Seattle’s star wideout breaks a seven-year drought to join the NFL’s elite, but a surging Rams roster threatens to shift the division’s digital power balance.
ESPN's recent ranking of the best wide receivers in the NFL saw Seattle Seahawks star Jaxon Smith-Njigba land at No. 3, behind Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson.
Pro Football Focus' (PFF) graded Smith-Njigba as the second-best pass-catcher in the league, trailing only Puka Nacua.
But, obviously, neither of those placements matters more than ... Madden ratings.
In EA Sports' book, Smith-Njigba is tied with Chase as the top wideouts in the sport, as the two are the lone receivers in the annually elusive "99 Club."
For those who don't know by now, EA Sports' "Madden" franchise rates players individual skills which accumulate to produce an "overall."
99 overall is the highest threshold an NFL player can reach, making entry into the group one of the game's most exclusive honors.
Smith-Njigba becomes the first Seahawk to enter the launch of a new "Madden" title as part of the "99 Club" in seven years.
Seattle legend Bobby Wagner was the last franchise representative to boast a perfect overall rating back in 2019.
The Seahawks love isn't the only reason this rendition of the "99 Club" is relevant to the 12s, though.
Perhaps the biggest threat to Seattle's crown, the Los Angeles Rams, accounted for two of the five 99-overalls.
Fresh off his MVP and First-Team All-Pro campaign, Matthew Stafford joined Josh Allen as the highest-rated quarterbacks in the game.
Stafford's newest superstar teammate, Myles Garrett, appeared alongside him. EA's view of Garrett has remained consistent over the years, as the single-season-sack record holder has been entered in the 99 Club four separate times (Madden NFL 22, Madden NFL 23, Madden NFL 26 and Madden NFL 27).
While I was being facetious at the beginning of this piece ... video game ratings don't actually tell the full story.
Smith-Njigba carried an 86 overall rating at the launch of last year's game. One historic season later, he's one of only five players to receive a 99 in Madden 27.
Sam Darnold entered Madden 26 as a 77-overall — the 20th-best quarterback at the time of the game's release. He helped guide Seattle to a Lombardi Trophy.
So, don't read too much into these. The Seahawks aren't doomed to concede the NFC West to the Rams now just because they have two 99-overall players in Madden.
While Los Angeles holds the advantage in that racket for now, another elite campaign from the soon-to-be-extended Devon Witherspoon could grant Seattle its second member of the 99 club as ratings are adjusted throughout the 2026 season.
