Does the 'Madden Curse' still exist and will it affect Saquon Barkley?

Saquon Barkley will be the latest NFL star to grace the cover of Madden. EA Sports announced that Barkley will be on the cover of Madden 26, which will be released Aug. 14.

.@Saquon hurdled his way onto the cover of #Madden26

Coming 8.14.25. Pre-Order Today.

🔗: https://t.co/zm14BbUaJf pic.twitter.com/l1QYWN0b7h

— Madden NFL 26 (@EAMaddenNFL) June 2, 2025

There's always a grace period after the cover announcements. For the player, it's likely a dream come true, while fans either fawn over the player or disagree with the selection. Then comes the discussion around the "Madden Curse." 

EA Sports started putting players on the cover in 1999. For a while, that acted as a dark mark for players. Whoever was the cover star either got injured or had a horrendous season. It started with the first cover star Garrison Hearst, who had a good 1998 regular season with the San Francisco 49ers, but broke his ankle in a playoff game. 

The following year, Barry Sanders was slated to be on the cover, but retired out of nowhere before the season. Quarterbacks like Daunte Culpepper (Madden 2002), Michael Vick (Madden 2004) and Donovan McNabb (Madden 06) all missed extended periods of time after being put on the cover in the mid-2000's.  

In 2010, the curse hit Peyton Hillis, who randomly was voted by the fans to be on the cover of Madden 11. After a career year in 2010 with 1,177 rushing yards, he never rushed for more than 600 yards and was out of the league within five years. 

Since then, the curse has mostly disappeared. Minor injuries have come up here and there, but players who were on the cover aren't affected like they once were. Here's a look at the last 10 Madden cover stars and their performances the following season:

Richard Sherman, Madden 15

Sherman was the first defensive player on the cover since Ray Lewis (Madden 2005). Coming off back-to-back seasons with eight interceptions, Sherman only totaled four in 2014, but was still named a First Team All-Pro for the third-straight season. He would've helped the Seahawks to a second Super Bowl victory in a row, but Russell Wilson was picked off by Malcolm Butler at the goal line in Super Bowl XLIX.

Odell Beckham Jr., Madden 16

Beckham Jr. is the youngest player to ever be on the cover of Madden, doing so after his rookie season. 2015 proved to be Beckham's best season, with a career-high 1,450 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. 

Rob Grownkowski, Madden 17

Gronkowski is part of a short list of recent players who were affected by being on the cover. Gronkowski only played in eight games and had a career-low 540 receiving yards and three touchdowns. The next season, he was dominant again with over 1,000 yards.

Tom Brady, Madden 18

Surprisingly, this was the first time Brady graced the cover of Madden. Unsurprisingly, the curse didn't affect him in the slightest. He threw for over 4,500 yards, 32 touchdowns and led the New England Patriots to the Super Bowl, where they lost to the Eagles.  

Antonio Brown, Madden 19

Though Brown ended on sour terms with the Pittsburgh Steelers at the end of this season, he was still productive in 2018. He had his sixth-straight season with over 1,000 receiving yards and led the NFL with 15 receiving touchdowns. He also made his seventh and final Pro Bowl. 

Patrick Mahomes, Madden 20
Like Brady, Mahomes is immune to any curse. He did suffer a patellar dislocation in his right knee during Week 7, but only missed a couple games. Mahomes still managed to throw for over 4,000 yards and only five interceptions. Mahomes ended up leading the Kansas City Chiefs to a Super Bowl victory, where he was named MVP.

Lamar Jackson, Madden 21

Jackson's season was worse compared to when he won the MVP in 2019, but his numbers were still well above average in 2020. He tossed 26 touchdowns and became the first quarterback to ever rush for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons. However, Jackson did throw a pick-six in the second half of the Ravens' 17-3 loss to the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.

Mahomes and Brady, Madden 22

This was just the second time that two players shared the cover. Mahomes and Brady joined Troy Polamalu and Larry Fitzgerald (Madden 10) as the only to do so. The ageless wonder Brady led the league in passing with a career-high 5,316 yards, while Mahomes was fourth with 4,839. 

Josh Allen, Madden 24

Some would argue Allen was a victim of the curse because he threw a NFL-worst 18 interceptions, but he still racked up 4,300 passing yards. Allen also helped the Bills win 11 games and capture the AFC East for a fourth-straight season. 

Christian McCaffrey, Madden 2025

McCaffrey is one of the few modern Madden cover stars that the curse can be applied to. He was the first running back to be on the cover since Adrian Peterson (Madden 14), and had the worst year of his career. McCaffrey missed the first eight games with a calf injury and suffered a season-ending knee injury in just his fourth game of the year. He recorded a career-low 202 rushing yards and had zero touchdowns. 

McCaffrey's season could be a warning sign that Barkley's success might not carry over into next season. However, based on the past decade, the Madden Curse is mostly a thing of the past.