What is the Madden Curse? Did Saquon Barkley on Madden 26 cover doom Philadelphia Eagles?

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Saquon Barkley’s iconic backward hurdle will be on the cover of Madden NFL 26, but could this be a bad thing for Philadelphia Eagles?

Here’s what to know about the Madden Curse

In simple terms, the Madden curse falls on the player that appears on the summer’s cover of the iconic NFL football video game, whose following season is then doomed with decreased production on the field or suffer an injury. But, is this real or just a myth?

Whether superstition or jinx, the struggle for players and teams after appearing on Madden’s NFL franchise cover has seemed very real for some. Here’s are the most recent players to grace the cover.

What players have made Madden’s NFL video game covers?

Madden 25 – Christian McCaffrey: Following the summer cover announcement, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback struggled with injuries in 2024 and played in just four games.

Madden 24 – Josh Allen: The Buffalo Bills quarterback scored 44 touchdowns on the ground and through the air, with career-highlighting 18 interceptions.

Madden 23 – The late coach and broadcaster John Madden, himself, graced the cover in a tribute to his legacy. He passed away in December 2021.

Madden 22 – Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady: After facing off against each other in Super Bowl LV, neither of them returned to the following Super Bowl LVI. It was the only Super Bowl Mahomes didn’t make since his first appearance in Feb 2020 and Tom Brady never made it back for another Super Bowl appearance.

Madden 21 – Lamar Jackson: Although the Baltimore Raven had an impressive year throwing for 26 touchdowns, it didn’t match up to the prior year when he won the first league MVP honor.

Madden 20 – Patrick Mahomes: The Kansas City quarterback had a great, strong season, winning his first Super Bowl.

Madden 19 – Antonio Brown: The Pittsburgh Steeler had a breaking season with over 1,000 receiving yards and posted a career-best of 15 touchdowns.

Madden 18 – Tom Brady: The New England quarterback had a stellar season with 4,500 passing yards and 32 touchdowns although he lost Super Bowl LII to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Madden 17 – Rob Gronkowski: The New England tight end struggled with injuries that season and eventually ended his season on the injured reserve.

Madden 16 – Odell Beckham Jr.: The New York Giant had great success with 1,450 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns in 15 games.