Shaun Alexander’s Madden NFL 26 Cover Pick Comes True with Saquon Barkley

EA’s Madden 26 is right around the corner and will be released worldwide on August 14, 2025. As each installment brings, people have been wondering about who’s going to be on the cover for the NFL’s official video game. Some of the top prospects includes Saquon Barkley who had arguably the greatest season for a running back we’ve seen in recent years, Justin Jefferson who had a great season in 2024, and many others. The video game itself promises to be the best the fans have ever experienced with various features including; next-level coaching, QB authenticity, and explosive gameplay. While many fans complain that the game has been stagnant for years, EA also has plans to drop College Football 26 on July 10, which will be released on PS5 and XBOX Series X.

The game will has a ton of hype and while we eagerly wait for the release of Madden and College Football 26 and of course the new NFL season, a lot of questions have been raised about who should on be the Madden 26’s cover. While many have weighed in their opinions, a former talented running back, Shaun Alexander, gave his take on who should grace the cover for this year’s edition.

Also Read: NFL’s Highest-Paid Players in 2025- According to Each Position

Shaun Alexander Reveals His Choice for the Next EA Sports Madden NFL Cover Athlete

Shaun Alexander delivered some of the best NFL running back seasons we have ever seen in 2005. He earned 112 career touchdowns and placed ninth for rushing touchdowns, while also becoming one of the few non quarterbacks to win an MVP award. While he had a remarkable career in the NFL, surprisingly he has still not been selected as a member of the Hall of Fame, which still makes many fans question the NFL. He is only an MVP but is also the Seattle Seahawks’ only MVP winner ever. Despite Alexander being one of the running backs to ever play in the NFL, we still believe that he is heavily underrated even to this day.

Shaun Alexander believed that Saquon Barkley should be on the cover of Madden 26. Alexander was the on the cover of Madden 07 and who better to ask than the man who’s already graced the cover. When asked who he thought deserved to be on the cover of Madden 26, Alexander said, “I think Saquon did it all. You get an opportunity like that, you should take it. Everbody’s like ‘what about the Madden curse?’ I’m like ‘You know there’s 32 teams, between running back and quarterbacks there’s 64 players, 50 of them are going to get hurt. You know, you just know the truth. 50 guys are not going to play in every game. So if that’s the case what do you do? You just play the game. So I’m like man don’t worry about any of the curses. Go ball. It is one of the greatest honors that you’ll have,” he said on the Up and Adams Show, hosted by Kay Adams

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Up & Adams (@upandadamsshow)

The Face of Madden 26 Has Been Revealed!

Shaun Alexander’s wishes have come true and EA announced earlier that the face of this year’s Madden 26 will be none other than Saquon Barkley. Barkley had an incredible season last year, crossed the 2000 plus rushing yards threshold, won the Super Bowl trophy, and had a jaw dropping highlight last season, performing a reverse hurdle during a regular season game. EA noticed that play, and recently asked Barkley to recreate the iconic play for the Cover.

Also Read: When Does NFL Training Camp Start? NFL Training Camp 2025 Start Date, Locations and More