When Saquon Barkley was announced as the cover star of Madden 26 on Monday, it was more than just a career milestone for him. The photograph chosen is one of the most iconic in NFL history, making it a celebration of football itself.
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The cover art features one of the most jaw-dropping plays of the 2024 season: The Philadelphia Eagles star’s physics-defying backward hurdle over Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jarrian Jones. The play came during Week 9.
Barkley, who was in a red-hot form then, caught a 14-yard pass before making two defenders miss with a juke and a spin. Then, in a move that had jaws on the floor, he leapt backwards over a fully upright Jones, and kept going.
Even the Jaguars DB couldn’t help but tip his hat at the time. “I don’t think anybody else in the league can actually make that play and successfully hurdle me,” Jones said. “Like, it ain’t like I went low or nothing like that — I was standing up tall and he still hurdled me.”
That kind of freak athleticism is what helped Barkley snag the Madden cover. But with that spotlight comes a dilemma: How much of the defender, who is on the receiving end of the highlight, should be shown?
To the reigning Super Bowl champ’s credit, he wasn’t out to embarrass Jones further. He was already made the butt of jokes for allowing the Eagles star to rag-doll him on the field. Barkley, therefore, made sure the Madden team understood that.
“Obviously, you could see some type of player,” Barkley said on The Green Light with Chris Long.
“But we made sure — and I want to give credit to Madden here too — having conversations with them, making sure that the play’s been shown enough… he probably took enough jabs at it and we don’t need to try to bring any more attention to that,” he added.
The result? The Jaguars’ logo is notably absent on the helmet of the defensive player in the Madden cover art. This was a deliberate move to not call out Jones directly, even though fans know exactly who it is.
Barkley also praised Madden’s handling of the cover photo, saying they focused more on celebrating the “moment and the play itself rather [than] against the individual.”
That play, by the way, helped cap a monster performance. Barkley ended up logging 159 rushing yards and a touchdown in the Eagles’ 28-23 win. The next morning, he was selected for a random drug test, which further proves how outrageous that play was.
Coming back to Barkley and Madden 26, the Eagles star has made it clear to his fans that the cover photo represents a celebration, not humiliation. And by taking the high road, he’s ensured that while the moment remains unforgettable, it doesn’t come at the cost of another player’s dignity.
And for Jones, he can also take solace in the fact that he became the first Jaguars player to have made the Madden cover, albeit not in the way he’d imagined. But at this point, what would you prefer?
A backhanded achievement or getting remembered for being on the receiving end of an embarrassing play, which honestly wasn’t his fault?
