Another Madden is just around the corner, and with any new annual release, it’s time for fans’ minds to wander down paths of all the fun things EA could do with the game that they almost certainly won’t. One idea that feels like an absolute no-brainer is copying the NBA 2K series’ Eras system, in which you can start at several preset years in NBA history, with realistic draft classes, rule changes, and league changes as the seasons progress.
Getting a chance to guide your team through the real decades would be a delight, so here are the eras we’d love to see in Madden to get in control of our favorite teams for.
Pre-Merger Era
Just because anyone old enough to be alive for it is enjoying AARP benefits doesn’t change the fact there was once a time when the Cleveland Browns were a winning football team. While taking things back to the days of leather helmets and sweaters may not be in the cards, bringing things to before the merger would allow fans to try their hands at piloting some legends of the game who never made it to a unified NFL.
Super Bowl Era
The most obvious place to start a new career mode is with the rollout of the Super Bowl at the end of the 1966 season. Will you take control of a team in the powerhouse NFL and try to win the more challenging league, or do you prefer the challenge of trying to beat the Jets to the punch and get the AFL their first Super Bowl Champion in one of the first two seasons? Whichever you choose, how do you react to the combination of the leagues? Either way, it would be a blast.
Steel Curtain Era
The 70s belonged to the Steelers and their punishing defense, but it was also a period which saw rules changes that benefited offenses, with restrictions on defensive contact opening up the passing game. Dropping players into the middle of the 70s would task them with the challenge of managing a team before and after the change to the aerial game for a fun twist in an era with some all-time legends to enjoy playing as.
Golden Draft Class Era
If the NFL was primed to enter a world where passing was critical, then the 1983 class was as well timed as you could ask for, with six first round picks, including a trio of men who’d find themselves high on the list of all time greatest QBs with John Elway, Jim Kelly and Dan Marino all available. If you miss out in your first year, there’s still a chance to lock things down the next year, too, as Boomer Esiason comes along in 1984. You can have fun rebuilding around one of these studs, or test your defensive chops at keeping all three’s hands off the Lombardi trophy. Whatever path you choose, if you don’t opt for San Francisco, you’ll also have that juggernaut waiting to make your life hard to look forward to.
75th Anniversary Era
The NFL turned 75 in 1994 and blew things out in celebration, making it an easy choice for a pickup point. The game would pick up in the midst of the Cowboys’ and 49ers’ early-90s rivalry, as well as the final season of the Bills’ unprecedented run of four consecutive Super Bowl losses. Players could try being the saviors of upstate New York, continuing the run of one of the dominant sides, or a completely new challenge of breaking up the elite with a surprising side. For something completely different, you can take over in Detroit and try to stop them from wasting their first of two generational skill position players by getting Barry Sanders to the big game.
New Millennium Era
The turn of the Millennium saw the dawn of the greatest dynasty in post-merger history in the New England Patriots. In 2003, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning were in the early phase of their decade-plus battle to be named the greatest to ever do it, while a shakeup was on the horizon with the arrival of the 2004 draft class and its three Hall of Fame Quarterbacks. Across the ball, the dominant Ravens defense was just powering up to kick off the savage Ravens-Steelers rivalry. The era potentially most responsible for the move into the modern NFL we know, this is a great place to start your career run.
Nearly Perfect Era
The 2007 New England Patriots offer perhaps the most terrifying duo in NFL history, with Tom Brady connecting with Randy Moss for touchdowns seemingly at will. The connection was enough to carry the Patriots all the way to the Super Bowl undefeated, only to, for the first of two times, fall to a much less talented Giants team that was the better team the one time it mattered. Despite this seeming dominance, this also marked the second year in a period of relative parity, with only those Giants repeating in the nine-year span, as the Colts, Steelers, Saints, Packers, Ravens, Seahawks, Patriots, and Broncos each got only one win in that time.
Mahomes Era
The arrival of the new best player to ever play the most important position in sports is a no-brainer selection for a modern era start point. Not only does it give players the chance to take or take on Mahomes, but it also signals an incoming glut of superstar quarterbacks in the years ahead as Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, and more join in the next few seasons. Shutting them down are some of the most dominant defensive players ever, with players like Aaron Donald available to cause havoc for opposing offenses.
While MyEras will likely remain a pipe dream for Madden players, it’s clear that should EA decide to implement a similar feature they would be spoiled for choice with eras to include as potential starting points. Where would you most want to start your career mode? Is it one of the eras on our list or another time altogether?
