Vikings WR Justin Jefferson joins prestigious '99 club' for Madden 24
Heading into his fourth year with the Minnesota Vikings, wide receiver Justin Jefferson scored a 99 rating for EA’s Madden NFL 24.
He’s the first member of the 99 club this year but ESPN will continue unveiling the Madden NFL 24 ratings all week long.
“Y’all have no idea what it means to be a 99 in Madden!!” Jefferson tweeted on Monday. “Since I was 7y/o I been creating my own player making him a 99 and now I don’t have to (mind blown emojis).”
Jefferson ranked second among all NFL wide receivers in short, medium and deep route running categories. His rating is far from a surprise given that the former LSU star has the most receiving yards of any NFL wideout over the past three seasons. Since his rookie season, Jefferson has posted 4,825 receiving yards, which is almost 400 yards more than the next-best, Davante Adams.
With his 99 ranking, Jefferson becomes the highest-ever rated wide receiver out of the Vikings, even over the legendary Randy Moss. Moss topped out on Madden with a 98 rating.
Jefferson scores 99 for Madden NFL 24
Jefferson has increased his totals in each of his first three seasons consistently. He had career highs of 1,809 yards, 128 receptions and 80 first downs last season. In the postseason, he added another seven receptions and 47 yards.
Since drafting Jefferson with the No. 22 overall pick in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Vikings have gone 7-9, 8-9 and finally 13-4, clinching the NFC North in 2022 for the first time since 2017.
In the rating announcement, the Vikings star says he believes he should have a 99. Some of his top rivals in the league describe him as, “bouncy,” “smooth,” “long arms, long legs,” and as, “one of the most explosive players in the league.”
The Vikings tweeted a graphic to share the big news and captioned it: “99 only cuz there is no 100.”
Minnesota has big negotiations coming up with Jefferson. He’s entering the final year of his rookie contract, which he signed for four years, $13.12 million. The Vikings have exercised the fifth-year option on his contract but he’s due for long-term deal negotiations.