On Monday, Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson was announced as the latest member of the exclusive '99 Club' on the popular video game, Madden. Jefferson becomes the fifth player to earn the 99 OVR on the latest installment of the game, Madden 24.
The 99 overall rating is only handed out to the best of the best in the league each season. In fact, Jefferson is the only wide receiver to earn that rating this year. The other players to be set at a 99 in this year's game are Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, 49ers left tackle Trent Williams and Rams defensive end Aaron Donald.
The highest-rated player on the roster of the Denver Broncos is safety Justin Simmons, who was put at a 92 OVR.
But looking back across the history of the game, there have been some Broncos players to get that 99 rating. Who were they? A couple of these guys might surprise you.
Broncos players to receiver the 99 overall rating on Madden
Dating back to the Madden 99 installment, there were 14 players to get the 99 overall rating. The Broncos, who were the defending Super Bowl champions, were the only team to have two players on that list.
Mark Schlereth: Yes, former guard Mark Schlereth was actually one of those players. The Broncos were the top-rated team in this game and the offensive line was a big reason why.
Now known much more for his work in the media than he maybe ever was for his play on the field, Schlereth was with the Broncos from 1995-2000 and he helped the team win back-to-back Super Bowls while also being selected to the Pro Bowl in 1998.
Neil Smith: Also in Madden 99, Neil Smith was one of four defensive ends to get a 99 overall rating along with Reggie White, Bruce Smith and Tony Brackens.
Smith was also a big part of those championship teams and he played for the Broncos for three years from 1997-99 before finishing his career with the Chargers.
Champ Bailey: One of the best cornerbacks in NFL history, Champ Bailey actually landed on this list three times. He debuted at the 99 overall spot in Madden 05 and then repeated the feat in Madden 07 and Madden 08.
Bailey was the only cornerback in the league to earn that rating in any of those titles. That makes sense, as he was selected to the Pro Bowl a ridiculous 12 times before concluding his Hall-of-Fame career. He played for the Broncos from 2004-2013 and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
It's a shame the team was never able to get this guy a ring.
Von Miller: One of the only defensive players in Broncos history that was better than Bailey would be Von Miller, the team's all-time leader in sacks. He was able to earn the 99 overall rating in Madden 17, Madden 18 and Madden 19, the only Broncos player to make the list three years in a row.
His debut on the list in Madden 17, a game that was released in August 2016, came on the heels of his incredible performance in Super Bowl 50, so it makes sense that he was a 99 that year.
The only other players to get a 99 in that game were J.J. Watt, Luke Kuechly and Rob Gronkowski.