Chad Ochocinco warns players against backtalking ratings he will give for Madden 26

Former NFL wide receiver Chad Ochocinco is giving NFL players a little advice ahead of the Madden 26 ratings. On Thursday, Ochocinco was a guest on NFL Network's "Good Morning Football" where he discussed his role as the official Madden Ratings Adjuster.

When asked what he would tell players ahead of this year's ratings release he said that players shouldn't complain about the ratings they receive. He said in the past it was acceptable to complain because the ratings were selected by those who hadn't played the game.

(6:16) Chad Ochocinco: "When I was playing most of the time, players will complain about their ratings, about them not being what they should be, and they would always blame the people behind the scenes that, listen, my ratings suck because, you know, whoever they're doing, them they don't know the game, they don't know the game, they don't know what's going on. So now for fast forward to me now being the rating adjuster and understanding the game and plan the game for a very long time at a very high level, with a lot of entertainment, I might add. Now you can't pull, you can't pull you can't pull the shenanigans."

He then advised NFL players who do have a problem with his ratings to speak to him personally.

(7:17) Chad Ochocinco: "You can't play those games with me about your rating. If you have the issue, if you have a problem, before the season starts, come and see me. I will break it down for you. I'll go over film with you and tell you why it is what it is." GMFB

Chad Ochocinco has been the Madden Ratings Adjuster since 2024 when he first took over the role with the popular EA Sports video game.

Chad Ochocinco shared his wisdom with 2025 NFL Draft class

Chad Ochocinco was a panel member at the eMLS Cup 2025 in New York City this week. During his appearance, the former Bengals wide receiver was asked to give the 2025 NFL Draft class some advice.

Chad Ochocinco went on to talk about the power of social media in today's NFL and how it could impact a player's career.

"Focus on your craft and not your brand because of social media right now; everybody wants to create this brand, and, you know, without working on the craft, but if you're good at your craft, the brand can create itself. So everybody's getting lost and worrying about a brand deal. Take care of everything if you're that boy on the field. Social media is somewhat of a drug, in a sense. You have to be seen focusing on your craft. I haven't played football in 13-14 years, and that brand of mine is still just as strong as if I had just played yesterday, but I was great at what I did on the field. So you take care of that part. The rest is carrying itself. The name is carrying itself. I ain't caught the ball in years."-the former Bengals wide receiver said

The former wide receiver also noted that he built his own brand before the rise of social media. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft.