The 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 acquire real players.

As The Athletic reported, a deal between the Jets and Denver Broncos to bring highly touted Jerry Jeudy to New York fell through when Johnson stepped in and said Jeudy’s player rating in Madden NFL was too low.

The deal had otherwise gone well, but fell through due to Johnson’s decision. Jeudy was instead traded to the Cleveland Browns and is having a strong season, surpassing the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the first time in his career.

This wasn’t the only time Johnson cited Madden ratings, as he was reportedly unwilling to sign free-agent guard John Simpson. This case was a bit more specific, with Johnson citing poor awareness ratings for his video game version.

Madden NFL is the annual American football video game series that is forever popular but is becoming increasingly lackluster for some fans. The latest game received 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 make up for the same issues. which have not been addressed elsewhere.

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