Madden NFL 26 is just around the corner, with the game set to release on August 14. This is exhilarating news for all NFL fans, however, the Eagles fanbase is a bit more excited than the rest. After almost 20 years (Madden NFL ‘06 – Madden NFL 26), an Eagles player has finally been featured on the cover of a Madden game.
Saquon Barkley, star running back for the Philadelphia Eagles, has earned the honor of the Madden 26 cover after completing one of the best offensive seasons in NFL history. However, fans are concerned that this might make him vulnerable to the ‘Madden Curse’, which has reportedly ruined entire careers. So, let’s break down what this cover means and what is next for the future Madden star.
The Madden Curse Explained
The Madden curse, like other sports-related superstitions, entails that any superstar featured on the Madden cover will face either severe injuries or a performance decline in the following season. This has been the case for many NFL stars previously, where some retired completely. Since we’re discussing the Eagles, the most relevant example of the curse is Donovan McNabb, the star QB of the Eagles in ‘06.
McNabb, the last Eagles player featured on the Madden cover, came off a tremendous season in 2004, recording 31 TD passes and leading the Eagles to Super Bowl XXXIX. This earned him the cover of Madden NFL ‘06. However, this run was short-lived, as after the game was released, McNabb missed half of the 2005 season due to a hernia. While this is just one example, there have been multiple instances of the Madden curse. Here’s a list of all players who faced major career injuries after their cover appearance.
| Player | Position | Team | Madden Cover Year | Previous Season Highlights (Before Cover) | Curse Outcome Summary |
| Daunte Culpepper | Quarterback | Minnesota Vikings | Madden 02 (2001) | 2000: Nearly 4,000 passing yards, 33 TDs, NFC Championship appearance | Poor 2001 season, 14 TDs to 13 INTs, missed final 5 games with knee injury |
| Marshall Faulk | Running Back | St. Louis Rams | Madden 03 (2002) | 3 consecutive Offensive Player of the Year awards, 2 Super Bowls | Ankle injury, failed to reach 1,000 yards, the team lost 7-9 |
| Michael Vick | Quarterback | Atlanta Falcons | Madden 04 (2003) | 2002: Led Falcons to divisional round, 4th in MVP voting | Broke his leg the same week the cover was announced, missed 11 games |
| Ray Lewis | Linebacker | Baltimore Ravens | Madden 05 (2004) | 2003: Defensive Player of the Year | Broke his wrist, missed games, but still had a strong season |
| Donovan McNabb | Quarterback | Philadelphia Eagles | Madden 06 (2005) | Led Eagles to Super Bowl, 5 straight Pro Bowls | Missed 7 games due to hernia, public feud with Terrell Owens, performance drop |
| Shaun Alexander | Running Back | Seattle Seahawks | Madden 07 (2006) | 2005: Led league with 1,880 rushing yards, 28 TDs, Super Bowl appearance | Broken foot, missed 6 games, significant decline |
| Vince Young | Quarterback | Tennessee Titans | Madden 08 (2007) | Offensive Rookie of the Year 2006 | Decline in 2007 with 9 TDs, 17 INTs, suspension for violating team rules |
| Brett Favre | Quarterback | Green Bay Packers / New York Jets | Madden 09 (2008) | 2007: Led Packers to 13 wins, runner-up MVP | Injuries & 22 interceptions with the Jets, the team missed the playoffs |
| Troy Polamalu | Safety | Pittsburgh Steelers | Madden 10 (2009) | Key player in Steelers’ Super Bowl XLIII win | Sprained MCL in opener, missed 11 games, feared career-ending injury |
| Peyton Hillis | Running Back | Cleveland Browns | Madden 12 (2011) | Over 1,000 rushing yards, double-digit TDs for Browns | Limited to 10 games due to strep throat & hamstring injuries, failed to secure a long-term contract |
| Shaun Alexander | Running Back | Seattle Seahawks | Madden 07 (2006) | 2005: Led league with 1,880 rushing yards, 28 TDs, Super Bowl appearance | Broken foot, missed 6 games, significant decline |
| Rob Gronkowski | Tight End | New England Patriots | Madden 17 (2016) | Two straight First-Team All-Pro seasons, healthy & dominant | Multiple injuries limited him to 8 games, though the team won the Super Bowl |
| Antonio Brown | Wide Receiver | Pittsburgh Steelers | Madden 19 (2018) | 2018: 6th straight 100+ catches, 1,000+ yards, career-high 15 TDs | Forced out of Pittsburgh, short stints in Oakland & New England, released after 1 game, career collapse |
| Christian McCaffrey | Running Back | Carolina Panthers | Madden 25 (2024) | 2023: Led NFL with 1,459 rushing yards, 21 total TDs | Injuries limited him to 4 games in 2024, but he signed a lucrative extension |
What This Means For Saquon Barkley
If we’re purely looking at data, things aren’t looking good for Barkley. Even if we remove all other instances and just focus on the last time an Eagles player made it to the cover, it didn’t go well. Similar to other players, Barkley is coming off an exhilarating season, rushing for more than 2,000 yards, recording 15 touchdowns, and helping lead the Eagles to their second Super Bowl victory in the last decade. This makes him all the more prone to the Madden curse, which always affects players operating at the highest level.
That said, there’s a silver lining for all Eagles fans. While the Madden Curse has been active time and time again, at the end of the day, it’s just another superstition, which has been broken by multiple athletes. While the curse has taken some victims, others have reversed it with their sheer performance. For example:
- Tom Brady was featured on the cover of Madden NFL ‘18. In the subsequent season, he threw 32 touchdowns, won MVP, and led the Patriots to yet another Super Bowl.
- Calvin Johnson appeared on the cover of Madden NFL ‘13. Johnson had the best season of his career following his cover year, cementing himself as the best receiver in the NFL with 122 catches, 14 TDs, and a league-leading 1,964 yards. A record that still stands to this day.
- Patrick Mahomes was featured on the cover of Madden NFL 20 and Madden NFL 22. Mahomes won Super Bowl LIV the same year he first appeared on the Madden cover. He then followed it up by signing a record-breaking contract and adding two more Super Bowl rings.
These players have proven that the ‘Curse’ can be broken by sheer willpower. So, when it comes to Saquon Barkley, we believe that he will dodge the curse like he dodged the jaguar’s defender, in style with the reverse hurdle.
Published: Jun 4, 2025 9:05 PM UTC