EA Sports announced Monday that Saquon Barkley will grace the cover of Madden NFL 26, becoming the first Eagles player ever to earn the honor. While fans should be celebrating this recognition of their star running back’s dominant 2024 season, many are instead nervously eyeing the calendar and wondering if the infamous “Madden curse” will strike again.
The numbers don’t lie – and they’re not pretty for running backs who’ve appeared on the cover. Since 2001, running backs have been particularly vulnerable to the Madden curse’s alleged powers. Eddie George, Marshall Faulk, Shaun Alexander, Peyton Hillis, Adrian Peterson and, most recently, Christian McCaffrey all saw their careers take significant hits during or after their cover seasons.
McCaffrey’s 2024 collapse serves as the most recent cautionary tale. After winning 2023 Offensive Player of the Year and rushing for 1,459 yards, the 49ers superstar managed just 202 rushing yards in four games before Achilles and knee issues ended his season. It was a stunning fall from grace that perfectly embodies what Eagles fans fear could happen to Barkley.
The pattern is undeniable: running backs who appear on Madden covers seem destined for decline, injury or both. Barkley’s own medical file provides additional ammunition for curse believers. During his six seasons with the New York Giants, the 28-year-old missed 21 games due to various knee and ankle injuries. His most devastating setback came in 2020 when an ACL tear limited him to just two games. For a player whose explosive athleticism defines his game, any significant injury could be career-altering.
However, despite this concerning injury history, Barkley enjoyed the healthiest season of his career in 2024 with Philadelphia, starting every game through Week 17—he was rested in the meaningless Week 18 finale with playoff seeding already locked up. Still, the combination of the Madden curse’s track record with running backs and Barkley’s past injury concerns creates unease heading into 2025.
But before Eagles Nation starts panicking, there are compelling reasons to believe Barkley could finally break the jinx that has plagued the position for over two decades. The most significant difference between Barkley’s situation and previous cursed running backs is the protection he’ll receive. According to Pro Football Reference, the Eagles finished with the league’s most rushing yards before contact (2,011) during the 2024 regular season.
This statistic measures how many yards a runner gains before being touched by a defender—a direct reflection of offensive line quality. Four of Philadelphia’s five starting offensive linemen return for 2025, including six-time Pro Bowler Lane Johnson at right tackle. This continuity and excellence upfront should help minimize the physical punishment Barkley absorbs, potentially protecting him from the injury bug that has claimed so many cover athletes.
Recent history also suggests the Madden curse isn’t as potent as it once was. According to comprehensive analysis, just 30% of cover athletes from 2015 to 2025 have been “cursed,” compared to 58% from 2001 to 2014. The trend shows a clear decline in the curse’s effectiveness. Notable recent cover athletes who avoided the jinx include Patrick Mahomes (who won his first Super Bowl during his cover season), Tom Brady, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. If quarterbacks can break free from the curse’s grip, perhaps it’s time for a running back to join them.
Barkley also enters 2025 with a chip on his shoulder and a record in his sights. Heading into Philadelphia’s final regular-season game last year, he needed just 100 rushing yards to break Eric Dickerson’s single-season record of 2,105 yards. Instead, coach Nick Sirianni rested him for the playoffs, leaving Barkley 101 yards short of immortality. That near-miss could provide extra motivation throughout 2025. Players driven by specific goals often perform at elevated levels, and Barkley’s pursuit of the rushing record could fuel a historic season that makes any curse irrelevant.
Despite carrying the ball a league-leading 345 times in 2024, Barkley showed no signs of wear during organized team activities. New Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo noted that the running back “looked like the same guy” during early practices, suggesting his body has handled the workload well.
The Madden curse has become such an accepted part of NFL history that players and fans treat it as inevitable. But curses, by definition, are only as powerful as the belief people place in them. Barkley has the talent, protection and motivation to prove that hard work and elite offensive line play matter more than video game superstition.
If anyone can become the first running back to shatter the Madden curse, it’s the player who just delivered one of the greatest individual seasons in Eagles history. The curse has claimed plenty of victims over the years, but Saquon Barkley might just be different enough to write a new chapter in Madden cover history.