June 2 (UPI) -- Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley and his iconic reverse leap from the 2024-25 season will be featured on the cover of Madden NFL 26, Electronic Arts announced Monday.
Barkley also was introduced as the first member of the Madden NFL 26 99 Club, which highlights players who get the highest ratings in the game.
"Starring on the cover of Madden NFL 26 and being named to the Madden NFL '99 Club' are both dreams come true," Barkley said in a news release. "I'm grateful to my teammates, coaches, and Eagles fans for their support, and I can't wait to hit the field again to give Madden players more highlight-reel moments in Madden NFL 26."
Madden NFL 26 will launch worldwide Aug 15 on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC. New features on the game will be unveiled Wednesday.
Barkley totaled an NFL record 2,504 rushing yards between the regular season and postseason to become the first Eagles player to earn a Madden cover since Donovan McNabb (Madden NFL 06).
Barkley's 2,005 regular-season rushing yards were the eighth most in NFL history and set an Eagles franchise record. Barkley, who was a healthy scratch for the playoff-bound Eagles' regular-season finale, finished just 101 yards shy of breaking Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record.
His reverse hurdle, which he performed during a Nov. 3 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, is featured on the cover of the standard edition of Madden NFL 26. The deluxe edition features another photo of Barkley glaring at a camera.
"Saquon's reverse hurdle was one of the rare, defining moments in NFL history that would have once been described as 'something out of a video game,'" EA Sports Madden NFL vice president of strategy and marketing Evan Dexter said.
"Now, it's a display of the athleticism and creativity of one football's most electrifying athletes. Madden NFL 26 will deliver the most real NFL experience we've ever built so that players can experience more of the unreal moments that Saquon put on display all season long. The full reveal is this Wednesday -- don't miss what's next."
