Getty Quarterback Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers warms up before the game against the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field on December 15, 2019 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray clearly doesn’t think much of EA Sports’ player ratings for Madden NFL 21, especially when it comes to the “disrespectful” treatment of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
After Madden 21 player ratings were released Monday for the some of the league’s biggest stars, Murray became one of the first NFL players to react to — and reject — the list of the 10 top-rated quarterbacks in the upcoming installment of the popular video game franchise.
Specifically, Murray took issue with Rodgers receiving an 89 overall player rating to rank No. 6 on a list of the game’s top-rated passers, finishing behind Patrick Mahomes (99), Russell Wilson (97), Lamar Jackson (94), Drew Brees (93) and Tom Brady (90).
Fans have also voiced their issues with the declining rating of Rodgers, who was given a 99 overall rating just two years ago coming into the 2018 season. He dropped nine points between the ’18 and ’19 NFL seasons after a chaotic coaching shuffle left things uncertain in Green Bay, but even the success of a 14-4 season couldn’t keep the two-time MVP from falling to below the 90s for the first time in a decade.
As for the Cardinals’ young quarterback, no official ratings have been released just yet on Murray for Madden 21 — which will be released in August — but an alleged leak from Madden-School has Murray receiving a 77 overall rating to rank 10th best among his fellow Arizona teammates.
Madden’s Twitter account also released a list of the five fastest quarterbacks for the upcoming game that found Murray ranking second (91) behind Jackson (96).
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ESPN Sheds Further Light on Rodgers’ Rating
ESPN has spent the week unveiling and discussing the top-rated players in various skill groups, building up to a SportsCenter special scheduled for this Friday, July 17, at 6 p.m. CT that will break down the ratings process. Those looking for early insights into Rodgers’ new-low rating, though, can glean some perspective from Michael Rothstein’s write-up for ESPN.
Here is what the ESPN staffer wrote about Rodgers’ 89 overall rating:
Two years ago, Rodgers was a 99 overall. Last season, he started the year as a 90. Now, for the first time in over a decade, Rodgers will start a season below a 90 at 89 — which is where he ended last season. Rodgers’ completion percentage has dropped each of the past four seasons, and he hasn’t thrown for 30 touchdowns in a season since 2016. Yet Rodgers still moved up a spot in the overall QB ratings from last season, in part due to the decline of Philip Rivers and the retirement of Andrew Luck.
In other words, Rodgers’ standing among the league’s top quarterbacks could have slipped further if not for Luck’s sudden retirement from the Indianapolis Colts or Rivers’ departure from the Los Angeles Chargers.
In addition to Luck and Rivers, Ben Roethlisberger and Cam Newton — who each missed the majority of the 2019 season for their respective teams — also bowed out of this year’s top 10 after making the cut for Madden NFL 20. Roethlisberger could improve his standing again with his much-anticipated return to Pittsburgh’s offense, while Newton finds himself with something to prove in New England and Bill Belichick there to guide him.
Where will Rodgers’ Madden rating end up by the end of the 2020 season? Will he be forced from the top 10 or breach into the top five? Only his performances for the Packers can decide.
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