Franchise Mode in Madden 26 allows you to take full control of any one of the 32 teams in the NFL. You become the GM and the head coach, making all major decisions for the short-term and long-term future of the organization.
One of the more popular ways to play Franchise is to take a struggling team and rebuild it into a perennial title contender. This is easier said than done, though, as you have to manage your team’s cap space, negotiate contracts, make trades, and figure out who gets a starting spot and who gets cut.
While you can always look through the 32 available teams and see which ones are rebuilding in Madden 26, we have put together a list of the five best teams to rebuild in Franchise.
New England Patriots
First on the list is the New England Patriots, who look like a team that could go from worst-to-first in the AFC East in 2025. While that’s a steep task given how good the Buffalo Bills are, the Patriots benefit from a completely revamped coaching staff, new talent on both sides of the ball, an extremely promising rookie class, and plenty of money to spend in 2025 and beyond. The cap space in particular makes the Patriots one of the best Franchise rebuilds, as you have total freedom to negotiate contracts or make some trades.
The Patriots are certainly farther along in their rebuild than other teams on this list, as quarterback Drake Maye looks like a budding star, expensive contracts have been handed out, and the team has some potential All-Pro players on offense and defense. However, New England is still an intriguing rebuild project that simply has a head start on other teams that finished last season with a woeful record.
Tennessee Titans
It’s only natural that the Tennessee Titans make the list, as they finished with the worst record in the NFL last season and landed the number one overall pick in the draft that yielded the team quarterback Cam Ward, who will be on a team-friendly contract for the next four or five years. This allows you, as the GM, to dish out money elsewhere, and Tennessee needs help in just about every area of their team. The Titans have over $30 million to spend in 2025, so you can certainly attract some high-priced players.
The defense specifically looks to be the true weakness of the Titans, as there aren’t many star players the unit revolves around. Defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons is going to be your best defensive player, but he’s getting up there in age. On offense, you’ll really need to have Cam Ward develop into a decent quarterback and get him some more skill players to utilize. Receiver Calvin Ridley and running back Tony Pollard are solid players, but they’re not going to carry the entire offense.
Overall, the Titans are a team that needs a lot of work in Madden 26 Franchise.
New York Jets
Would this even be a respectable list if we didn’t include the New York Jets? The Jets have been stuck in a perpetual rebuild for what seems like a decade and a half. No matter what coach or players the Jets bring in, the team just can’t get over the hump of simply having a winning record. They haven’t been to the playoffs since 2010, and if you take over the team in Franchise, you have a mountain of work in front of you.
While New York does have star-caliber players on both sides of the ball, they have some true areas of concern. Quarterback tops that list, as Justin Fields likely isn’t going to be a long-term answer at the position. Among your first tasks as GM will be to figure out what to do at quarterback. Then, you can use the nearly $40 million in cap space the Jets have to sign some skill players alongside receiver Garrett Wilson and running back Breece Hall.
On defense, the Jets are much better off, with stars like Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams shoring up their position groups. However, aside from some key role players, New York simply needs more talent on the defense to take pressure off the stars.
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are another team that’s been stuck in a rebuild for several years, but they seem to have navigated their way through the toughest part of any rebuild: finding a quarterback. Bryce Young looks to be at least a decent starter in the NFL, and he’s still on a rookie contract. With that extra cap freedom, the Panthers have brought in some intriguing free agents over the past couple of years and drafted well in 2025. Carolina only has around $20 million in cap space, but you can easily free up some money during the offseason to go after high-priced free agents.
The heart and soul of the Panthers is defensive tackle Derrick Brown, who single-handedly boosts the team’s defensive ratings by a significant margin. You also have cornerback Jaycee Horn and some other role players to fill out a decent Carolina defense.
On offense, Bryce Young, running back Chuba Hubbard, and receivers Tet McMillan and Adam Thielen lead the way for the skill players. Getting some help at tight end and perhaps picking up a true number one receiver would go a long way for this Panthers offense, though.
Arizona Cardinals
Finally, there’s the Arizona Cardinals, who always seem like they might be able to contend in the NFC West, but fall short of expectations most of the time. Arizona is in the midst of a “retooling” season, as it’s difficult to say they’re fully rebuilding given the talent the team has.
The Cardinals still have Kyler Murray at quarterback, who continues to be a versatile threat in Madden. Receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., running back James Conner, and tight end Trey McBride are all decent skill players alongside Murray and make for a solid offense. However, like most teams, the Cardinals would greatly benefit from a 95 OVR or over skill player. The team also needs major help at almost every offensive line position, as the team ranks 29th in rushing due to porous blocking from the entire unit.
Arizona is fairly average across the board on defense after bringing in free agent edge Josh Sweat during the offseason and holding onto safety Budda Baker. However, some of the $30 million in cap space the Cardinals have will need to go to shoring up the linebacker position and adding some more skill players to the secondary.
The Cardinals are certainly better off than most teams on this list, but you’ll need to maneuver a tough NFC West and a tricky cap to get the team back to the playoffs.
