Madden 23: Easiest Players to Trade for in Franchise Mode - Outsider Gaming (2024)

One of the most appealing aspects of playing sports games is taking over a franchise and building the roster that you desire. Some games make it difficult to stack your team via trade while others allow forced trades so you can have a virtual All-Star or All-Pro team. Madden 23’s AI for trades is somewhere in the middle, but as will be discussed, it isn’t the most stringent.

Below, you will find the easiest players to trade for and a big hint: they’re all four members of the 99 Club. There will also be tips, and following this guide should allow you to trade for literally any player in Madden 23’s franchise mode.

Trading for the best overall players in Madden 23

In Madden 23, it’s possible to easily trade for each of the four members of the 99 Club – and thus, every player thereafter. All it takes is, well, continue reading.

The 99 Club members are listed in alphabetical order by last name.

1. Davante Adams (99 OVR)

Team: Las Vegas Raiders
Position: Wide Receiver
Offer: 2023 First Round Draft Pick

The only skill position player in the 99 Club in Madden 23, Davante Adams – now a Raider – can take any team from hopeful to Super Bowl contender. The expectations for Las Vegas are high this year after adding Adams, and that’s in what will likely be the toughest division during the 2022 season, the AFC West. An offer of a 2023 first rounder will net you the elite receiver.

Adams will immediately help your ballclub, particularly if you’re controlling a team with a quarterback in the bottom 15 of starters (New York – both, Houston, Seattle, etc.). Adding him to a top team will just make you that much stronger. The talented and speedy receiver is sure to run right past defenders on your team.

2. Aaron Donald (99 OVR)

Team: Los Angeles Rams
Position: Right End
Offer: QB Jimmy Garoppolo (77 OVR)

Thought of by many experts as the best interior defensive lineman to ever play the game, Aaron Donald maintained his run of 99 Club inclusions in 23 and is unlikely to see a drop until he retires – which may be soon if the offseason was a hint.

As San Francisco, you can acquire Donald from division rival Los Angeles by offering up quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (77 OVR). In fact, Garoppolo will be accepted by virtually every team for any player straight up in Madden 23 (read more below on offering up quarterbacks). While San Francisco already has a great defense, any team would jump at the chance to add Donald, and to turn him on your rival and his former team is just that much sweeter.

For other teams, offer up a quarterback of around 75 OVR or, as with Adams and the other 99 Club members, a 2023 first rounder. If using Miami and you know who you want as your starter, offer up either Tua Tagovailoa or Teddy Bridgewater straight up to net any player.

3. Myles Garrett (99 OVR)

Team: Cleveland Browns
Position: Right End
Offer: 2023 First Round Draft Pick

The other listed right end in Madden 23 who is a member of the 99 Club, Cleveland’s Myles Garrett wreaks havoc off of the edge. The speedy edge rusher is perfect for schemes that seek to use the ends as backfield disruptors, and as with Donald, adding Garrett to any defense is a boon. You should be able to trade for Garrett by offering up a 2023 first rounder.

Garrett will be a huge addition to any defense that lacks both rush ability and speed in the front seven. It may be ideal to trade for Garrett if you’re controlling one of the lower-rated teams like either New York team, Jacksonville, or Detroit.

4. Trent Williams (99 OVR)

Team: San Francisco 49ers
Position: Left Tackle
Offer: 2023 First Round Draft Pick

The first offensive lineman to be a part of the 99 Club – but not the first lineman rated 99 OVR in Madden’s history – Trent Williams is one of the best left tackles of the past 15 years, really in the time since the retirements of Walter Jones and Jonathan Ogden. Like the others, you can trade for Williams by offering up a 2023 first rounder.

If you have a right-handed quarterback, which is most of the league, adding Williams will help protect their non-throwing side. If you have a lefty, then he will be a wall to the throwing side of your quarterback, and his agility and speed make him ideal at pulling on tosses and rollouts.

