As summer winds down and August comes around the two great indicators that the NFL season is upon us are the introduction of training camps and the yearly iteration of EA Sports' Madden offering. Of course we have reached that point in the calendar and the Minnesota Vikings are on the field .
Although Madden 26 won't release until August 14, after the Vikings make their preseason debut against the Houston Texans, it's right around the corner. Each year the ratings reveal is among the highlights of the new game.
While every team hopes to have talented players litter their 53-man roster, it's the elite 99 Club that highlights only the best of the best. Enter Justin Jefferson.
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Just seven players are included as members of the Madden 26 99 Club. Of them, Justin Jefferson is one of two wide receivers. Five of the players are at skill positions with Lane Johnson and Myles Garrett rounding out the group.
The 99 overall rating for Jefferson makes him a three-time member of the 99 Club. Cris Carter and John Randle were in town to present him with the news and some new bling to commemorate the occasion.
In Madden 24 Jefferson was a 99 overall when the game launched. He debuted at 98 overall last season, but earned the boost to 99 just before the Thursday Night Football contest against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 8. The only other Minnesota Vikings in franchise history to achieve 99 overall status in Madden are Randall McDaniel (1999), Jared Allen (2011), and Adrian Peterson (2014).
Jefferson led the NFL with 1,809 receiving yards during the 2022 season. He then missed time in 2023 with a hamstring injury. Last year he played in all 17 games and recorded his fifth-straight 1,000 yard season. The Vikings will look to their superstar as a key cog in the development and success of new starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
Just days into training camp Jefferson removed himself from practice for the Minnesota Vikings. He's dealing with a mild hamstring strain and the hope is that additional time off will have him ready to go at the beginning of the season.
It's hard to argue there is a better wide receiver for McCarthy to utilize than the elite member of the 99 Club.
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