Lions DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson is not happy with his Madden rating

Madden 24 is releasing its player ratings this week in advance of their video game launch next month. It’s another meaningless way of ranking players that is sure to get people angry—especially the players themselves.

Enter: Detroit Lions defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson. He got his Madden rating on Monday and he’s not happy about it. Gardner-Johnson is an 84 overall, tied for just 19th among all safeties. He responded quickly on Twitter with a “Really madden” and a set of crying laughter emojis.

Now, just about every NFL player in history has complained about their Madden rating, but Gardner-Johnson has legitimate beef. Not only is Gardner-Johnson coming off a year in which he led all NFL players with six interceptions, but just a few days ago, a survey of NFL players, coaches, and personnel employees listed Gardner-Johnson as the eighth-best safety in the league.

But worry not, former NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson is on the case.

Note: As of 2020, Johnson started calling himself the Madden Ratings Adjuster. It’s unclear if he actually has any personal influence.

On Monday, the NFL also dropped ratings for NFL wide receivers, and another Lions player likely has beef with the list. Amon-Ra St. Brown got an 87 ranking, which tied him for 18th-best in the NFL. As of this publication, St. Brown hasn’t responded to the rating, but if we know anything about how he motivates himself, he’ll likely use this as another chip on his shoulder. In 2022, St. Brown finished seventh in receptions and 11th in receiving yards.

Here’s an overall look at the Lions Madden ratings revealed thus far.

Wide receivers:

• Amon-Ra St. Brown: 87
• Jameson Williams: 79
• Marvin Jones Jr.: 78
• Josh Reynolds: 75
• Kalif Raymond: 75
• Tom Kennedy: 69
• Trinity Benson: 67
• Antoine Green: 66
• Maurice Alexander: 63

Safeties:

• C.J. Gardner-Johnson: 84
• Kerby Joseph: 76
• Tracy Walker: 76
• Brian Branch: 75
• Ifeatu Melifonwu: 67
• Brady Breeze: 65
• Brandon Joseph: 64

You can see all of the Madden 24 ratings here.