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Chad Johnson Found Great Way to Tell Ja’Marr Chase He Got Prestigious Madden Rating

Chase is one of the newest members of the "99 club."

Brigid Kennedy

Johnson, also known as "Ochocinco," works as a ratings adjuster for Madden.
Johnson, also known as "Ochocinco," works as a ratings adjuster for Madden. / Bengals / X / Screensho
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Cincinnati wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase made history on Monday as he became the first Bengal to receive a max rating for Madden 26, and of course, the best way for him to learn this news was via game ratings adjuster (and Bengals legend) Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson.

In a clip shared online, Chase could be heard playfully complaining about this less-than-perfect rating before Ochocino chimed in in a video message just for him.

"Yo, Uno!" Johnson began. "What's up, boy? Listen, remember I said you weren't a 99 and I said I'd bump you up after your first touchdown? Listen, about that, I had to play it cool, baby. You know I can't let you get too comfortable out the gate. But the people upstairs at Madden, I went up there and talked to them. They've been watching you, I've been watching, you hear me? We saw what you did last year. ... We all know what you can do. So I'm here to tell you, you're already there. You've arrived. The 99 Club, right now. My boy, welcome to greatness."

A very happy Chase was then presented with an icy "99" chain, wrapped around his neck by fellow receiver Tee Higgins, who quipped he has "a lotta work to do" to improve from his 86 rating.

Watch that below:

Chase finished his 2024 campaign with 127 receptions for 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns—the most in the league across all three categories. As such, he became just the sixth receiver of the modern era to win the triple crown.

In addition to Chase, Eagles OT Lane Johnson, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson, Bills QB Josh Allen and Browns DE Myles Garrett all received 99 ratings in Madden 26, as well.

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Brigid Kennedy
BRIGID KENNEDY

Brigid Kennedy is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, she covered political news, sporting news and culture at TheWeek.com before moving to Livingetc, an interior design magazine. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, dual majoring in television, radio and film (from the Newhouse School of Public Communications) and marketing managment (from the Whitman School of Management). Offline, she enjoys going to the movies, reading and watching the Steelers.

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