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Jonas Sohns
Sports Games-August 16th 2023, 10:51 GMT+2
In Madden NFL 24, both Franchise and MUT are the most popular game modes. When diving into the franchise mode, it's highly recommended to begin with these particular teams.
The Madden NFL 24 Deluxe Edition has been released, the Standard Edition will follow on August 18. Traditionally, most online leagues start their first franchise season shortly thereafter. You should consider carefully beforehand with which franchise you want to embark on the long journey.
The same applies to the offline franchise mode, where you can play against the AI and develop your team at your own pace.
In this article, we show you the best and worst teams with which you will have the most fun in the franchise mode.
Madden NFL 24: Franchise Mode with New Features
The franchise mode in Madden NFL 24 gets some cool new features. Among other things, you can do a special training in the pre-season to improve your rookies. In addition, 14 new relocation cities have been added to the mode. However, German NFL fans are left out...
You can read about all the new features in the Madden NFL 24 franchise mode in detail here.
- Madden NFL 24: Top 100 Ratings
Franchise Mode Madden NFL 24: The Best and Worst Teams
Which franchises are the "best" for the career mode, ultimately, you have to decide for yourself. It depends on what scenario you want to play. For example, do you want to defend the Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs? Or, do you want to take vengeance for the Super Bowl loss with the Philadelphia Eagles? You want some personal investment in the "campaign" of the game.
For us personally, we think it's a bit boring to win the Super Bowl with an amazing team, which is why we recommend a challenge run with some of the worst teams in the NFL.
If you are not yet familiar with the NFL, that's not a problem at all. We'll explain why it's not a big deal to start with the worst team in the franchise mode. Compared to many other sports, there is great parity in the NFL. This means that there is a salary cap, which stipulates that each team can spend a maximum amount on player salaries. This means that a team cannot keep all their superstars for multiple years because the budget won't allow it.
Because of this relative parity, it's always possible to win, even with the absolute worst team. So it's not bad at all if you play as an underdog in the franchise mode.
Madden NFL 24 Franchise: Underdogs
We'll show you what we think are the three worst franchises in the NFL right now, which you should lead to win the Super Bowl as an underdog.
Arizona Cardinals
One of them would be the Arizona Cardinals, who are currently the leading candidate for the number 1 pick in the 2024 draft. Their quarterback, Kyler Murray, is still recovering from an ACL injury, so he will miss the first few games of the season. Murray is not a bad QB, but there are other franchises with much worse QBs.
However, the rest of the roster is a disaster. The defensive line is probably the worst in the league, so you will hardly be able to put pressure on the opposing QB, and opponents can easily beat you with the running game.With a 72 OVR, the Cardinals are the second-worst team in Madden NFL 24. You have a lot of work ahead of you.
But Arizona has some upside: Due to the trade with the Houston Texans, the Cards have two first-round picks in 2024. This provides a superb foundation for you to acquire young talent and develop your team.
| Arizona Cardinals | |
| OVR | 72 |
| Best Players | QB Kyler Murray, FS Budda Baker, WR Marquise Brown |
| Draft Picks | 2024 1st Round, 2024 1st Round (via Texans)2024 2nd Round,2024 3rd Round, 2024 3rd Round (via Titans) |
| Cap Space 2023 | approx. $24,000,000 |
| Cap Space 2024 | approx. $44,700,000 |
The NFC West is also one of the best divisions in the NFL, especially the San Francisco 49ers are among the favorites for the Super Bowl. The Seattle Seahawks have a bunch of young talented players. Only the Los Angeles Rams might be beatable for the Cardinals.
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans have been in rebuild mode for two years already, and in Madden NFL 24, they are the worst team. In the last draft, they picked C.J. Stroud as their franchise QB.
Then came a trade with the Arizona Cardinals to get the best defender in the draft: Will Anderson Jr. So there is a solid foundation in premium positions to become a successful franchise in the coming years.
| Houston Texans | |
| OVR | 71 |
| Best Players | LT Laremy Tunsil, FS Jimmie Ward, LE Will Anderson Jr. |
| Best Draft Picks | 2024 1st Round (via Browns)2024 2nd Round,2024 3rd Round (via Eagles) |
| Cap Space 2023 | approx. $14,111,000 |
| Cap Space 2024 | approx. $86,180,000 |
The AFC South is probably the weakest division in the NFL, so there are good chances for the Texans to make it to the playoffs. In 2024, the team has the highest cap space of all franchises, so you can be really active in the free-agent market.
New Orleans Saints: The Ultimate Challenge
The Saints are a very special case because they always see themselves in a competitive time window. You'll be taken aback when you see the cap space for 2024. So you have no choice but to let all your top players go and completely rebuild the team.You won't have all the picks available because the Saints traded with the Eagles in 2022 Pre-Draft. You are facing a difficult upheaval, but it will be a lot of fun if you are looking for the ultimate challenge in the Madden NFL 24 franchise mode.
| New Orleans Saints | |
| OVR | 76 |
| Best Players | FS Tyrann Mathieu, CB Marshon Lattimore, WR Chris Olave |
| Best Draft Picks | 2024 1st Round |
| Cap Space 2023 | approx. $11,150,000 |
| Cap Space 2024 | approx. -$78,890,000 |
The Saints have a competitive team for 2023, artificially kept alive because many bonuses were written into the books for the coming years. As a result, the cap space for 2024 is catastrophic. Moreover, many of the superstars are already 30 years or older, so you can expect significant rating regressions. Have fun with the Saints!
