Jaxon Smith-Njigba just maxed out the meter. The Seattle Seahawks wide receiver is now rated 99 overall in Madden NFL 27, EA Sports’ highest possible grade, after a 2025 season that ended with a Super Bowl ring and the NFL’s receiving yards crown.
The Seahawks broke the news themselves Monday night, posting a Madden-style graphic of Smith-Njigba with the caption “Maximum OVR unlocked” on X. It capped off a launch week that had already confirmed the number through EA’s own ratings database and several outlets covering the game.
Maximum OVR unlocked 🔓 pic.twitter.com/5slwOWisLj
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) July 28, 2026
Smith-Njigba’s jump is steep by Madden standards. According to Heavy.com, EA had him at 95 overall in Madden NFL 26. Four points later, he’s sitting at the franchise ceiling — a climb that usually takes a signature season to justify. He provided one.
The Numbers Behind the Rating
Smith-Njigba led the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards in 2025. He also set Seahawks single-season records with 119 catches and those same 1,793 yards, adding 10 touchdowns and a first-team All-Pro nod along the way, according to Heavy.com. Seattle rode that production to a win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX.
| Category | 2025 Season |
|---|---|
| Receptions | 119 (Seahawks franchise record) |
| Receiving Yards | 1,793 (NFL-leading, franchise record) |
| Touchdowns | 10 |
| Awards | AP Offensive Player of the Year, First-Team All-Pro |
| Madden NFL 26 Rating | 95 overall |
| Madden NFL 27 Rating | 99 overall |
Those numbers were enough to make him the Associated Press Offensive Player of the Year. They were also enough, apparently, to make EA’s ratings committee comfortable putting him alongside the game’s most decorated names.
Who Else Made the 99 Club
Smith-Njigba isn’t the only player entering the season maxed out. He’s one of six names in Madden NFL 27’s launch 99 Club, joining Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen, Cincinnati receiver Ja’Marr Chase, Arizona tight end Trey McBride, and now-Rams teammates Matthew Stafford and Myles Garrett, per Seahawks.com.
- Josh Allen — QB, Buffalo Bills
- Ja’Marr Chase — WR, Cincinnati Bengals
- Myles Garrett — Edge, Los Angeles Rams
- Trey McBride — TE, Arizona Cardinals
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba — WR, Seattle Seahawks
- Matthew Stafford — QB, Los Angeles Rams
It’s rare air for a Seahawk. Seahawks.com writer Ari Horton notes that Smith-Njigba is just the fourth player in franchise history to open a Madden cycle at 99 overall, following left tackle Walter Jones (Madden 07), cornerback Richard Sherman (Madden 15) and linebacker Bobby Wagner (Madden 20). Russell Wilson got there too, but not until a midseason bump in 2021 pushed him up from a 97.
What It Means Beyond the Video Game
A Madden rating doesn’t move the win column, but it says something about where the league now places Smith-Njigba. He’s not just a good receiver anymore — he’s being rated with the same grade as the reigning MVP and the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. That’s the kind of company EA reserves for players it considers close to unguardable.
Smith-Njigba, for his part, isn’t treating last season as a finish line. Speaking at Seahawks training camp, he made clear he wants this year to look different, not just repeat itself. “It wasn’t that long ago,” he said of the Super Bowl run, according to Seahawks.com. “It’s going to be a new story but we want to create a new story with this upcoming season.”
He also pointed to continuity with quarterback Sam Darnold as a reason he expects to keep climbing. “I always say I can get better in all areas,” he said. “Year 2 with Sam Darnold and the receiver corps we have. Our group taking another step as we go into a new year is something special.”
Camp is buzzing in Seattle right now, with players and coaches openly talking about carrying Super Bowl momentum into a new season rather than settling for it. A 99 overall doesn’t guarantee any of that continues. It just confirms the bar Smith-Njigba set last year was real enough for a video game to notice.
