Saquon Barkley led the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl win in his first season with the franchise, defeating Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. He led the league in rushing yards and was named the Offensive Player of the Year.
Barkley, who’s coming off an incredible season, was revealed as the cover athlete for Madden 26. After completing the Madden shoot, the star running back is full of respect for the popular Spider-Man actor Tom Holland.
Saquon Barkley’s Madden Shoot Experience Increases His Respect For Tom Holland
Barkley delivered an iconic moment during the Week 9 fixture against the Jacksonville Jaguars. On a routine run, he spun halfway around before leaping backwards over Jaguars cornerback Jarriah Jones, completely hurdling over him before contorting.
Winning the Super Bowl would most likely have been Barkley’s most memorable moment of the season. But his acrobatic leap earned a spot on the Madden 26 cover. He recreated the move using a harness.
Saquon opened up about shooting the move and praised celebrities like Holland.
“I got to actually do the hurdle again and realized, you know, the move that I made was kind of special because we had to strap me into a harness and do all this crazy stuff. It definitely made me respect a guy like Tom Holland, who does superhero movies and is strapped in all the time. It’s definitely harder than you think,” he said.
While one edition of the cover will feature Barkley’s insane leap, the deluxe edition of the video game will feature an over-the-shoulder pose.
Barkley reposted the cover of this year’s edition of Madden with a clip featuring behind-the-scenes visuals from the shoot.
“This last season, man, everything happening here that we were able to have as a team, win the Super Bowl, create iconic moments, it starts from imagination. Being a kid, having those moments, playing video games, and saying, ‘Why can’t I do it in real life,’” Barkley can be heard saying.
Barkley recorded 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns on 345 carries in the regular season last year. He added 499 yards and five touchdowns on 91 carries in the postseason. He set the NFL record for most yards in an NFL season, regular season and postseason combined, with 2,504 rushing yards.
His performances earned him his first-ever First-team All-Pro selection and his third Pro Bowl honor. The Eagles handed him a two-year contract worth $41.2 million. It includes $36 million guaranteed money and $15 million in incentives and escalators. With this deal, he becomes the first ever RB to have an annual salary of $20 million or more.