EA Sports
New York Jets reportedly rejected players based on their stats in Madden NFL
Maybe the “It’s in the game” slogan went too far.
It’s not uncommon to use sports video games to run some sort of simulation to know an outcome, or to know which players to pick in the fantasy draft you’re setting up with your friends, but according to a report, this has reached the highest levels of the NFL. New York Jets owner Woody Johnson reportedly used EA Sports' Madden NFL game series to make decisions about buying new talent based on in-game stats, according to a report from The Athletic.
One of these purchases was wide receiver Jerry Jeudy of the Denver Broncos. Joe Douglas, general manager of the Jets, had shown interest in the player, who was a first-round pick of the Broncos. However, according to the report, Johnson “decided to do his own research.” This ultimately led to the deal falling apart, with Johnson arguing to the Broncos that Jeudy’s Madden NFL rating was not high enough. In the end, Jeudy landed with the Cleveland Browns, where the wide receiver surpassed the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the first time last weekend.
However, it seems that was not the last time Madden NFL helped Johnson. Another example cited is his hesitation in signing free agent John Simpson, who, according to the video game, had a “lackluster ‘Awareness’ rating." Unlike the previous example, the Jets ended up signing him.
Madden NFL 25, a first down by inches
According to the analysis made by our colleagues in Spain, the latest edition of Madden NFL, the title “a very complete title that leaves no gaps to cover, being able to satisfy the most demanding football fan, even if there are still the broken games of a lifetime. However, the content of the game, beyond the franchise - which is still wonderful - needs to be revamped by EA, because Superstar is still a mode without much identity”.
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