Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley refuses to turn down the opportunity to be the Madden NFL 26 Cover Star.

During his interview with NFL Network on June 2nd, he rebuts the Madden curse by sharing where his faith lies.

THE MADDEN CURSE

If you don’t know, the Madden curse has circulated for more than two decades. Some people believe athletes featured on the cover are doomed to perform poorly in the future, whether it’s because of a significant injury or other factors.

Numerous stars have dealt with injury issues. One being Madden 25 cover athlete, Christian McCaffrey, who was limited to four games in 2024 because of Achilles tendinitis and a PCL sprain in the knee.

Saquon Barkley Rebuts The Madden Curse: “I believe in God”

Instead of turning down to be the Madden NFL 26 Cover Star, Barkley decided to stay focused on how many people would love to be in his shoes, not the so-called “ Madden curse”. He told NFL network,

“I know so many people, so many kids that … would love to be in the position I’m in right now,”

The running back continued, stating,

“I’ve had injuries before. I tore my knee, I stepped on a foot and rolled my ankle and was out 4-to-6 weeks, and there was no curse then,” he said. “That’s just how life works. You’re gonna have your ups and downs, but my mindset is coming in, work, do what I need to do, and the rest is in God’s hands.”

Saquan Barkley is the NFL’s Offensive Player of the year, just before he and his Eagles teammates won the Super Bowl.

For the Madden NFL 26 Cover, Barkley recreates his iconic reverse hurdle from the November 3rd game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.