Top Ten Tuesday: Teams To Build In ‘Madden 21’ Franchise Mode

Madden 21 is due out in just a couple of weeks. While many have been disappointed with the lack of upgrades to the game’s franchise mode, it’s still a game mode that will be played. These are the top teams to build up into Super Bowl contenders in Madden 21 franchise mode.

 

10. Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers have some pieces to compete now but the flexibility to take on a relatively big rebuild or retool in franchise mode. The talented defense led by safety Derwin James and pass rusher Joey Bosa can help you contend in 2020, but there are valuable trade pieces you can move to shift toward a bigger rebuild behind sixth overall pick Justin Herbert at quarterback.

 

9. Las Vegas Raiders

It’ll be interesting to see what Madden 21 does with fans given that COVID-19 won’t allow crowds as usual at least for the start of the season, but the Raiders are a solid choice for franchise mode as they get set to play their first season in Las Vegas. The new Allegiant Stadium looks awesome, and the team appears on the rise with the players that have been added in the past two offseasons. Also, the Raiders give a couple of options at quarterback in more traditional pocket passer Derek Carr and the bigger dual threat in Marcus Mariota.

 

8. Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals appear set at quarterback with No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow, who gained a bunch of fans after his record-breaking season with LSU last year. Cincinnati will no doubt be a popular team to take control of in franchise mode, and there’s more than enough weaponry on offense to spread the ball around to: A.J. Green, Joe Mixon, Tyler Boyd, John Ross, and Tee Higgins.

 

7. New York Jets

The Jamal Adams trade gives you a head start on a rebuild that includes a couple of extra first-round picks in future years, but the Jets finished 6-2 last season and could be a sneaky contender in Madden 21. If you don’t play well with Sam Darnold in the game, all the draft capital will allow you to target a quarterback in the draft at some point. There are user created draft classes available, so you could download one for quarterback prospects like Trevor Lawrence.

 

6. Miami Dolphins

Miami was able to land its franchise quarterback with Tua Tagovailoa, and they have one of the best secondaries in the league after adding Byron Jones during free agency. However, despite the promise of the franchise, there still appears to be a good amount of work to do for the overall roster, which will make the Dolphins a challenge to build into a championship team in Madden 21.

 

5. Washington Football Team

Earlier this year, there was some talk that Washington could be this year’s 49ers with a ferocious pass rush and defense that leads them into contention. You can try to pull that off yourself in Madden. The quarterback situation could be interesting with Alex Smith potentially available for the team, and the passing game looks like the clear weak spot for the Washington Football Team.

 

4. Carolina Panthers

In real life, the Panthers are set to undergo a huge makeover of the team that started this offseason. Gone is All-Pro linebacker Luke Kuechly and former league MVP Cam Newton, so Carolina has a chance to build a new identity under first-year head coach Matt Rhule. At the same time, the Panthers should be enjoyable to play with offensively, as Teddy Bridgewater can spread the ball around to Christian McCaffrey and a strong trio of receivers.

 

3. Jacksonville Jaguars

We’ll see what happens this season, but the Jaguars appear poised for a major overhaul of the organization after 2020. Jacksonville might be the least fun team to play with in the game this year, but they can offer a clean slate to build up.

 

2. Arizona Cardinals

The top two teams are basically emerging from rebuilds, and they have plenty of young talent that will be fun to play with in Madden 21. The Cardinals have a stacked offense with a offensive-minded Air Raid playbook under head coach Kliff Kingsbury; and the defense has star-quality players on all three levels, including major chess piece in versatile rookie linebacker/safety Isaiah Simmons. Arizona will be one of the funnest teams overall in the game, and they will be equally as fun in franchise mode.

 

1. New York Giants

The Giants are in a similar spot to the Cardinals. They have a second-year franchise quarterback in place, with young talent on both sides of the ball. But the Giants are built a little differently in that the offensive line is an area of strength—if you want to run the ball and play strong defense, they are a great choice. A main priority will be adding more pieces to the front seven along with the potent defensive line.