Madden NFL 24 Adds 99 Overall Pat McAfee
Madden NFL 24 celebrates April Fool's Day with 99 OVR Pat McAfee.
Many video game developers use April Fool's Day to have fun with their audience by dropping a prank. However, sometimes developers take things a step further and actually put something new into their game, providing them with a new mode to play or character to try out. These are still jokes, but by taking that extra step, the developer earns goodwill. Madden NFL 24 has taken the latter path and given players in Madden Ultimate Team a new 99 OVR card just for logging into MUT. Of course, it's not just any 99 OVR card. Madden NFL 24 players can pick up a free Pat McAfee card to use at middle linebacker.
Madden Ultimate Team Pat McAfee 99 Overall
One of the hardest hitting punters in NFL history is receiving a middle linebacker item 💥
— Madden Ultimate Team (@EASPORTS_MUT) March 31, 2024
Log in to Ultimate Team tomorrow to receive 99 OVR @PatMcAfeeShow #ForTheBrand x #Madden24 pic.twitter.com/V5JGpwO6pF
Now, football fans who aren't familiar with McAfee's career might not realize why this is an unusual card for Madden NFL 24 to add. The player-turned-personality made his bones as a punter in the NFL but was well-known for delivering hard hits on returners. McAfee only has 21 career tackles over his eight seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, but he made them all count, often saving touchdowns with his bone-crunching stops. So, while McAfee getting an MLB card in MUT is undoubtedly a fun joke from EA, he also has some credentials to back it up.
It's not all good news for MUT fans though. McAfee's 99 OVR card will only hold that rating until April 4th. At that point, the card will downgrade to 91 OVR. That's obviously not nearly the same player, but it's definitely not bad for a freebie. Plus, you get at least a few days of McAfee at his absolute best. It's also possible EA might decide to boost McAfee's rating back up later in the year when there are more 99 OVR players in MUT.
What Else is Coming to Madden NFL 24?
The McAfee April Fool's Day card isn't the only big of new content in MUT today. EA also dropped a new AKA Crews set with the Manning Brothers. Eli and Peyton Manning are among the best brothers to ever play in the NFL, with Peyton going down as one of the best QBs in NFL history and Eli winning two rings with the New York Giants. Even with all of the accolades between them, they were only able to grab 98 OVR ratings from this drop, though that has more to do with MUT's power curve than an indictment on the brothers. Alongside the two brothers, a 99 OVR version of cornerback Denzel Ward has been released, and the Madden team has plans to add even more content later this week.
Madden NFL 24 is available now on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC platforms. Remember, we usually start to hear more about the next Madden in May or June, so expect to see EA start rolling out the hype machine for Madden NFL 25 in the next month or two.