Depending on how Philadelphia Eagles fans feel about it, running back Saquon Barkley was named as the cover athlete of EA Sports' Madden NFL 26 video game.
It wasn't a surprise to many after Barkley's memorable first season with the Super Bowl champion Eagles. He dominated on the field with an NFL-record 2,504 yards and was named AP Offensive Player of the Year for his performance. Barkley even had a viral moment that is considered one of the best plays of the year, with him hurdling a defender backwards earlier in the season against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Some call it the perfect season for Barkley. It became even more memorable with him now on the cover of Madden 26, but what happened behind the scenes is what made it even better.
Madden 26 cover shoot behind the scenes recaptures Barkley's magical hurdle
On Monday, after the news broke, Barkley shared on social media the behind-the-scenes footage of the Madden 26 cover shoot set. It showed him redoing his impressive backwards hurdle with a harness being used to lift him up.
Hurdling onto the @EAMaddenNFL cover ππΎDream come true! Fly Eagles Fly π¦ https://t.co/zUTwOWHE1U pic.twitter.com/X1xQWIEpk6
β Saquon Barkley (@saquon) June 2, 2025
The moment that had everyone going crazy was another viral video featuring Barkley performing the backwards hurdle on a person dressed up in football gear. No harness was seen on it and it showed Barkley hanging in the air for two long seconds before hitting the ground.
Phenomenal behind-the-scenes look at the new Madden cover featuring Saquon Barkley.
β Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) June 2, 2025
Congratulations to a great football player and even better person! Nobody more deserving! @saquon π«‘ pic.twitter.com/67ftqltWud
The validity of the second video has brought upon many questions as to whether it's real or not. Some believe AI had contributed to it.
Nah. 100% AI. https://t.co/ePqIVVbAj3
β J. Berry (@JayBsince88) June 2, 2025
This gotta be ai I never seen someone pause in mid air long enough for good photo to be taken https://t.co/OvTRrREt5f
β ππ©πͺππ’π₯π¦ππ±π©πͺπ’ Ο (@mairslme_) June 2, 2025
Then there are fans that are more focused on the insane move Barkley pulled off again.
How did he float in air like that https://t.co/S4EYFORKQV
β mango seed (@Tywoodss) June 2, 2025
This behind the scenes look at the shoot for EA Sports cover looks to me as if Saquon Barkley hangs in the air for a couple of seconds.
β Armando Salguero (@ArmandoSalguero) June 2, 2025
I cannot stop watching itpic.twitter.com/WTaeE6MHml
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It's not the first time Barkley has showcased his athleticism, as he and Cooper DeJean demonstrated their basketball skills last month. Barkley and DeJean pulled off a perfect alley-oop that also made fans go wild.
The reality is that Barkley was on a harness to recreate that moment as they want to protect the players, but that video looked awesome to watch regardless. It's a video that fans will be replaying for days.