Madden 23focused on improving some aspects of its franchise mode due to an overwhelming amount of player feedback. Fans have complained for years thatMaddenandEA shifted focusto the monetarily profitable Ultimate Team mode and left the franchise mode to suffer.
RELATED:Madden 23: Best Defensive Cards In Ultimate Team
As the NFL’s only simulation video game, the player base deserves a franchise mode worth playing. There’s nothing like taking a low overall team in the process of rebuilding and turning them into a real contender. InMadden 23, there happens to be a collection of teams with potential that simply need a guiding hand to reach excellence.
Updated July 05, 2025 by Jerrad Wyche:Every NFL season begins with pure optimism from all 32 fan bases that their team has a chance to compete, or at the very least make a playoff push. By December of that year, it becomes clear what the future of certain franchises looks like and fans begin to look toward the offseason.
Whenever a professional sports team decides to rebuild it takes patience from fans to see the vision, but in video games like Madden 23, they can take matters into their own hands.
12Jacksonville Jaguars
Taking control of a team with a quarterback as talented and promising as Trevor Lawrence seems like a no-brainer. Sure the salary cap situation is a bit iffy with the contract they gave out to wide receiver Christian Kirk, but the team has an up-and-coming defense and enough weapons around Lawrence to make steady improvements.
Tight end is a positionof weakness, but that can be solved in a myriad of ways. Having the pairing of Travis Etienne and James Robinson at running back also provides offensive adaptability when it comes to needing either a short-yardage or dynamic receiving option out of the backfield.
11Detroit Lions
Now, the Detroit Lions barely make the cut because, in many ways, they’re just a few pieces from being a true contender in the NFC conference in the NFL. Anyone who decides to take over the teaminMadden 23’s franchise modewill need to set their eyes on the quarterback position and the back seven of the defense.
Looking at the Lions roster, they have weapons on offense and arguably a Top 5 or 10 unit when it comes to the offensive line. The fans of the Lions deserve some happiness, and being able to build the team into an annual contender feels as easy as it ever has for a team that’s perennially picked near the top of the NFL draft for as long as anyone can remember.
10New York Giants
New York Giants fans are optimistic that new head coach Brian Daboll will bring some of the success he saw as offensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills over to another blue and red team. The reality is that Daniel Jones seems to not be the long-term answer at quarterback, Saquon Barkley hasn’t been able to stay healthy through no fault of his own, and they’re rostering one of the more disappointing receivers in the NFL in Kenny Golladay.
All that aside, the team is full of talent and simply needs a few course corrections to be competitive in one of the more inconsistent divisions in the NFL.
9Pittsburgh Steelers
Mike Tomlin, the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, manages to take average rosters and turn them into game-winning teams. The 2022 season will likely be his toughest as the Steelers have moved on from their Hall of Fame quarterback and have what looks to be a bottom-five offensive line unit.
Maddenplayers can decide to start rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett from the beginning of the season, and then turn their eyes toward building an offensive line through trades, free agency, and the NFL draft. In order to turn the defensive unit into the Steel Curtain once again, the linebacker and cornerback units will also need to see some upgrades.
8Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders have plenty of issues off the field in regard to their ownership, so taking over the team inMadden 23’s franchise mode will feel like doing the rest of the NFL a huge favor. As a team with plenty of talent, the Commanders suffer from typical issues that result in a lack of success.
RELATED:Madden 23: Best Offensive Cards In Ultimate Team
They have yet to find a franchise quarterback, though rookie quarterback Sam Howell could blossom into that. The other strange thing with their roster is that, despite their head coach beinga successful linebacker in the leaguehimself, they have yet to find a guy that can command that unit in a way that portrays excellence.
7Atlanta Falcons
Luckily anyone who picks the Atlanta Falcons inMadden 23isn’t subject to the wild year-long suspension wide receiver Calvin Ridley was given. This means that the team has a decent amount of weapons on offense. Outside of figuring out if Marcus Mariota or rookie Desmond Ridder is the answer at quarterback, the toughest task for anyone using the Falcons in franchise mode is putting together a defense that can stop other teams.
There are some good young pieces on the defensive line, and AJ Terrell and Grady Jarrett are outstanding at their given positions. That said, the Falcons have not put together a solid entire unit in decades, butMaddenplayers can change that.
6Seattle Seahawks
The idea of using Geno Smith or Drew Lock atquarterback inMadden 23doesn’t drive excitement. That being said, the idea of getting to throw to Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf on offense does. Finding a franchise quarterback isn’t easy, but the Seattle Seahawks, thanks to the Denver Broncos trade, have plenty of ammunition to move in the draft for a guy at the position.
It’s a team with a lot of holes, but that fanbase in the Pacific Northwest has proven that if they have a competitor on the field, it’s hard to find a place as loud and intimidating as the 12th man they display at every home game.
5Los Angeles Rams
It’s amazing how quickly things can collapse for a team in the NFL. The league’s rules showcase how and why it sees some of the best parity year-over-year in all of the professional sports. The Los Angeles Rams are coming off a Super Bowl victory and this year it was made clear just how unbalanced their roster is.
Sure, it has stars like Aaron Donald and Cooper Kupp that happen to be arguably the best at their position, but the team lacks zero depth and its best players are getting old by NFL standards. Taking the reigns of this franchise won’t be easy as they’re strapped for cash and lack assets, but players looking for a challenge will find this quite interesting. It does help that they happen to play in one of the cooler stadiums the league has to offer.
4New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are an interesting landing spot for anyone looking to start a rebuild in franchise mode. The lack of a quarterback and the cap salary make the Saints one of thebest teams to rebuild inMadden 23. The roster overall is fine, but the cap situation will force players into making creative decisions and might lead to the need to trade great players simply to float above water in terms of the money situation.
RELATED:Madden 23: Sophomore Breakout Candidates Who Will Outperform Their Ratings
The Saints play in a very winnable division, that becomes even more obtainable the moment Tom Brady retires and/or leaves the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Anyone choosing them must understand it will be like puttingMadden 23on hard mode, which may be extremely enticing for certain types of people.
3Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are an interesting team because their roster isn’t terrible and has plenty of promising youth on both sides of the ball. Some might argue solid and consistent play from the quarterback position could turn this middle-of-the-road team into a playoff team. It’s clear by now that the quarterback of the future isn’t on the roster, though the jury is still out on injured rookie Matt Corral.
The Panthers may be the best or at least one of the best teams to rebuild inMadden 23. An aggressive approach to finding the next quarterback of the future might involve trading future assets or defensive studs, but it’s a cheap price to pay for a potential franchise-altering move.