Back to Former Glory: Best Teams For Franchise Mode
Do you want to lead your favorite team back to the success of the past days? Then franchises like the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, or Pittsburgh Steelers are just right for you! These are the best teams.
New England Patriots
After the departure of the greatest NFL player of all time, Tom Brady, the New England Patriots had to reinvent themselves. They drafted Mac Jones, who played a decent rookie season but didn't develop further afterward.One reason for this was certainly also the fact that the Patriots didn't have an offensive coordinator. Now it's your turn: Can you lead the Patriots to a Super Bowl victory without Tom Brady?
| New England Patriots | |
| OVR | 79 |
| Best Players | LOLB Matthew Judon, SS Kyle Dugger, CB Christian Gonzalez |
| Best Draft Picks | 2024 1st Round,2024 2nd Round,2024 3rd Round |
| Cap Space 2023 | approx. $13,200,000 |
| Cap Space 2024 | approx. $80,200,000 |
The Patriots have a top-10 defense in the NFL – in return, you will need to significantly improve the rather weak offense. Here, there is a lack of playmakers that you should snatch in the draft. With a cap space of approximately $80 million in 2024, you can also address the weaknesses in the free agency.
Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks have corrected what they ruined with the Jamaal Adams trade with the Russel Wilson trade. The transition from Wilson to Geno Smith went quite well, and they were able to win the best wide receiver in the draft, Jaxon Smith-Njigba.Can you play with the beloved franchise and build a new Legion of Boom?
| Seattle Seahawks | |
| OVR | 76 |
| Best Players | WR D.K. Metcalf, RB Kenneth Walker III, CB Tariq Woolen |
| Best Draft Picks | 2024 1st Round 2024 2nd Round, 2024 3rd Round, 2024 3rd Round (via Broncos) |
| Cap Space 2023 | approx. $6,600,000 |
| Cap Space 2024 | approx. -$6,400,000 |
As you can see, the Seahawks have a lot of young talent in their ranks, but there is hardly any cap space left for the coming years. On the contrary, as of now, you will have to part ways with some players in 2024. So you need to manage well to keep as many good players as possible.
The Best Teams in Madden NFL 24
If you just want to play one season where you are directly the favorite for the Super Bowl, then we have the three best teams in the NFL for you. But also, stand your ground and stick with the franchise when your cap space runs out and the Super Bowl window closes.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs are the reigning Super Bowl champions, and they have the best quarterback in the league in Patrick Mahomes, who is bound to the franchise for years to come. The Kansas City Chiefs have the highest rating of all NFL teams, but they have only little cap space available.
| Kansas City Chiefs | |
| OVR | 92 |
| Best Players | QB Patrick Mahomes, TE Travis Kelce, DT Chris Jones |
| Best Draft Picks | 2024 1st Round,2024 2nd Round, 2024 3rd Round |
| Cap Space 2023 | approx. $86,000 |
| Cap Space 2024 | approx. $35,000,000 |
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles have a really interesting team with an aspiring young quarterback in Jalen Hurts. You should make good use of the time when the fat new contract of Hurts is not yet in the books. In the NFC, the Eagles are clear favorites for the title.
Compared to the other top franchises, the Eagles have managed their resources really well and collected valuable picks for the future. In the 2023 draft, they were able to secure two first-round talents.
| Philadelphia Eagles | |
| OVR | 91 |
| Best Players | QB Jalen Hurts, WR A.J. Brown, CB Darius Slay |
| Best Draft Picks | 2024 1st Round, 2024 2nd Round, 2024 2nd Round (via Saints) |
| Cap Space 2023 | approx. $10,000,000 |
| Cap Space 2024 | approx. $7,600,000 |
Buffalo Bills
The Bills have been among the favorites for the Super Bowl for several years, but in the AFC, they have to deal with top teams like the Kansas City Chiefs or Cincinnati Bengals. Buffalo has a 90 rating, and Cover Star Josh Allen contributes to that as well.From the cap space for 2024, you can see that the Bills are in a win-now mode. For example, you won't be able to extend the contract of X-Factor Tremaine Edmunds, which will result in a considerable regression of the defense. The next few years are your last chance to get the Super Bowl with Buffalo.
| Buffalo Bills | |
| OVR | 90 |
| Best Players | QB Josh Allen, WR Stefon Diggs, LE Jerry Hughes |
| Best Draft Picks | 2024 1st Round, 2024 2nd Round, 2024 3rd Round (via Cowboys) |
| Cap Space 2023 | approx. $3,000,000 |
| Cap Space 2024 | approx. $4,500,000 |
Conclusion
That's it with the best and worst teams in the Madden NFL 24 franchise mode. As already mentioned, a team can quickly become the best franchise.In the end, it depends on your preference and the challenge you want to face. If you're not sure yet, you can check out the best offensive playbooks in Madden NFL 24.
Maybe the decision is a bit easier for you then.
Have fun and success in the Madden NFL 24 franchise mode!
Jonas Sohns
Content Creator for Sports Games & FIFA. Jonas studied sports journalism in Munich and has been working for EarlyGame since 2021. His favorite games are FIFA, Madden NFL and Formula 1....
