Ex-NFL MVP Has No Doubts About Saquon Barkley Being the Obvious Choice as Madden Cover Athlete: “One of the Greatest Honors”

Former Seahawks RB Shaun Alexander wants Eagles Saquon Barkley to refrain from fearing the Madden curse.

Ex-NFL MVP Has No Doubts About Saquon Barkley Being the Obvious Choice as Madden Cover Athlete: “One of the Greatest Honors”

Saquon Barkley (Image via IMAGO)

The Madden Curse is like the premise of the Final Destination franchise—bad luck follows like a moth to a flame. Saquon Barkley is the obvious candidate to become the 2025-26 edition of the famous EA football video game.

The Philadelphia Eagles running back recorded 2283 scrimmage yards from 378 carries and scored 15 rushing touchdowns. He took home the NFL Offensive Player of the Year award.

It is the norm for EA to choose the best and most discussed NFL player for the cover of Madden. Barkley fits the bill perfectly, but he stands at the crossroads of whether to rejoice with the prospect of seeing himself immortalized by becoming the poster child of the beloved game or fear thinking about the baggage it brings.

Former Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander advised Barkley to ignore the superstitious.

[Saquon], don’t worry about any of the curses. It’s [Madden cover athlete] one of the greatest honors you will have.

Shaun Alexander said while appearing on the latest segment of Up & Adams

Of course, Alexander is no stranger to great achievements himself. While playing for the Seahawks in 2005, Alexander torched NFL defenses by recording 1880 yards and 28 total touchdowns.

The NFL crowned him with the league MVP honor. However, his family members, especially the young ones, remember him fondly for different reasons.

I won the [NFL] MVP. We played in the first Seahawks Super Bowl… But my nephews? They only care that I was on the cover.

Shaun Alexander said

Barkley is anything but a coward. He recently declared the 2024-25 Eagles a top-5 team in NFL history. This was a bold statement from Barkley, considering several teams can stake the same claim.

Should Saquon Barkley fear the Madden curse?

It’s called a curse for a reason. To be blunt, players tend to suffer major setbacks right after appearing on the cover of Madden.

Ex-NFL MVP Has No Doubts About Saquon Barkley Being the Obvious Choice As Madden Cover Athlete "One of the Greatest Honors"
Saquon Barkley (Image via IMAGO)

The Eagles fans are no strangers. In 2004, quarterback Donovan McNabb conquered the NFC East with flashy plays. He recorded a 13-2 season, threw 31 touchdowns, and had a career-best pass completion rate of 64.

EA selected McNabb as the 2005 Madden cover athlete. However, McNabb played just nine games because of a sports hernia injury that season, and the Eagles finished 5-11.

Barkley doesn’t need to look that far back to see the curse affecting a player’s season. In 2023, San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey had 339 touches of the ball to record 2023 scrimmage yards and 21 total touchdowns. The Niners lost the Super Bowl to the Chiefs, but McCaffrey was chosen as the cover athlete of Madden 2024.

Shortly after the release, the 49ers announced McCaffrey suffered a calf and Achilles injury. He recovered in time to play a few games at the start of the season, but the 49ers placed the Stanford graduate on IR. The doctor revealed he had Achilles tendonitis in both knees. He only played four games.

Even Shaun Alexander was a victim of the curse. His MVP year was the final time Alexander had 1000 rushing yards in a season. He was haunted by injuries and retired after the 2008 season (four years after becoming the best football player in the world).

There’s still time for EA to choose the cover athlete. In addition to Barkley, they could consider 2024 NFL MVP Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen or Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts.

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