Forget being an NFL All-Pro. Forget being a Pro Bowler. Forget all the other awards and accomplishments an NFL player might win throughout their career.
For one day every year, all that matters is a number.
Specifically, what rating NFL players get on the Madden video game series and, more importantly, what players make their way to the “99 Club” every year — the famous group of players who get the very highest rating you can get.
If you don’t think it’s a big deal, you don’t know much about NFL locker rooms. It’s a huge deal. The ultimate form of respect in a virtual world.
The defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles landed 2 players in the 99 Club with running back, reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley, who is on the cover of the video game. Veteran offensive tackle and 5-time NFL All-Pro Lane Johnson.
In all, 7 players made the 99 Club in 2025; Johnson, Barkley, Cincinnati wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson, Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen, Minnesota wide receiver Justin Jefferson and Cleveland edge rusher Myles Garrett.
“The 99 Club is a nickname given to the NFL players who achieve the highest possible rating in EA Sports’ ‘Madden’ video game franchise,” USA Today’s Jacob Camenker wrote on July 28. “The honor is an exclusive one, as Madden developers chose only a handful of players to get the game’s top rating — which has been capped at 99 since the release of Madden 2002 — each year.”
There is no designated number of players who make the 99 Club each year.
History of Eagles and Madden 99 Club Picks
It’s pretty incredible that both Johnson and Barkley both made the Madden 99, because teams rarely get 2 players on there.
For the Eagles, it’s rare to even have just one player on there. Johnson and Barkley are the first Eagles to make the list in 20 years, since kicker David Akers made the list in 2006.
Johnson and Barkley are just the third and fourth Eagles to ever make the list following Akers and free safety Brian Dawkins, who was the first player to make it in 2004.
No player in NFL history has made the Madden 99 Club more than former Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald, who made the cut 9 times in just 10 NFL seasons.
Next Bird to Make Madden 99 Club Will Be …
Who will be the next player for the Philadelphia Eagles to make the Madden 99 Club? Obviously Johnson, if he continues to play past his 13th NFL season, is a candidate. So is Barkley if he continues to play at a high level.
For a team brimming with young talent, there are more possibilities. The leader of that group would be third year defensive tackle Jalen Carter, who earned NFL All-Pro honors in 2023 and was arguably the best player on a Super Bowl winning defense.
Also on defense, cornerback and 2024 first round pick Quinyon Mitchell could very well find himself earning a 99 rating in the near future.
On offense, the prime candidate to earn a 99 rating for the first time in the future is likely offensive tackle Jordan Mailata, who earned NFL All-Pro honors for the first time in 2024 and is the NFL’s top ranked offensive tackle, according to Pro Football Focus.
