This year it is going to look different. A full year of working with the next generation of consoles. A new franchise mode. Two athletes on the cover for the first time in a decade.
Madden is back, and the latest iteration of the iconic video game (Madden NFL 22, in stores Friday) is bringing a new generation to the franchise. One of the focal points is the transformation of the franchise mode, one of the most popular genres of games, as well as the addition of next-gen stats to next-gen consoles.
Home-field advantage is now present, as is greater dynamic fatigue. There is a new face to the franchise story, including the option to play linebacker for the first time. But as the game evolves, it has its roots in the players, their ratings, and the mileposts toward the NFL season it represents.
"For as long as I can remember, it's been amazing everything that's been done in the culture," co-cover athlete Tom Brady told ESPN. "The Super Bowl, all the tournaments around the Madden Bowl. It's given someone like Coach [John] Madden an opportunity for people to understand their contribution to the game.
"So he was a great coach, a great broadcaster. So influential in the development of the game, and really to this day and really through this sport, a lot of people, before they were going to play real football, they were Playing Madden football, which is a great thing to think about."
Chances are some of those players will use Brady — or Patrick Mahomes — this year. A lot When you start playing, here's a guide to help you along the way.
99 CLUB
Patrick Mahomes (QB, Kansas City)
Davante Adams (WR, Green Bay)
Travis Kelce (TE, Kansas City)
Aaron Donald (DT, Los Angeles Rams)
Jalen Ramsey (CB, Los Angeles Rams)
This year the 99s are dominated by two teams - the Chiefs and Rams. This is the first time a team has had two 99s at launch since Madden NFL 19, along with the former Patriots, Brady and Rob Gronkowski. By the way, Brady is ranked 97th in the game at this year's launch—second only to his co-cover athlete, Mahomes, at quarterback. Brady could easily finish the 99 during the in-season movement, along with former 99 club members Christian McCaffrey and Stephen Gilmore, receivers DeAndre Hopkins and Tyrek Hill, right guard Zack Martin and defensive end Miles Garrett. All are 97 or higher to begin with. This is the second year in a row that no linebacker has been 99. The highest rated linebackers are Khalil Mack (96) with Edge Rusher and Fred Warner (94) as a middle linebacker.
Lowest-rated
Zach Triner, TE, Tampa Bay (25)
Matthew Orzech, TE, Los Angeles Rams (25)
Jake Rudock, QB, free agent (45)
Tyler Bray, QB, free agent (47)
Triner and Orzech did nothing wrong here. This is exactly how Madden handles long-snappers, rating them low and listing them as tight ends. Beyond the snapper, the lowest-rated players are the quarterbacks -- the two free agents. Lowest rated quarterback on a team? That would be Miami's Reid Sinnett, the Jets' Mike White and Seattle's Danny Atling — all tied at 48.
Welcome to the league, rook
Kyle Pitts, TE, Atlanta (81)
Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville (78)
Pat Surtain II, CB, Denver (76)
Greg Newsome II, CB, Cleveland (76)
Travis Etienne Jr., RB, Jacksonville (76)
Najee Harris, RB, Pittsburgh (76)
Jaylen Waddle, WR, Miami (76)
Pitts' 91 pace stands out as a tight end, as does his 92 acceleration and 84 catches. Waddle's 97 speed - as explained later in this story - is elite. It should come as no surprise that players with skill-status stand out, and every single one of the top-rated rookies was a first-rounder.
Beyond the first round, it becomes more situation-varied. Miami's Jevon Holland has the highest rated rookie defense (74), and New England's Christian Barmore (73) is the highest rated rookie defensive tackle. Denver trailing Jevont Williams (75) is the highest-rated non-first-rounder in the game, followed by Holland and San Francisco's Trey Cerman (74).
Lowest rated crooks? The tight end snapper "leads the way" with Washington's Cameron Cheeseman (33) and Carolina's Thomas Fletcher (36) - both sixth-round picks. But hey, they're in the game, aren't they? Take out the Snapper and it's Tampa Bay center Donnell Stanley and Chargers middle linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga (both at 55).
All the speed
Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City (99)
Henry Ruggs III, WR, Las Vegas (98)
Anthony Schwartz, WR, Cleveland (98)
Marquise Brown, WR, Baltimore (98)
Mecole Hardman, WR, Kansas City (98)
Raheem Mostert, RB, San Francisco (97)
Jaylen Waddle, WR, Miami (97)
A running back makes a return to the elite speed group after being receiver-exclusive last year. Corey Grant is the fastest in the game Mostart since 96 in Madden 20. No wonder Hill is still 99 and Rugs is right behind her. Some rookies joined the list at Schwartz and Waddell, with two holdovers from a season earlier at Hardman and Brown. As for the Marquis Goodwin, who always used to be at the top of the list, he is close. That's 96.
