NFL Rumors: Stephon Gilmore Part of Exclusive '99 Club' in Madden 21
A lot of things are unknown when it comes to the NFL and the 2020 season. But one thing is certain, which is that New England Patriots fans will get to play as their favorite team in the latest edition of the Madden NFL video game franchise.
The game is slated to be released in late August and we are starting to see the ratings of some players set to be in the game. Patriots fans will be happy with one player in particular.
When it comes to Madden, there is an exclusive club that all current players want to be apart of -- the "99 Club." The "99 Club" is a select few players in the game that have been given the highest possible overall rating in the game -- 99. In Madden 21, reigning Defensive Player of the Year and Patriots cornerback, Stephon Gilmore, will be one of those players in the exclusive club.
Over the weekend, a Youtube channel called Sports Gamers Online released footage from Madden 21's beta -- a demo of the game that is meant to test the opinions of the people prepared to buy the game. The leaked footage showed some of the ratings for the players in the game. Footage from Sports Gamers Online showed Gilmore will be grouped with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey and Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald in the "99 Club."
This seems fair considering Gilmore's performance last season. He was the best cornerback in the NFL. He had six interceptions and put some of the best receivers in the NFL on an island.
Gilmore has turned things up to a whole new level since joining the Patriots. It was clear that he was a talented quarterback in Buffalo, but he established his dominance since joining New England.
The Patriots will rely on Gilmore a lot in 2020. Their defense will need to be on top of their game as they will be the driving force of the team. The offense has too many question marks and we saw last season just how talented New England's defense can be.
New England is used to having players in the "99 Club." The most recent players before Gilmore to be recognized for their great play and were rewarded a 99 overall rating were Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski. But they aren't the only players to get a 99 overall rating as a Patriot. New England has had six 99 overall rated players total in franchise history. Adam Vinatieri, Randy Moss, and Ben Coates have also garned a 99 overall rating.
Besides Gilmore, there are also some more key Patriots players that had their ratings revealed. Devin McCourty is rated a 92 overall, Dont'a Hightower is an 88, and Julian Edelman is an 86.
One thing that will dissapoint Patriots fans is the ratings of the quarterbacks on the roster. Cam Newton is rated 78 overall and Jarrett Stidham is an awful 61 overall.
So Patriots fans have something to look forward to when Madden 21 releases. When they suit up with their favorite team they will have one of the best players in the game on defense.
