Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley is having himself a moment.
The pride of the Penn State Nittany Lions has officially been named the cover star of Madden 26, has landed his own cheesesteak collab with local legends Gino’s to offer fans “Steakquan’s” and has been given his flowers from all over the sporting world as a result, even if some fans are worried he might be the next player to fall victim to the fabled “Madden curse.”
Christian McCaffrey, the current Madden cover star, took Barkley’s big news as an opportunity to pass the torch from San Francisco to Philadelphia, congratulating his friend on keeping their running back legacy going.
“Saquon, congrats, man. Madden 26 for number 26. It’s my honor to be passing down the Madden cover to you,” McCaffrey declared.
“Keeping it within the running back family. We got to keep it that way. I’m so fired up for you, man. You’ve been pushing the standards since college, and to see all your success is no shock to me. So, congrats, man. Enjoy it and hope to see you soon.”
While it is cool to see McCaffrey pass off the Madden title from one running back to another, as he and Barkley have now rejuvenated a fraternity that was inactive since Adrian Peterson was in town, did the curse go along with it?
After one of the more electrifying seasons in recent memory in 2023, McCaffrey struggled to even see the field for the San Francisco 49ers in 2024, appearing in just four games while running for a career-low 202 yards on 50 carries without a single rushing touchdown.
McCaffrey signed a two-year extension but suffered an Achilles injury in camp that left his future up in the air, with the Stanford rusher having to fly to Germany to meet with a specialist. While McCaffrey did return in the middle of the season, his run was short-lived, as he suffered a PCL injury that put him on IR once more, leaving legitimate questions about his future both with the team and in the sport long-term.
Coming off the best season of his career, Saquon Barkley is riding high heading into 2025, but when it comes to sports, superstition is a real thing, even if folks like Rich Eisen have already called any Madden-related jinx bunk earlier in the day.
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