Madden is a franchise that captures a huge audience every year, currently the biggest football simulation game on the market. Over the last 34 years, the franchise has refined its formula to make the experience more authentic. Components like Franchise Mode, Ultimate Team, and Face of the Franchise are the reason fans keep returning, and the gameplay loop is so engaging because real-world players are given in-depth and often controversial ratings to make them more or less appealing.
The reveal of Madden NFL player ratings has become an anticipated event in both gaming circles and among active players in the NFL. Rookies are often given a low rating that go up if their performance on the field improves, and seasoned veterans with multiple Pro Bowl honors have ratings in the high-90s. Since ratings are determined by the previous season, there will likely be a few surprises and some predictable spots in Madden NFL 23's coveted 99 Club.
Aaron Donald - Los Angeles Rams
One of the Los Angeles Rams' all-time best players, Aaron Donald has shown no signs of stopping. He makes the best offensive linemen look average, and often racks up sacks in the double figures despite never playing on the edge. He's one of the few essential defensive players that can truly make an impact to any Madden player's ultimate team should they be fortunate enough to acquire him.
His dominance on the field has been reflected by the ratings in Madden, with absolutely no push back from angry Seahawks or 49ers fans. He has sat pretty on a 99 overall rating in every Madden title since 2018, and with the 2021 season championship being just another achievement in his already impressive list of accomplishments, there's no doubt he will achieve the rating again in Madden NFL 23.
Joe Burrow - Cincinnati Bengals
Another player who reached Super Bowl 56 but failed to emerge victorious, Joe Burrow surprised and excited fans with his valiant performance throughout the year. Playing under center of a Bengals team that went into the season with the fifth overall pick, expectations weren't particularly high - especially in a division as competitive as the AFC North. As Madden ratings are given to players according to how well they performed in the previous year, there's nobody as deserving of a 99 rating than Burrow, being the catalyst for the season's biggest surprise.
The highest-rated player on Madden NFL 22 for the Bengals is currently Running Back Joe Mixon, who sits at 93 overall. However, while this is a justified rating for the former Oklahoma Sooner, Burrow was hands-down the most influential offensive player for the Bengals last season. Furthermore, his athleticism, arm strength, awareness, mobility, and accuracy make for a complete package when players select him as the starting quarterback of their ultimate team. Burrow showed that he's the complete player through the 2021 season, and a 99 overall in Madden would be a justified reward.
Jonathan Taylor - Indianapolis Colts
Jonathan Taylor's 2021 season was far beyond the expectations of many NFL fans. Selected by the Colts in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Taylor's rookie season showed promise, surpassing 1,000 yards on the ground after starting back Marlon Mack was injured in week one. However, his second season in the league was unforgettable with over 2,000 scrimmage yards, 20 touchdowns, a unanimous All-Pro selection, and a Pro Bowl selection being merely a formality.
Taylor was one of the few players in contention for league MVP who wasn't a quarterback, with the aforementioned Aaron Donald also being a contender. Taylor's trajectory is only going up, as while the Colts' dependence on him in 2021 was huge, now that veteran QB Matt Ryan has found a home in Indanapolis, the best could be yet to come. Plenty of Madden players rely on an all-purpose running back for their success, and Taylor fits the bill. He's one of the best players in the league, so a 99 overall rating should be a no-brainer.
Josh Allen - Buffalo Bills
Selected from the University of Wyoming in the 2018 Draft, Josh Allen promised to be the one to fix all the Bills' problems at the quarterback position. His rookie season was nothing special, but since then Allen has developed into one of the league's most effective dual-threat QBs. He currently sits at an 89 on Madden 22, the seventh-best player at the position. However, only two of those ahead of him (Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers) got further than the Bills in the 2021 season.
Sometimes in Madden it's good to be ahead of the curve and give players a rating not for the season they had, but the one they might have in the future. Josh Allen is proof that greatness can take time, and if 2021 is anything to go by, he's going to be a force to be reckoned with in 2022.
Cooper Kupp - Los Angeles Rams
Being given the honor of Super Bowl 56 MVP, Cooper Kupp's journey to the top is one of the most unlikely in all of professional sports. Attending East Washington and drafted in the third round, expectations were tempered for the Yakima, Washington-born Wide Receiver. He quickly crept up the chart at the Los Angeles Rams, and after the team acquired seasoned quarterback Matthew Stafford from the Detroit Lions, all the pieces were in place for him to take the league by storm.
At the time of Madden NFL 22's release he wasn't even in the top 10, but an astonishing 2021 campaign had many feel Kupp became the best offensive player throughout. Madden fans who rely on the deep ball, go routes, and late Hail Mary's should select Kupp, as he's almost guaranteed a spot in the 99 Club when Madden NFL 23 rolls around.
Madden NFL 23 releases August 19, for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
