. Is the 'Madden curse' real? Some might say this is bad news for Barkley and Eagles fans due to the "Madden curse" as some players have sustained major injuries or sudden downfalls after gracing the cover. Here's a look at some of more notable "cursed" seasons by players who were on the Madden cover: 2017: New England Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski missed the first four games of the 2018 season and started only six games total due to a herniated disk and other injuries. Advertisement 2012: Cleveland Browns RB Peyton Hillis, who came out of nowhere to rush for 1,000-plus yards, missed six games with an injury the following season and never reached his 2012 peak again. 2011: New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees wasn't bitten by the injury bug, but he did toss a career-high and franchise-record 22 picks as the Saints missed the playoffs. 2010: Steelers S Troy Polamalu, who shared the cover with Arizona Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald, missed 11 games because of an MCL injury. 2009: New York Jets QB Brett Favre forced his way out of Green Bay after a Hall-of-Fame career with the Packers and then out on throw a league-leading 22 interceptions. Advertisement 2008: Titans QB Vince Young threw only nine touchdowns and was picked 17 times before being benched. Celebrate the Eagles' Super Bowl win with our new book 2007: Seattle Seahawks RB Shaun Alexander rushed for only 896 yards and five-straight 1,000-plus yard seasons. 2006: Philadelphia Eagles QB Donovan McNabb missed half of the season due to injuries and had a public feud with star WR Terrell Owens the following season after losing to the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. 2004: Atlanta Falcons QB Michael Vick fractured a fibula less than a week after the game's release, causing him to miss all but five games that season. Advertisement 2003: Rams RB Marshall Faulk, a model of consistency after five-straight 1,000-plus rushing yard season, fell short of the mark and never reached it again. 2002: Minnesota Vikings QB Daunte Culpepper missed six games due to injuries and lost 16 fumbles. This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Madden NFL 2026 cover to feature Eagles' Saquon Barkley hurdle
