If you’re an NFL running back and EA Sports calls you up to be on the cover of “Madden,” you might want to think about just hanging up the phone. If there’s one position that the Madden curse always seems to take down, it’s running backs.
Over the past 25 years, there have been a total of six running backs on the “Madden” cover and they’ve ALL been hit by the curse. The reason we’re bringing that up now is because the newest “Madden” cover was revealed Monday, and it features Saquon Barkley.
Although Barkley is surely thrilled to be on the cover, he might not be so thrilled after reading up on the curse. The curse doesn’t necessarily hit all players — we covered that here — but it does have a 100% hit rate with running backs.
Let’s check out the six times a running back has been on the cover since 2000:
Note: Madden years one year after corresponding season (example: Madden 2001 for 2000 season).
Madden 2001: Eddie George (Titans)
How the curse got him: With Tennessee coming off a Super Bowl appearance in 1999, the Titans had high expectations in 2000 — and they met them. Tennessee went 13-3 and earned the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC. In the divisional round of the playoffs, the Titans were trailing the Ravens, 17-10, with under seven minutes left in the fourth quarter. The Titans were driving when Steve McNair threw a perfect pass to George that George bobbled. The bobble gave Ray Lewis enough time to make a play. Lewis ended up intercepting the pass and returning it for a touchdown to seal the Ravens win.
Baltimore would go on to win the Super Bowl and George would never make the playoffs again. That turned out to be symbolic of George’s season: George averaged just 3.7 yards per carry, which was a career-low up to that point, and things never got better after that.
Madden 2003: Marshall Faulk (Rams)
How the curse got him: If you look at Marshall Faulk’s career stats, you’ll probably notice that his career started to take a dive in 2002. You can attribute that to age, but I’ll attribute it to the curse. After four straight seasons of rushing for at least 1,300 yards, Faulk didn’t even hit the 1,000-yard mark in 2002. As a matter of fact, after appearing on the Madden cover, he never hit the 1,000-yard mark again, something he had done in seven of his first eight seasons.
Madden 2007: Shaun Alexander (Seahawks)
How the curse got him: The Seahawks running back was named NFL MVP in 2005 after leading the league in rushing with 1,880 yards and helping Seattle to its first Super Bowl. Unfortunately for Alexander, the curse got him in 2006: He broke his left foot in Week 3 and ended up missing a total of six games. After the 2006 season, Alexander would only play in 17 more total games in his NFL career. He went from NFL MVP in 2005 to out of the league by 2009.
Madden 2012: Peyton Hillis (Browns)
How the curse got him: In 2011, EA Sports actually let fans VOTE on the Madden cover, which is how Hillis ended up gracing it. Hillis beat out Michael Vick in the final vote, and based on how his 2011 season went, he probably wished he would have lost the vote so he wouldn’t have been cursed.
Although Hillis had an impressive 2010 season with 1,177 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns, he had an injury-filled 2011 that saw him rush for just 587 yards. During the season, he didn’t make many friends in the locker room with Joe Thomas ripping the way Hillis handled himself throughout the year. The Browns actually ended up letting him walk in free agency following the 2011 season.
By the way, Hillis is the one guy on this list who believes in the curse, “Things didn’t work in my favor this year,” Hillis said in December 2011. “There’s a few things that happened this year that made me believe in curses. Ain’t no doubt about it.”
Madden 2014: Adrian Peterson (Vikings)
How the curse got him: With Peterson coming off an NFL MVP season in 2012 during which he rushed for more than 2,000 yards, it didn’t seem like there was any way the curse would get him, but as we’ve already mentioned, the curse comes for all running backs.
The downfall of Peterson’s career essentially started in 2013. Although he rushed for 1,266 yards in 2013, he dealt with multiple injuries. He missed two games due to a foot injury, and then there was also a groin injury that was so bad that he had to have it surgically repaired following the season. Things didn’t get much better in 2014, as he was hit with a season-long suspension for child abuse accusations.
During the first seven seasons of his career, Peterson averaged an impressive 1,445 yards per year, but after his cursed 2013 season, he averaged just 600.3 yards per year over his final eight seasons.
Madden 2025: Christian McCaffrey (49ers)
How the curse got him: The McCaffrey family was understandably thrilled when Christian got picked for the cover last year.
However, the excitement didn’t last long when he became the latest running back to get hit by the curse. The 49ers running back spent most of the preseason on ice due to Achilles tendinitis, and that injury ended up sidelining him for a good chunk of the season. Although he was finally able to return, he wasn’t on the field for long, because he injured his knee in Week 13. Overall, McCaffrey missed 13 games due to injury.
Verdict: The curse has taken down every running back it has come in contact with, including two former NFL MVPs in Alexander and Peterson. Barkley is coming off a season where he rushed for more than 2,000 yards, just like Peterson was in 2012. The Eagles running back is also coming off a Super Bowl appearance, just like McCaffrey was when he was tabbed for the cover in 2024.
Barkley will now be going into 2025 looking to become the first running back to break the curse.
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Author: John Breech
June 2, 2025 | 2:40 pm
