New York Jets’ Owner Reportedly Used Madden NFL Video Game Ratings to Make Real Hiring Decisions

New York Jets owner Woody Johnson reportedly used Madden NFL video game ratings to make real world player acquisitions.

As reported by The Athletic, a deal between the Jets and the Denver Broncos, that would bring wide received Jerry Jeudy to New York, fell apart when Johnson stepped in to say Jeudy’s player rating in Madden NFL was too low.

The deal was otherwise good to go but fell apart based on Johnson’s decision. Jeudy was instead traded to the Cleveland Browns and is having a strong season, having crossed the 1,000 yard receiving mark for the first time in his career.

This wasn’t the only time Johnson cited Madden ratings either, as he was reportedly reluctant to sign free agent guard John Simpson. This instance was a little more specific, with Johnson pointing to a weak Awareness rating of his video game version.

Madden NFL is the annualized American football video game series that is forever but popular but increasingly lackluster for some fans. The latest earned just a 6/10 in our review, in which we said: “There are a lot of on-field improvements to like in Madden NFL 25, but most were long overdue, and they don’t offset all the same problems that weren’t addressed elsewhere.”

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.