In the lead up toMadden NFL 21’s launch on August 28, EA Sports has been giving players a small sneak peek of the game in the form of announcing player ratings for different positions. While some have become focused on whether or not their favorite player has joined thesought after 99 Club, a term used to describe players who have an overall rating of 99, some fans have become fixated on the tight end ratings for this year. More specifically, on Rob Gronkowski’s rating of a 95.
Most people who follow the NFL will know Rob Gronkowski as the boisterous tight end who often would dominate the field while playing with the New England Patriots. During this stint with the Patriots, he was even made theMadden NFL 17cover athlete. While many might debate if he is one of the best tight ends of all time, there’s no debating he dealt with numerous injuries and ultimately ended up retiring in March 2019, only to announce he would be returning to play with former teammate Tom Brady in Tampa Bay in 2020.
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Dealing with multiple injuries and taking a year off from the league theoretically would make aplayer’s rating much lower, however, this doesn’t seem to be the case with Gronkowski. Following EA Sports' reveal of the overall tight end ratings, players saw Gronkowski with a 95 rating putting him as the third highest-rated tight end inMadden NFL 21. This, of course, ignited sports fans into a wide debate if EA Sports had lost touch with how players should be rated.
In addition to the year off and him being injury-prone, Gronkowski will also be in a completely new environment as he joins the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this next season. While he may be working with formerNew England Patriotteammate Tom Brady, “Gronk” will be learning a brand new offensive system and under a new coaching staff. This can leave players in a situation where they may struggle to find the flow of their new home.
Every day it seems players are finding more reasons that make them uneasy aboutMadden NFL 21’s upcoming release. Recently,players took to Twitter to voice their frustrationsabout the new trailer highlighting controllable endzone celebrations, rather than more meaningful updates like Franchise Mode. Obviously there’s no way to please absolutely everyone with a game on this scale, however, hopefully, EA Sports is taking the real complaints into consideration as it continues creating games in the franchise.
Madden NFL 21releases on August 28 on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X versions in development.
