Pat Surtain II not named as one of seven players in Madden NFL 26’s 99 overall club

Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II did not receive a 99 overall rating in EA Sports' Madden NFL 26 after his Defensive Player of the Year campaign last season

BY TRENT FINNEGAN

Jul 29, 2025, 11:44 AM

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EA Sports has shown that they aren’t the biggest friends of the Denver Broncos leading up to the release of Madden NFL 26 with their low rating of the team from the Mile High City. That sentiment was proved even more this week, as they didn’t include Pat Surtain II in the game’s 99 Club, a group of players who receive the highest-possible ranking in the game on release.

Surtain, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, has done plenty to be in this exclusive group, but the game developers decided to give the nod to Cleveland’s Myles Garrett as the only defensive player in the group. Garrett is joined by Saquon Barkley, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Lane Johnson, Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase.

Introducing your official #Madden26 99 Club Class!

Sundays Start Early! 7 Days Early Access Begins 8/7*.
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— Madden NFL 26 (@EAMaddenNFL) July 28, 2025

The 99 Club has officially been around since Madden NFL 20, and the Broncos are still yet to have a player to join that specific club. In the game’s history, which dates back to the late 1990s, Denver has only had four players make the mark. Mark Schlereth and Neil Smith both got the nod in Madden NFL 99, while Champ Bailey (’05, ’07, ’08) and Von Miller (’17, ’18, ’19) each received the honor three times. Shannon Sharpe was a part of the rare 100 Club in Madden NFL 99, an honor that EA stopped handing out after just two seasons.

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders is the only player in the history of the game to be a 100 overall multiple times.

The 25-year-old Surtain is heading into his fifth year in the NFL with the Broncos after improving in each of his first four seasons in the Mile High City. While the stat sheet might not reflect it, as he had a career-low in total tackles last season, the tape does. Cornerbacks can’t be judged on the stats alone, because a guy who is on the field as much as Surtain and doesn’t put up out-of-this-world stats shows that he doesn’t get much action from opposing offenses. His 45 tackles were by far a career-low, but his four interceptions were tied for a career-best.

This isn’t the first time this month that Surtain’s been disrespected, as he was ranked as the 27th-best player in the NFL by PFF recently, despite winning DPOY. There were nine defensive players ahead of him on that list.

However, he was named as the best cornerback in the league by NFL scouts, coaches and executives, but every other platform has made sure to snub him in some way, shape or form. That’s the ranking that matters the most, as it comes from people actually in the league who see the ins and outs of the game every single day.

Madden 26 is scheduled to release to the public on Aug. 14, with the game coming out on Aug. 11 for people who pay a higher price tag when they pre-order the game. Surtain will likely be the best player on the Broncos’ roster, but not good enough to be rated in the exclusive 99 Club.