New York Jets Owner Torpedoed Trade Because Of A Player's Madden Rating - Report

The longtime franchise mode in the Madden NFL series lets players make decisions for their favorite team, such as drafting players and signing free agents. New York Jets owner Woody Johnson gets to oversee these decisions in real life but has apparently used the Madden games as a pivotal resource in decision-making. In fact, Johnson reportedly axed a trade this past offseason involving a wide receiver because the player's rating in Madden NFL 24 was too low.

According to The Athletic, the Jets were close to agreeing to a trade with the Denver Broncos in March for wide receiver Jerry Jeudy. But then, Johnson reportedly killed negotiations after looking at Jeudy's Madden NFL 24 rating. Electronic Arts tweaks player ratings throughout the season, but the Denver Post notes that Jeudy was an overall 83 before the start of last season. Interestingly enough, the wide receiver--who ultimately was traded to the Cleveland Browns--still sports the same 83 overall rating in Madden NFL 25.

Last season, Jeudy had 54 catches for 758 yards and 2 touchdowns, per ESPN. So far this season for the Browns, the wide receiver has 70 receptions for 1,052 yards and 4 touchdowns. Jeudy's best game of the NFL season happened earlier this month, when he caught 9 passes for 235 yards and a touchdown.

Johnson has reportedly mentioned Madden ratings in other personnel decisions for the Jets, too. For instance, The Athletic cites that the owner had reservations about signing offensive lineman John Simpson because of the guard's awareness rating (which is currently 85 in Madden NFL 25). Some people believe Johnson is bringing up Madden because of his teenage sons.

The Madden franchise is one of the biggest properties in the video game industry. For 25 straight years, a new installment in the football series has been the best-selling game in the US during the title's launch month. For more, check out GameSpot's Madden NFL 25 review.