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Madden NFL 23 outlines new Franchise features

Changes to Free Agency and contract negotiations highlight the new features in Madden NFL 23's Franchise mode.

Donovan Erskine

July 15, 2022 8:40 AM

EA Sports

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Franchise Mode is a Madden NFL series staple. Allowing players to build and manage their own team throughout multiple seasons, Franchise Mode will once again return in Madden NFL 23. Ahead of the game’s launch, EA sports has provided an overview of the new changes that players can expect to see in the latest iteration of Franchise, including revamps to Free Agency, contract negotiations, and player progression.

A recently released Gridiron Notes was all about Franchise Mode in Madden NFL 23. Here, the developer outlined a handful of new changes in the upcoming football sim. First up is Free Agency. Now, new factors will go into determining where players decide to sign as a free agent, in addition to money offered. This includes teams close to their hometown, teams with Franchise QBs, Super Bowl Chase, and several more. The new Active Negotiations mechanic also means that players will have a limited number of possible offers they can give out, with that number expanding as the Free Agency period goes on.

Madden NFL 23 also adds Rollover Cap, meaning that unused cap space will now carry onto the next season, allowing players to make long-term financial plans for their organization.

In addition to player motivations, Franchise Mode is also adding new player tags. These tags determine the player’s decision-making, as well as how other teams handle them. For example, a player that wins a yearly award will receive the Award Winner trait. Players with this trait will be more sought-after in Free Agency and harder to acquire. There’s also the Mentor tag, which will grant an XP bonus to other players on the team at the same position during weekly training.

EA Sports also boasts some improvements to player scouting. One of the key improvements is that when you scout a player in Madden NFL 23, the game will reveal the traits relevant to their position first, instead of randomly like in previous games.

Madden NFL 23 is set to arrive this August, just ahead of the start of the 2022 NFL season. We got to play in a recent Closed Beta for the game, where we got to check out some of the new gameplay changes. For more Madden NFL 23 news, stick with Shacknews.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_