Cardinals' Trey McBride Talks Madden 99 Club, Love, Beck, Brissett, Kyler and More in B/R Interview

Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride has been rewarded for his historic 2025 season with a perfect Madden rating.

McBride is one of just six players with a 99 OVR at launch of EA Sports' Madden NFL 27, the video game developer announced Monday.

McBride is the only tight end in the 99 club at launch. He will join Myles Garrett, Josh Allen, Matthew Stafford, Jaxson Smith-Njigba and Ja'Marr Chase on the list when NFL 27 launches Aug. 13.

"It's a game that I've played for a really long time, and I always created a player, and always wanted to make him the best, make him a 99 and make that player the best. And it's cool that that player is now me," McBride told Bleacher Report.

McBride earned the honor after playing at an All-Pro level despite quarterback turnover last season in Glendale. He led all tight ends with and ranked sixth among pass-catchers with 1,239 receiving yards while setting a single-season positional record with 126 catches.

Now one of the longest-tenured players on the Cardinals, McBride is ready to lead his team into their first season since parting ways with former franchise quarterback Kyler Murray.

"I want to be able to help my team out, to build the team up and really be the leader of this team," McBride said. "With Kyler gone, they kind of need a new guy on the offensive side. I figured, why not me?"

The Cardinals are attempting to climb back into the postseason conversation as part of an NFC West featuring the defending champion Seattle Seahawks and two Super Bowl hopefuls in the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers.

Arizona went winless in the division last year, although that included consecutive single-score losses to the Niners and Seahawks early in the 2025 campaign.

"It's a tough division. I feel like it's the hardest division in football... All of those games, we were close last year," McBride said. "We should have beat them a few times, a lot of those teams. And I just feel like we've got to get over the hump. We've got to make a few more plays than them.

"I feel like there's no reason we can't beat those teams. We're just as good, if not better, than those teams. We've just got to go out there and play our game. I feel like it's going to be a very competitive year, and I'm excited for it."

Becoming competitive in 2026 will start with the Cardinals landing on a starting quarterback. Jacoby Brissett's contract dispute is over now that he's agreed to a reworked deal, but coach Mike LaFleur has so far declined to commit to Brissett as QB1.

McBride said he's spent time this offseason practicing with both Brissett and potential backup Gardner Minshew II.

"Obviously, Jacoby and I have had a lot of success. Gardner, I'm trying to build that up as well," McBride said.

The tight end said his goal with Brissett is to continue building on the connection the two established last season, during which the quarterback took over the starting job from Murray in Week 6.

"We had a lot of success last year. I caught a ton of balls from him, and I just want to keep that momentum going, keep building on that," McBride said about Brissett. "Just keep that trust that I'm going to make plays for him, and hopefully we can have another great year this year."

McBride has gotten fewer opportunities to work with 2026 third-round pick Carson Beck, but he's seen enough to be convinced the former Miami starter will be able to eventually establish himself as an NFL quarterback.

"I'm very lucky to have him here as a Cardinal. I think he's going to be a great player for us," McBride said about Beck. "I don't know when, or anything like that, but I know he'll be a great player in this league."

While the Cardinals work out what the quarterback room will ultimately look like between Brissett, Minshew and Beck, Murray is preparing for his own quarterback battle. After his release from the Cardinals and signing with the Minnesota Vikings, Murray is set to compete with J.J. McCarthy for the QB1 job in Minneapolis.

"I've talked to him here and there, but I think he's just been focused on his thing, and I've been out here focused on our thing," McBride said about Murray. "Obviously, have a lot of respect for Kyler. He's a tremendous guy, tremendous quarterback, and I'm always pulling for him."

The Cardinals are hoping to build around whichever quarterback ultimately takes over for Murray with offseason additions including rookie running back Jeremiyah Love, the former Notre Dame running back selected with the No. 3 pick of the 2026 draft.

"I think his skill set is one of the best I've seen," McBride said. "His ability to make plays in the pass game, his ability to run routes, his ability to just run downhill— he's a third overall pick. You draft a guy that high for a reason. He's a generational talent guy."

Another key piece the Cardinals will task with helping their future quarterback is Marvin Harrison Jr. The third-year wideout is looking to take another step toward his first 1,000 receiving-yard campaign after missing five games due to health issues last season.

"He's a great player, a great person, and one of the hardest working guys I know. So his breakout's coming," McBride said. "I feel like he's had a great couple of years, but for him, I guess it's never good enough. So I'm excited to see what he can do this year.

"That picture went viral of him standing next to me where he was all cut up, six pack and everything. So, he definitely looks the part. He looks in shape."

A new leadership group will be tasked with putting this offense together. After parting ways with Jonathan Gannon and Drew Petzing, the Cardinals are heading into 2026 with Mike LaFleur as head coach and Nathaniel Hackett as offensive coordinator.

McBride, who spent the last three seasons playing under a coach with a defensive background in Gannon, said it has been "cool" to have LaFleur as a presence in Hackett's offensive meetings.

"It's a whole new system, whole new everything. So the learning part, the learning curve, has been trying to figure it all out," McBride said about Hackett's new scheme. "But his offense is very simple, and once you understand it, it's very reasonable. So learning that, I'm excited to already have the foundation built... going into training camp, we can just hit the ground running and keep going."

After becoming the first tight end in NFL history to record consecutive seasons with at least 100 catches, McBride said main personal goal for 2026 is to remain available after missing just two games of his four-season NFL career so far.

"I think health is the most important thing," McBride said. "If I can just stay healthy, and get through a year injury free... I think the statistics will come."

McBride and the rest of the Cardinals reported to training camp July 22. Brissett's ability to adapt to an offensive structure he recently said he had yet to learn this offseason will impact what the offense looks like heading into the team's Sept. 13 regular-season opener.