Ex-Florida State DB speaks out on being on the cover of EA's Madden 26

A lot of focus and attention come every year, with the release of EA Sports' Madden video game. The who’s what, who is who, and what specific moment from the previous season captivated fans enough to make the cover.

With a release date of August 14, there will be a familiar face for Florida State fans on this edition, although there is a good chance that if you told former FSU corner Jarrian Jones he would grace the cover of the iconic video game, it wouldn’t be in this way.

The new game cover features Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley hurdling backwards over Jones in what was an impressive athletic feat that stunned the entire stadium in their 28-23 win over Jacksonville.

"That was hard! I don't have Twitter, but I seen it on Instagram. I seen it and I was like dang they didn't put my number on it? The play was fire to me," Jones said of being on the iconic cover. "Everybody was DMing me like I was going to be mad or something. Like, I don't give a damn. He made a good play. It is was it is."

Former FSU CB Jarrian Jones was asked about being on the cover of Madden. His response did not disappoint lolll https://t.co/heb7s6v5Ud pic.twitter.com/INphnG3brt
— Clay Fink (@clay_fink) June 11, 2025

Jones' appearance would mark the second Jaguar to grace the face of the game, with the first being Jacksonville's running back Gordon Laro being tackled by Carolina Panthers free safety Pat Terrell.

Jones, however, wasn't upset that he could potentially be the butt of jokes for getting hurdled by one of the best running backs in the league and seen by every child coming home from school who pops in their favorite football game into a console. He was more upset that they left his jersey number out of the picture.

Nov 3, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) jumps over Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jarrian Jones (22) during the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

"See, that's why they need my number in there so I could be the second one to ever be on the face of Madden. They're playing games. I need that EA. "

When it is all said and done, the 2024 third-round draft pick didn't seem too bothered by it. His focus is on football and the upcoming season, not video game semantics.

"But, I don't really care," Jones shrugged. "I don't really play Madden like that anyway."

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