Tips for trading in Madden 23

There are a few things to keep in mind when deciding on trade offers in Madden 23. Some are obvious – cap space, depth, etc. – but others are a bit more specific to the Madden franchise AI.

Remember to enable trades for only you (Human) or for all to also enable CPU teams to make trades and offers.

1. Check your franchise main screen for trade offers in Madden 23

If a team makes a trade offer to you, you will be notified on your main screen of a Trade Offer. In the above run with Dallas, a trade offer was waiting as soon as franchise mode began in preseason Week 1. Click Review Offer to see what a team or teams has offered for that player. For Malik Reed, six teams offered deals, for example.

Trades, overall and especially during the season, have been rare in the NFL. However, don’t be surprised to see a high number of trade offers for your players, particularly if you’re controlling one of the top teams.

2. Pay attention to the trade block, updating your own

The trade block is the best place to see the players being offered up for trades, leading to a more likely trade between the teams for said player. You can also update your own trade block to attract offers from other teams.

The trade block is a great place to find players to fill out the depth of your roster. You may even find a starter, like halfback Kareem Hunt (86 OVR) being offered up immediately. The trade block will update throughout the season as trades and injuries happen, so be sure to check every week in case anything changes.

Tips for trade offers in Madden 23

There are ways to game the Madden 23 franchise AI. A 2023 first rounder will basically net you any player in the game straight up as evidenced by the above offers. However, there are also other ways to nab your desired players without offering the draft pick.

These tips come after experimenting with around ten franchises.

1. Offer up a quarterback

The best way to game the system is to offer up a quarterback. Some teams will accept outlandish trade offers as evidenced above. As Carolina, offering up P.J. Walker (62 OVR) for Buffalo receiver Stefon Diggs (95 OVR) is a trade Buffalo would accept in Madden 23. In fact, as Carolina, Walker would have netted any of the 99 Club members.

For the most part, offering up a quarterback of at least 70 OVR will net you the player you want. However, that’s not necessarily always the case…

2. Pay attention to cap hit

When offering up trades, you need to check the cap room and cap hit. Even though quarterback Jared Goff is rated ten points better than Walker at 72 OVR, his cap hit of over 25 million makes absorbing his contract too much for most offers. You’ll have to absorb some contracts yourself or offer up draft picks.

It’s going to be difficult to trade players with cap hits as high as Goff. However, pairing players like that with other players or picks, r taking on others, in unique offers will help lead to an acceptable offer. Just remember to have a backup player to step in for who you trade.

3. Not all first rounders are the same

While a 2023 first rounder will immediately nab you pretty much any player, a 2024 first rounder will need more to be accepted. As shown above, while a 2023 first rounder from other teams this late in the draft (pick 25+) accepted for Garrett, a 2024 first rounder was not. When looking at trading draft picks straight up for great players, always remember that current picks are worth more than future picks.

To expand, 2023 first rounders were offered up with teams drafting early and late, and every 2023 first round pick offer for a 99 Club member was accepted. The AI values quarterbacks and current first rounders over everything else, so always offer up those two individually before making any package offers.

4. When in doubt, offer up a player of positional need

Let’s say you still want to make a straight up trade, but already traded away a quarterback and your current first rounder. The other way to game the system is to offer up players who fit a team need. In the above, Las Vegas indicated they needed a defensive tackle, a right tackle, and a left end. As Chicago, left end Trevis Gipson(75 OVR) was offered straight up for Adams, the Raiders accepting.

Keep in mind that just because a team need is listed doesn’t mean you can offer up your third stringers or anything. With Chicago, both defensive tackles and left tackles were offered before Gipson, but their overall ratings were lower and thus, weren’t accepted without additions (like draft picks). Try to maintain the same rule as when offering quarterbacks (70 OVR).

With these tips, you should be able to become a trading fiend in Madden 23. Who will you add to your team in your first step toward creating a dynasty?