Madden developers hated 38-year-old Robbie Gould. The San Francisco kicker is the slowest non-lineman (57) in the game, followed by Mason Crosby (59) and Brady (59). Crosby and Brady both slowed down since last year, when they were in their 60s.
So strong
Aaron Donald, DT, Los Angeles Rams (99)
Linval Joseph, DT, Los Angeles Chargers (98)
Matt Ioannidis, DT, Washington (98)
J.J. Watt, LE, Arizona (97)
Quenton Nelson, LG, Indianapolis (97)
Vita Vea, DT, Tampa Bay (97)
The rating here remained largely stable compared to last year. Donald is on top. Joseph and Ioannidis also did not change. Neither did Watt, Nelson or the VA. Only Ndamukong Suh disappeared from above; After being 97 last year and 98 a year ago, it has come down to 94. Gould remains among the weakest in the sport - this is the third year in a row he has been rated as 25. His company in this area is; His teammate Travis Benjamin is the weakest non-kicker/punter at 38, the only non-kicker/punter under 40 for the third year in a row. Receiver JJ Nelson (40) and Tutu Atwell (40) were however close to this humiliating title.
Highest-rated backup quarterbacks
Trey Lance, San Francisco (74)
Andy Dalton, Chicago (72)
Mac Jones, New England (71)
Nick Foles, Chicago (70)
Drew Lock, Denver (70)
It's a little tricky because if Dalton or Foles win the job in Chicago, rookie Justin Fields (74) joins the list. Same if Jones beat Cam Newton; Newton's 76 rating would be up here. If Tessam Hill (67) beats Jameis Winston (73), Winston would join the club. Just like in real life, though, most teams would be in real trouble if they had to play without their starter.
Cannon for an arm
Strongest (among QBs):
Josh Allen, Buffalo (99)
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City (97)
Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams (95)
Baker Mayfield, Cleveland (95)
Weakest (among QBs):
Logan Woodside, Tennessee (77)
Ryan Griffin, Tampa Bay (77)
Colt McCoy, Arizona (78)
Nathan Peterman, Las Vegas (79)
It remained somewhat similar at the top - Allen, then Mahomes - with Stafford gaining a strength point and Mayfield entering the elite. Matt Schaub has retired from the weakest list (he was 77 last year, tied with Griffin), and Woodside actually garnered two throw power points.
This is the third year in a row that the number of quarterbacks with 90 throw power or better has increased as the ratings team has made a stretch to make power more realistic. After going 18 deep at Madden 20 and jumping to 20 at Madden 21, 24 quarterbacks have 90 throw power or better this year, including five rookies: Zach Wilson (94), Lawrence (91), Lance (91), Fields (92) and Felipe Franks (90) of Atlanta.
Franks (59) and Green Bay's Jake Dolegla (54 overall, 91 throw power), are the lowest-rated quarterbacks with 90-or-better throw power. Oh, and Dolegala isn't on the Packers anymore — so from the first game update, he could be a free agent.
Elevator going up
Best jumper
DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Arizona (99)
Byron Jones, CB, Miami (98)
Chris Conley, WR, Houston (98)
Donte Jackson, CB, Carolina (98)
Worst jumper:
Ryan Succop, K, Tampa Bay (25)
Andy Lee, P, Arizona (27)
Robbie Gould, K, San Francisco (27)
It's no surprise here that the specialist — and Robbie Gould — would be at the bottom of another athletic specialty. If I were Gold, I would send a tape of my abilities or something to Madden Raters just to prove a point. As far as the best jumpers go, none of this should come as a surprise, especially since Jones jumped an incredible 12-foot, 3-inch wide in the 2015 NFL Combine. Perhaps the only surprise is that Jones is second to anyone in any jumping category.
You're in good hands
Best hands:
Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay (99)
DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Arizona (99)
Robert Tonyan, TE, Green Bay (98)
Allen Robinson II, WR, Chicago (98)
Worst Hand: Ben Bradson, LG, Baltimore (12); Ben Cleveland, LG, Baltimore (12); Bradley Bozeman, LG, Baltimore (12); Jack Anderson, RG, Buffalo (12) and Wes Schweitzer, RG, Washington (12). Adams has some of the best hands in the game. For a receiver, this is important, so it is no surprise that a 99 club receiver will have 99 hands. Same with Hopkins, the number 2 receiver in the game. The surprise here is former Undraft free agent Robert Tonian, but he hasn't dropped a pass in a game since 2018. Linemen are about to have bad hands, but it's another year when the same three Ravens linemen ended up with the worst hands. In play.