If fans are hoping to play with the best quarterback in the National Football League when loading up Madden NFL ’26, they’re going to have to choose another option than Patrick Mahomes.
The Madden ratings have been revealed—at least for the top tier of performers across the league—with the annual unveiling of the 99 Club. That’s the highest overall rating allowed in the game. This year, there are only seven members, and none of them play for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Here’s the full list of Madden’s 99 Club in 2026:
- Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills
- Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens
- Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
- Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings
- Ja’Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
- Lane Johnson, OL, Philadelphia Eagles
- Myles Garrett, DL, Cleveland Browns
Yeah, that doesn’t look right.
For Mahomes to not be included is okay if the powers-that-be at EA Sports are willing to shift every quarterback ranking. However, to put Mahomes behind Jackson and Allen, two contenders who have been staring up at Mahomes and the Chiefs in the AFC playoff tree for years, feels silly. That’s not to say they aren’t exemplary quarterbacks themselves, but neither have supplanted Mahomes atop the pecking order.
Outside of Madden, no one would place Mahomes so low on a quarterback list. CBS Sports has Mahomes as the top player overall heading into the 2025 season. A recent ESPN survey of league insiders—coaches, execs, scouts—ranked Mahomes at No. 1 as well.
Mahomes’ slide is a reflection of the Chiefs’ offensive struggles in recent years. The last two in particular have featured a quite mortal Mahomes dealing with offensive line concerns and a lack of playmakers at the skill positions due to injury. Last year alone, Travis Kelce looked older, Isiah Pacheco was lost to injury, andn Rashee Rice and Hollywood Brown played a total of 6 games combined.
The 99 Club has welcomed Mahomes before, even as far back as 2019 after just his second season as a starter in the NFL. He maintained the status for a few seasons as new iterations of Madden were released. Most recently, Mahomes made the 99 Club one year ago, so it’s not as if he’s been falling for some time. Even after one season leading an average offense, Mahomes was still ranked among the best in the game.
If anything, fans should look forward to playing with Mahomes in the 99 Club again in the near future. The Chiefs look like they have greater tackle options than they have in years with Josh Simmons in the fold and greater competition on the right side. Brown, Rice, and Pacheco are healthy. Kelce returned with the motivation to finish strong. The Chiefs also added further reinforcements in the draft in Jalen Royals and Brashard Smith.
For now, however, Mahomes fans are going to have to take on the task of being a slight underdog in Madden NFL ’26. Perhaps that will add an element of fun, but the snub itself feels insulting.
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