When former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick welcomed running back Saquon Barkley to an exclusive club, a passing of the torch occurred. Generational athletes do not run down the pike frequently. As a result, when you sign one, a team has to do everything in its power to keep them while they are in their prime.
Granted, production from running backs matters. However, when a rusher exceeds even the best numbers, they enter rarefied air. While the gap between good and great athlete looks wide, the area between great and phenomenal gets larger. As a result, when one supremely talented athlete welcomes another into the group, then it makes noise.
What Did Michael Vick Say About Saquon Barkley?
Philadelphia does not rank among America’s kindest or friendliest cities. The toughness of the ironically named “City of Brotherly Love” gives the area its charm. That trait carries over to their sports teams.
Right now, that’s the Eagles. When a football player succeeds in front of arguably the most hostile fan base on Earth, they become legends that hold a special spot in history.
Barkley, in leading the Eagles to a Super Bowl victory, cemented himself as one of those eternal figures in city lore. Now, with that distinction, he earns another. EA Sports named Barkley as the cover athlete for the Madden 26 video game.
This is a distinction shared with Vick. During his time as the face of the Atlanta Falcons, the four-time Pro Bowler adorned the cover of Madden 2004. Via his Instagram, Vick retired passer congratulated Barkley on his latest honor.
“This message is going out to Saquon Barkley,” Vick wrote. “Saquon, congratulations on being the 2026 Madden cover athlete. I know this is a special moment for you. I, being a former Madden cover athlete myself, know what it really means to grace the cover. Congrats to your teammates as well, because without them, this doesn’t happen.
“You all can all share this together,” Vick continued. “Keep doing you. Keep bleeding green. Keep believing in yourself. Keep trusting the process, as they say, because we know what that means. I know 2025 will be an amazing season for you, and I hope all is well.”
Besides the hearty congratulations, the biggest takeaway is the “keep bleeding green” message. Vick spent five seasons with the Eagles after his release from federal prison for a felony dogfighting conspiracy conviction. Philadelphia afforded him an opportunity for redemption.
Now, Vick, the new head football coach at Norfolk State University, remembers his Philadelphia days rather fondly. To a much lesser extent, Barkley signed with the Eagles, needing to prove a point to his former team, the New York Giants. Now, he sits on top of the football and gaming world as the face of the nation’s most popular sports games.
