The Chinese say 2024 was the Year of the Dragon. Out west, though, it was the year of the running back. The position was fading in both potency and prominence, en route becoming obsolete even. However, it’s been resuscitated back into vogue courtesy of a crop of special players across both rungs of football. Derrick Henry and Ashton Jeanty represented their kind and mesmerized fans of the NFL and collegiate game respectively. But Saquon Barkley carried the torch for tailbacks. His tryst with breaching the all-time rushing record fell just short, but he’d take a Super Bowl ring as the fruit of his labor. Turns out, the Eagles star’s efforts have reaped more than just that reward. There’s a huge mark of success coming Barkley’s way, and Michael Vick is the perfect guy to give his blessings. Not because he’s an ex-Eagle himself, but because he’s received the same honor.Do you know when an NFL player has truly made it? Breached the glass box containing them within the confines of their sport and transcended into mainstream celebrity and stardom? There’s a historic precedent- making it onto the cover of Madden. As superficial an “achievement” as it seems, being the poster boy for the game, a virtual flag-bearer for the entire league, has always been significant. Think about all those iconic covers. Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes gracing one together, for instance, almost served as a passing of the baton moment. The proverbial GOAT and the potential successor to his throne. Michael Vick, too, graced the Madden 2004 cover. Becoming the youngest-ever cover star in the process and also one of the first-ever black athletes.Saquon Barkley is now next in line, after it was confirmed by EA he’d be on Madden ‘26. So it’s only right Michael Vick, the pioneer of the dual-threat archetype of QB and current head coach of Norfolk State, showed Barkley some love. Vick took to IG to address Saquon Barkley and his latest feat in what’s been an unbelievable calendar year. Moving across to the Giants’ divisional rivals promised a lot, but even his biggest proponents couldn’t have predicted it’d be such a home run move. “This message is going out to Saquon Barkley,” began Vick, before delivering his message.“Saquon, congratulations on being the 2026 Madden cover athlete. I know this is a special moment for you. Me, being a former Madden cover athlete myself, I know what it really means to grace the cover,” said Michael Vick, staring down the barrel of the camera as if he’s speaking directly to Barkley. “Congrats to your teammates as well. Because without them, this [doesn’t] happen. So y’all can all share this together.” Vick then proceeded to put on that new coaching cap and send some motivation the way of Saquon Barkley. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Michael Vick (@mikevick)“Keep doing you, keep being great [and] keep believing in yourself. Keep trusting the process, as we say. Because we know what that means. I know 2025 will be an amazing season for you. Stay healthy and hope all is well,” said Michael Vick in summation. Saquon Barkley has since commented on the IG post, dropping a subtle yet resounding pair of “” emojis. The last few hours since he got announced as the Madden cover star must’ve been a blur with wishes and greetings pouring in ad nauseam. So that’s probably all he could conjure, to be fair! Actually, being on the cover of the game isn’t even the only honor Saquon got bestowed with.Saquon Barkley may just be the latest Madden cheat-code after Michael VickSaquon Barkley’s brilliance in the Philly backfield knew no bounds. Moving the chains, chunk plays into the endzone and astonishing jukes galore- with that now iconic hop over a defender being the highlight of his ‘24 season. Seems like EA didn’t know how to put a cap on his brilliance either. Barkley joins the elusive and just as coveted “99 Club” on Madden, his avatar being rated the highest possible number in-game. Michael Vick is famous for being a cheat code on the ‘04 iteration of the game, and Barkley might just cause broken controllers around the world as well. His reaction to learning he was part of the “99 Club” was just as great as his performances to achieve it.Saquon Barkley was presented with a chain holding a gem-encrusted “99” pendant when delivering the news. He naturally couldn’t believe it, saying “That’s hard.” Saquon became the first offensive Eagles player to ever make the cut, so that made it extra special. “I’m a fan of the game, I play the game. I’ve been making myself [a] 99 for as long as I can remember. So to actually have it means a lot,” he said. Editing your own stats on Madden sure must be more common among players than you’d think! He even shouted out teammate Lane Johnson as someone who deserves the honor next. This reaction was posted to X by the Eagles’ official handle.Michael Vick didn’t grace the cover as an Eagles player but as one repping the Falcons. But real recognize real. Vick has some egregious stuff linked to his past, but congratulating Barkley is a class touch. A new demographic of gamers around the world are about to learn who Saquon Barkley is soon, and they’re going to learn at just the right time. Running backs have historically aged quickly, but this battering ram has shown no signs of slowing down.The post 22 Years After Scripting NFL History, Michael Vick Sends Emotional Message to Saquon Barkley For Same Feat appeared first on EssentiallySports.