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Saquon Barkley pulls back curtain on Madden cover shoot (1:24)
Saquon Barkley joins "SportsCenter" and speaks on the process of shooting the Madden NFL 26 cover and the loyalty and support of Eagles fans. (1:24)
Marco Wutz
Jun 3, 2025, 10:13 AM ET
EA Sports has revealed that Saquon Barkley is the cover star of Madden NFL 26, the upcoming iteration of the football sim, and announced him as this edition's first member of the prestigious 99 Club -- the illustrious circle of athletes starting the season with a 99 OVR.
Not that Barkley ever had much to complain about when it comes to his treatment in the game. He debuted in Madden NFL 19 as a rookie for the New York Giants with an already respectable 82 OVR, making him the highest-rated rookie running back at the time.
Next year's game saw Barkley make an impressive jump: His debut performance, which netted him NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, among other accolades, added nine points to his initial rating for the following season, giving him a 91 OVR in Madden NFL 20 -- a stellar rise that's not often seen.
He'd found his groove: Madden NFL 21 kept him at 91 OVR and Madden NFL 22 started him off one point lower, at 90 OVR. This was the start of a temporary downward trend, which saw Barkley reduced to an 86 OVR in Madden NFL 23 -- his lowest point since his debut.
However, this was also another turning point for Barkley -- and his new direction was upward. A fantastic season saw him climb to new rating heights, earning him a 93 OVR in Madden NFL 24, which was to be his final appearance for the Giants in the game.
His debut with the Philadelphia Eagles in the current iteration of the franchise kicked off with a 92 OVR, a number that rose to 98 OVR throughout the season's rating updates to reflect his record-breaking performance and substantial contributions to the Eagles' Super Bowl LIX victory.
Starting out as a promising rookie, Barkley experienced many highs and some lows before reaching the apex of his career -- and the ratings do a good job at telling the story:
Madden NFL 19: 82 OVR
Madden NFL 20: 91 OVR
Madden NFL 21: 91 OVR
Madden NFL 22: 90 OVR
Madden NFL 23: 86 OVR
Madden NFL 24: 93 OVR
Madden NFL 25: 92 OVR
Madden NFL 26: 99 OVR
