99 Club Highlights Justin Jefferson’s Greatness
Madden 24 comes out in a few weeks, and like every year, the team at EA Sports spends a week showing off the new ratings. This season saw Justin Jefferson join the 99 Club as the best wide receiver in the game. Maybe that should have been expected, but the small fraternity highlights his greatness.
99 Club Highlights Justin Jefferson’s Greatness
Throughout each season, the EA Sports team updates player ratings for the yearly installment of Madden. Despite trending upwards for most of the year, some late-season duds cost Justin Jefferson an opportunity to secure the coveted 99 overall. He gets that number out of the gate this time around, and it’s who he is surrounded by that makes this special.
It’s not exactly controversial to suggest that Jefferson is a better wideout than Davante Adams or Tyreek Hill. Those three are largely in the same breath, but the Vikings pass catcher has set himself apart for a minute now. In doing so, the players at other positions also included among the 99 Club suggest how special the former LSU star is.
At quarterback, EA Sports obviously included Patrick Mahomes as a member of the 99 Club. He’s won at every level and continually makes it look easy in the NFL. He could retire tomorrow and be thought of as an all-time special talent.
Aaron Donald has been a 99 Club mainstay for quite some time now, and continuing to wreak havoc on opposing offenses won’t stop any time soon. Travis Kelce has taken over as the best tight end the NFL has seen since Rob Gronkowski, and he joins his quarterback in the group. Right guard Zack Martin completes the 99 Club, as he has been among the best blockers in the league for a long time.
Across the entirety of the NFL, despite superstars on multiple teams at multiple positions, EA Sports gave out just five 99 overall ratings this year. To think that Minnesota employs one of the five best players in the game, regardless of position, is truly special. Maybe as Vikings fans, we take that for granted seeing him show out each week, but Jefferson has a chance to be an all-time great himself.
Minnesota has a long list of successful wide receivers. With both Cris Carter and Randy Moss at the top, everyone since has been looking to fill those shoes someday. Going from Stefon Diggs, an already talented star, to Jefferson was a come-up that the Vikings could have never predicted. Still so early into his career, Jefferson seems to be just scratching the surface.
One would hope that Jefferson can continue to carry a pass-heavy offense and Minnesota will find its way back to the playoffs this year. The NFL has always been a league where unique talents make plays, and Madden considering Jefferson among the five best in the league at any given point signifies his ability as an exceptional talent.
The Vikings got a front-row seat to watch Jefferson explode as a player during the 2021 campaign, and then he came out last season tracking to take down Detroit Lions star Calvin Johnson’s single-season yardage record. What he does this year is anyone’s guess, but you can bet it will be quite a show along the way.
Justin Jefferson was ecstatic about being included in the 99 Club and getting that top rating, but it’s equally important to notice the greatness he’s surrounded by in the group and what that means for him.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes weekly for Twins Daily. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.
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