The Best in The Game ???? #Madden24

Welcome to the #99Club @JJettas2 ✈️ pic.twitter.com/MnI2b0pKm1

— Madden NFL 24 (@EAMaddenNFL) July 17, 2023

Justin Jefferson joining the Madden 99 Club is incredibly rare.

The boomers might not understand how big of a deal a 99 overall rating is. We do not know how many players will join Jefferson in the Madden 24 “99 Club”, but for context, there were only four players who received the honor in the 23 version. Davante Adams was the only wide receiver. Aaron Donald (EDGE), Miles Garrett (EDGE) and Trent Williams (LT) were the other three.

Justin Jefferson earned his 99 overall rating by posting 128 receptions, 1,809 receiving yards (both league highs) and 8 touchdowns in 17 games last season. In his first three NFL seasons, JJ has collected 4,825 receiving yards and 28 touchdowns off 324 receptions, arguably the best start to a career of any wide receiver in league history.

Of course, JJettas had a classy and heartwarming response to joining the “Madden 99 Club”, when he took to social media shortly following the announcement.

Y’all have no idea what it means to be a 99 in Madden!! Since I was 7y/o I been creating my own player making him a 99 and now I don’t have to????????

— JJETS✈️ (@JJettas2) July 17, 2023

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Did Electronic Arts (EA) fire all of their competent Madden scouts? A website, MaddenSchool.com, leaked what they claim is a list of the top-10 rated players for each NFL team, in the upcoming Madden 21. If true, EA’s hate for the Minnesota Vikings is clear and obvious. Maybe these “leaked” ratings are false and the game will drop on August 25, revealing us all as idiots… but that’s not what Forbes (the major magazine publication) believes.

Forbes claims, “it is highly unlikely any of the ratings below are false”, after speaking directly with a representative of MaddenSchool.com, the popular non-EA-affiliated Madden website, that posted the leaked ratings.

So if we assume them right, as Forbes does, then EA should fire everyone who scouted Minnesota Vikings players. I’m still struggling to believe these ratings, they’re so astonishing. “Flabbergasted” might be a better descriptor. Adam and I talked about the bias Madden rankings on today’s episode of the Bleeding Purple Podcast (QB rankings: 9-minute mark | Vikings top-10: 14:30).

Defense

Let’s start on Zimmer’s favorite side of the virtual football. If Zimmer knew Madden still made video games, he’d be really pissed off about these ratings. The list above would sit on his virtual bulletin board (if he had one) for the entire season… or forever, unless one of his grandkids deletes it for him.

The top of the list makes sense. Harrison Smith is one of the best safeties in the NFL. He has been for a handful of seasons. He was the easy one… but, as you travel further down the list, you can’t help but wonder if these “scouts” have watched a Minnesota Vikings football game since 2018.

Do you guys know who Michael Pierce is? If you have a bad short term memory, you might not. He’s the new defensive tackle, who will try to help fill the void of Linval Joseph. Clearly, the Madden scouts in Baltimore were big fans of his.

Hopefully they are right and I’ll take the love because the rest of the ratings in the top-10 should be thrown right into the garbage. How is Danielle Hunter not in the 90’s? Even if you’ve NEVER watched him play… this photo alone has to be good for a 95 all by itself, especially after seeing TJ Watt is an 86 rating.

Pick your player:

Like – Danielle Hunter
Retweet – TJ Watt pic.twitter.com/slMGUHPIxr

— Vikes Insider (@vikesinsider) July 9, 2020

Eric Kendricks gets screwed too but that’s nothing new. That guy has been underrappreciated since coming out of the womb. The biggest traveshamockery of this entire game though, is Anthony Harris. How is Anthony Harris an 83? The Vikings franchise-tagged Harris because he is a top-3 safety. That’s the rating that makes me question everything about this leak.

Anyway, moving onto the offense

I’m fine with Dalvin Cook’s rating, though I’d bring it up a couple more points. Adam Thielen is a top wide receiver but he’s white so no shocker…

WTF is Kyle Rudolph doing on this list? I like Kyle and what he’s done as a Viking… but how is he in this top-10 list? He’s going to lose his job to Irv Smith Jr. by the end of this season.

Kirk Cousins is an 82 and Drew Brees is a 93. Think about that. Drew Brees couldn’t throw past 30 yards last year in the playoffs and Kirk Cousins beat him (on a beautiful pass to Adam Thielen)… but Brees ranks top-4 at the Madden QB position, while Kirk isn’t even in the top-10.

Just two QBs over a 95. Rodgers outside the 90s club.

Here are the top 10 Madden QB ratings. Thoughts? ? pic.twitter.com/EkAeCYawiz

— ESPN (@espn) July 13, 2020

If it were up to the national media, Minnesota would be wiped completely off the map. Oh well, the Vikings are better when they are underappreciated anyway. Hopefully, someone can explain what this means to Zim, so he can use it to his advantage.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan