Jumping into franchise mode has always been a great time in the Madden series. Rebuilding however can be a tricky process, especially if you do not have experience with cap room or the draft. Here is a simple guide on how to rebuild a franchise in Madden 21. If you are not sure which team to rebuild, check out my advice on the matter.
Trade For Young Talent
Before playing your first game, you should be making transactions. A successful rebuild is culmination of offseason moves that leads to on-field success. I highly recommend trading for some young players that have the tools to become future stars. This can be a culmination of established stars and promising first or second-year players. I made a list of the best players to trade for in Madden 21. I highly recommend using this list to give yourself a jump start in talent search. This may be the most important step in rebuilding your franchise in Madden 21.
Develop a Young Core
This one should be relatively obvious, but young players will need regular playing time to develop. Take a look at your roster and determine which players you would like to be apart of your long-term plans. If you have wide receiver or tight end on the list, make sure to give him regular targets all season. If you have a linebacker on that list, make sure to send him on blitzes multiple times a game. While you will go into each game trying to win, year one should be thought of as a development year for your young players. Development is a huge piece of the puzzle when trying to figure out how to rebuild a franchise in Madden 21.
Trade Deadline
At this point, you should know where your season is going. If you have played well with a middling team, you may want to go all in. If that is the case, trading for an impact player would be worth it. Once again, I recommend checking out the article on the best trade targets in Madden 21, where the first section covers “immediate impact” players.
If your season is going how most rebuilds should be, it is time to look towards next season. Even if your season is going better than expected, I still recommend going to the re-sign tab and seeing which players are on expiring contracts. If your team is completely down the drain, trade every veteran you do not want to be on your roster next season. In a scenario where you are still competitive, I still suggest looking to trade veteran depth or league average players you feel you can with without. In these trades you should be targeting draft picks or young players you feel will develop.
First Offseason
This is the part of the rebuild that can be stressful if you lack experience. If you followed along with the previous steps, you should have extra draft picks and a sizable amount of cap room. Most of the players you no longer want on the roster should’ve been dealt at the deadline. Before you start making moves, you may want to go to the league owners section, going over to your coach or owner and clearing cap penalties. This action will give you more money to work with but less realistic.
The re-sign stage is pretty straightforward. Any player you would like to return can be easily signed, by listening to the games suggested contract. If you really want to ensure a players return, add a million or so to the salary.
Your actions in free agency are totally team dependent and there is no real guide I can give you. I will say, most people go into free agency either too cheap or way overspend. If you do not understand the system, it is logical to not spend money to avoid trouble. If you have over $20 million in cap space, you can go after a big free agent. Don’t however spend every last cent because these contracts are mostly multi-year contracts and they are all back loaded.
In the draft, go out and target some athletic freaks that will join your young core as you start a real dynasty. Season two and beyond is all about improving your on-field play as your core group of players establish themselves as superstars.
That concludes my guide on how to rebuild a franchise in Madden 21. If you liked this article, check out the rest of my Madden 21 content. If you want to see Madden’s full player ratings, click here.