Nothing says the NFL is right around the corner like fans getting upset over Madden ratings.
It has become a tradition for EA Sports to do a big rollout of the updated player ratings for the newest edition of the popular NFL video game.
Most of the attention goes to the "99 Club," highlighting a handful of players who earned a perfect rating. Cover star Christian McCaffrey, Chiefs tandem Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, 49ers All-Pro tackle Trent Williams and Dolphins superstar Tyreek Hill earned that honor this season.
But every year, there are a few ratings that catch fans off-guard, sparking a debate over which players are too high or too low.
For Madden 25, Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray's rating drew the biggest reaction from social media.
MORE: Madden 25 ratings tracker: Top 10 players at each position
Kyler Murray's Madden 25 rating
When Madden 25 revealed its top 10 quarterback ratings, Murray's name was nowhere to be found.
The Cardinals star QB will start the year as a 77 overall — a rating that many fans believed to be disrespectful. On top of that, EA Sports tabbed Murray as a lefty, which is incorrect. That oversight only added to his supporters' uproar.
Madden put him as a lefty and gave him a 77 overall 🐶💔, Kyler is officially the most underrated player in the NFL. pic.twitter.com/WLT9QceWQk
— Zeze (@K1xMHJ) August 2, 2024
Those who play Madden religiously were quick to point out that Murray's rating didn't change from the end of last season. He closed an injury-spoiled 2023 season campaign as a 77 overall, rating him as the No. 18 quarterback in the league.
Murray is no stranger to feeling underrated by the Madden ratings team. In 2020, he expressed some frustration about his Madden 21 rating on "First Take" with Stephen A. Smith & Co.
"I can't really say everything I want to say on the air right now," he said at the time. "I kind of take it as disrespect, but it is what it is. I'll let my play speak for itself."
Kyler Murray is pissed about his #Madden21 rating. 😂
— 𝕺𝖐𝖑𝖆𝖍𝖔𝖒𝖆 𝖛𝖘. 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖂𝖔𝖗𝖑𝖉 (@soonergridiron) July 17, 2020
"I can't really say everything I want to say on the air right now. I kind of take it as disrespect, but it is what it is."#OUDNA | #BoomerSoonerpic.twitter.com/c5buHoYrxX
Murray's talent feels forgotten since the former AP Offensive Rookie of the Year tore his ACL during the 2022 season.
He threw for 11,480 yards and 70 touchdowns to just 34 interceptions over his first three NFL seasons. He also added 1,786 yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground in that span.
Murray missed the last four games of the 2022 season and the first nine games of the 2023 season because of his knee injury.
He started to find a rhythm upon his return, throwing for 1,799 yards and five touchdowns to go with 244 rushing yards and three touchdowns over the final eight games.
Murray is expected to be healthy to start the 2024 season and has a new weapon in No. 2 overall pick Marvin Harrison Jr. That one-two punch could help the 26-year-old get his Madden rating back to where he feels it belongs.
