Saquon Barkley was announced as the cover athlete of Madden 26 on Monday, with his iconic backwards hurdle over Jarrian Jones of the Jacksonville Jaguars gracing the cover of one of the biggest video game franchises in existence.
After the reveal of the cover, fans were also treated to some behind-the-scenes video of the shoot that helped recapture Barkley’s unreal play from November 2025.
Saquon hit his iconic reverse hurdle for the Madden cover 🤯
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 2, 2025
(via @saquon, @NFL, @EAMaddenNFL, @ari_fararooy) pic.twitter.com/yjfpfsfNvv
Fans were initially split on just how Barkley pulled off this jump in the photoshoot. Sure, he had hurdled an NFL defender in the middle of a game, but his hangtime on this jump felt a bit too long, even for an athlete of his caliber.
Indeed, Barkley had some help this time, with wires on a pulley system set up to help him stay airborne just a bit longer.
OK … as ridiculous of an athlete as @saquon is, his levitating in midair looked un-human. Turns out he had some help.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) June 2, 2025
(Not sure recreating the backwards hurdle on a soundstage would’ve been real wise anyway,) pic.twitter.com/bYx8XAtjaC
Even with the assist, it’s an impressive feat of athleticism by Barkley—none of us are getting that high during a Madden photoshoot even with the help of a pulley.
Further, the fact that the Madden crew needed a stunt coordinator and some camera tricks to recreate the play only serves to make Barkley’s actual in-game hurdle that much more impressive.
In a post on social media, Barkley seemed quite pleased with how the whole thing worked out.
Hurdling onto the @EAMaddenNFL cover 🙏🏾Dream come true! Fly Eagles Fly 🦅 https://t.co/zUTwOWHE1U pic.twitter.com/X1xQWIEpk6
— Saquon Barkley (@saquon) June 2, 2025
The Eagles were already facing a tough schedule as they look to defend their title in 2026, and now they will also be up against the infamous Madden curse.
Should the team face a road block, maybe Barkley can simply jump over it backwards.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as How Saquon Barkley Recreated Iconic Backwards Hurdle for ‘Madden’ Cover.
