How do you pick your franchise team in Madden 21? There are a couple of key factors to pay attention to when searching for a franchise team. The first decision to make is whether you are looking for a contending team or a rebuild. The next factor is to find teams with young cores that will develop quickly and make the experience more enjoyable.
Picking your franchise team in the newest Madden is always a fun experience. Every year provides a new opportunity to develop unique players into superstars that change the way you play. In Madden 20 you saw the rise of Lamar Jackson, a quarterback faster than the entire defense. A few years ago Aaron Donald made it possible to break the sack record as an interior defensive lineman. Almost a decade ago Cam Newton changed the game with his massive build and running prowess. Now we see another crop of young stars poised to change your Madden experience. A player like Isaiah Simmons could change your entire defense as one player can play several key positions.
The first question you have to ask yourself is: What talent level am I looking for?
If you are a beginner or just want to beat up on everyone, you want to choose a contender. Some of the most dynamic teams are contenders with explosive offenses and talent everywhere you look. I have provided three of the best contenders to start a new franchise mode with.
If you have been playing for awhile, you may want to rebuild a roster. I have just as much fun drafting young talent and dominating in free agency as I do playing the actual games. Rebuilds make the experience more immersive and enjoyable, but you need at least a base level of skill and experience. I listed my top three rebuilding teams for maximum enjoyment.
Contenders
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens are at the top of this list for a few reasons. For starters, they have the most entertaining player to use in Lamar Jackson. At only 23-years-old, Jackson is already a 94 overall with plenty of years to develop. As far as entertainment goes, he has 96 speed and acceleration! He has no weakness in his game and can run the ball better than almost every running back. If that is not enough to sway you, they also drafted Marquise Brown to blaze by opposing corners while Mark Andrews (86 overall) runs underneath.
One of my favorite parts of this team is the rookie draft class. Patrick Queen can be developed into a premier middle linebacker and J.K. Dobbins is a great running back to pair with Mark Ingram (86 overall). Later in the draft they scooped up Devin Duvernay, who has 92 speed and 91 acceleration and will start as a 71 overall. The Ravens are poised to be one of the most explosive and entertaining franchise teams in Madden 21. They come in as an 84 overall team, tied for second with the 49ers.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers feature a star-studded cast and are the epitome of a win now team. With 43-year-old Brady at the helm, the Buccaneers are built to win right away. Offensively, the Buccaneers are absolutely stacked, featuring some of the best weapons in the game. As I said, Tampa’s offense will be led by the greatest quarterback of all time. He will have Mike Evans (92 overall), Chris Godwin (87 overall), Rob Gronkowski (95 overall) and O.J. Howard at his disposal.
Defensively, Shaq Barrett (85 overall) proved to be one of the best edge rushers in the league last season and should provide plenty of disruption along with the rest of the front seven. Devin White is one of the fastest linebackers in the league and can be developed into a superstar as a 22-year-old former first-round pick entering his sophomore season. This team will score easy and be able to hold their own on defense. Madden has given the Buccaneers an 83 overall rating, fourth in the league. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are one of the best teams to pick in franchise mode in Madden 21.
Kansas City Chiefs
I said earlier that Lamar Jackson is the most entertaining player to use in Madden 21. However, the half a billion dollar man and fellow MVP is right up there. Mahomes is rated as a 99 overall quarterback, and the talent around him does not trail far behind. Travis Kelce is a 97 overall and Tyreek Hill is a 96 overall. The offense alone is good enough to make them a franchise team to pay attention to in Madden 21. The defense as a whole is lackluster, but they have some star power. The Chiefs are a great team to choose if you want to be involved in some high scoring shoot outs each week.
Rebuilds
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals are by far one of the best teams to use in franchise mode in Madden 21. They have a very young team that will develop as you continue your franchise. Kyler Murray is very fun to play as though he is only a 77 overall. A couple of quality seasons could propel Murray into elite status. He will have Deandre Hopkins to throw to this season, at a near perfect 98 overall. The Cardinals will have one of the better playbooks to use with Kliff Kingsbury leading the way.
Defensively, the Cardinals could be special with some user skill involved. Chandler Jones (95 overall) and Patrick Peterson (88 overall) will be impact stars on a fairly young defense overall. Isaiah Simmons is already a 78 overall and athletic enough to fill any void on the defense. The last two draft classes are filled with fun players that can be developed into budding stars in just a couple of seasons.
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins had three first-round picks in the 2020 NFL Draft. I always look at draft classes to help determine which teams I want to play as in franchise mode. The Dolphins first selection, Tua Tagovailoa will be one of the most fun quarterbacks to start with in Madden 21. I love to develop young quarterbacks, and Tua would be towards the top of the list of players I would choose to do so. Tagovailoa is mobile and accurate, a perfect recipe in Madden games.
The Dolphins have been very active this offseason and will enter this season with a much better roster than the year before. After going 5-11 in 2019, it would be a fun challenge to turn this team around and compete with the Patriots and Bills for the division. The Dolphins are the lowest rated team at 76 overall, making this rebuild quite a challenge. I recommend picking the Dolphins as your franchise team in Madden 21 if you like to rebuild teams.
New York Giants
The Giants’ weapons on offense are pretty strong, led by Saquon Barkley at 91 overall. Evan Engram is just below the elite tight end group at 88 overall. Golden Tate and Sterling Shepard are solid receivers and Daniel Jones is a second year quarterback primed to develop. This team needs a lot of roster reconstruction making the offseason just as challenging as the actual games. At 78 overall, the Giants are tied with a bunch of bottom feeder teams in the league. If you pick the Giants as your franchise team in Madden 21, you have quite a challenge ahead of you.
Bonus
Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers are an interesting team that I wanted to throw in the mix. Despite going just 5-11, the team is too good to be considered a rebuild. They have some top-tier defensive talent with six starters in the 88-91 overall range. However, they have a fun duo of quarterbacks and a serious offensive line problem. Tyrod Taylor can run and would be fun to use. Herbert is a rookie that was just drafted very high and comes in at a 70 overall. His development trait will be high and he could become a huge piece of your team. He also has 82 speed and 87 acceleration, which is very fast for a quarterback. His size, speed and arm strength rivals Cam Newton. The Chargers have an 81 overall rating, with a stacked defense that will make them a fun franchise team in Madden 21.
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