Nearly a year ago, when Saquon Barkley jumped ships from New York to Philadelphia, not many could have anticipated the season he was about to have. In his first year with the Eagles, Barkley became just the ninth player in NFL history to rush for over 2,000 yards, all while sitting out the final game of the regular season to prep for a Super Bowl run.
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Barkley went on to win that Lombardi Trophy, contributing crucial yards for the team throughout the postseason. So when it was announced last night that he’d be the cover athlete for Madden 26, it felt like a moment of well-earned recognition.
However, alongside the celebration came the fear about the “Madden Curse,” a long-whispered-about phenomenon (or superstition) in NFL circles, which quickly resurfaced online. Don’t believe it? Just last year, Christian McCaffrey was the face of Madden 25. He entered the season coming off a Super Bowl appearance and holding the Offensive Player of the Year title. Yet, everything unravelled fast.
A string of injuries in training camp — from calf issues to an Achilles strain — derailed the RB’s season before it even started. And after somehow managing to play four games, McCaffrey’s year ended abruptly with a PCL injury against the Bills. He finished the season with only 202 rushing yards and no touchdowns — a complete opposite of the season prior.
So now, with Barkley on the cover, Eagles fans naturally fear that their star player might be next on the curse list. Especially since the curse dates back to Garrison Hearst in Madden 1999, when an ankle injury sidelined him for two seasons. And similar misfortunes have happened to many cover athletes almost every year since.
But former NFL MVP and Madden 07 cover athlete Shaun Alexander doesn’t want that superstition affecting or scaring fans.
“What about the Madden curse? I’m like, you know, there’s 32 teams… between running back and quarterback, there’s 64 players. Fifty of them are going to get hurt,” he explained on an episode of Up & Adams. “You just know the truth. Fifty guys are not going to play in every game.”
So his message to Barkley was simple: Don’t worry about the myths, just go play your game. “Don’t worry about any other curses,” Alexander said. “Go ball. It’s one of the greatest honors that you’ll have.”
“I still laugh today when I think of my nephews. They be like, Uncle Shaun, you were on the cover of Madden.” – @shaunalexander #Madden #nfl #SaquonBarkley pic.twitter.com/2bDo1ESz0i
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) June 2, 2025
For Alexander, being on the cover still carries weight even decades later, which further adds credence to his message to the reigning Super Bowl champ. “I still laugh today… my nephews [say], ‘Uncle Shaun, you were on the cover of Madden!’”
Whether Barkley can avoid the fate of CMC and others remains to be seen. But for now, he’s part of an elite fraternity — and as Alexander sees it, that’s something to celebrate, not fear.
