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CINCINNATI, OHIO – NOVEMBER 03: Ja’Marr Chase #1of the Cincinnati Bengals against the Las Vegas Raiders at Paycor Stadium on November 03, 2024 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Ja’Marr Chase has accomplished something that no Cincinnati Bengals player has done before.
With Madden 26’s full player ratings now public, Chase was officially revealed as a 99 overall — making him the first in franchise history to join EA Sports’ exclusive “99 Club.”
Fittingly enough, it was Bengals legend and Madden Ratings Adjuster Chad Johnson who surprised Chase with the news in a reveal video released by the team on Monday.
Chase’s inclusion in the club follows a historic 2024-25 NFL season, during which he led the league in receptions (127), receiving yards (1,708) and touchdowns (17), becoming the sixth receiver since the 1970 merger to win the “triple crown.”
“I think I caught my rating,” Chase said in the video. “I called Chad right away and I told him this was the wrong rating. It wasn’t a 99.”
Chase earned AP First-Team All-Pro honors last season, and won the FedEx Air & Ground Player of the Year at the 2025 NFL Honors. Even so, his absence from the game’s initial 99 ratings list caused a stir.
A Season That Couldn’t Be Ignored
After initially learning that Chase was not initially among the players receiving a 99 rating, Chase reached out to Johnson directly.
“If he doesn’t [fix it], I’m going to be mad at him,” Chase joked last week at training camp.
Obviously it didn’t come to that.
“Yo Uno,” Johnson said on the call. “Listen, remember I said you weren’t a 99, and I said I’d bump you up after your first touchdown? About that, I had to play it cool, baby. Can’t let you get too comfortable out the gate. But the people upstairs at Madden, I went up there and talked to them, right? They’ve been watching you. I’ve been watching you. You hear me? We saw what you did last year: Triple-crown, 1,700+ yards, 17 touchdowns, 127 receptions. We all know what you can do. So I’m here to tell you, you’re already there. You’ve arrived. The 99 club. Right now. My boy, welcome to greatness.”
The Bengals wideout was rightfully added to a ’26 list that now includes Saquon Barkley, Justin Jefferson, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Myles Garrett and Lane Johnson.
Ready To Prove 99 Rating Ahead of Fifth Bengals Campaign
Now under contract through 2029 thanks to a massive four-year extension signed this offseason, Chase enters the 2025-26 Bengals season with a unique blend of stability and motivation. He’s fully healthy, and so is Joe Burrow — and so is Tee Higgins.
That’s something Bengals fans haven’t truly experienced to begin a new year, but it’s also something they can get used to.
Madden 26 drops Thursday, August 14, but for Chase and his Bengals teammates showing the love — the celebration has started.
Derek Hryn Derek Hryn is a writer for Heavy.com. He has extensive experience covering the NFL, NBA, MLB, NCAA football and basketball, along with providing expert fantasy football analysis for DraftKings and SB Nation. His work has been featured at Sports Illustrated, USA Today, NBC Sports, The New York Post, and others. More about Derek Hryn
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