When you start in Face of the Franchise in Madden 23, you will be immediately prompted to choose a team to play for.
However, you might sometimes regret choosing that team over the course of a season. You might not get as much playing time as you desire, there might be bad team chemistry, perhaps the fit isn’t right for your playstyle, or maybe your team just isn’t winning and you want to change that.
So, here’s the situation: you want to quit, but you don’t want to lose all the progress you’ve made on your player so far.
There’s an obvious potential solution…can you request a trade in Madden 23 Face of the Franchise?
Sadly, you can’t. However, there is a different way you can switch teams without needing to request a trade. Let me explain.
The Face of the Franchise Story
Madden 23’s Face of the Franchise mode took a drastic turn compared to years gone by.
Instead of starting as a college student trying to make it to the NFL draft, you now start as an undrafted free agent who gets a chance to make it to the league. If you enjoy playing through the draft, you’re going to be disappointed here.
The game starts in the preseason – or basically in the middle of what Face of the Franchise mode has been in the past.
The game mode also features a player lock mode, where you can only control your own player during the course of the game.
How to Switch Teams
At the start of the game, you will create your player; how you look and your game equipment all the way down to your own skill build.
You will see a cutscene where you are given a chance to play for a team of your choice. After the scene, you will sign a 1-year contract and show them what you got.
You will have to honor that 1-year contract before you can get to choose another team. Requesting a trade from management will not be possible because there aren’t any options available for it on any of the menus or dialogs.
After the season, you will have the option to trade teams – but not with a transfer.
Which team should you start with?
This one is completely subjective, and you can choose your favorite team and play for them if you wish. However, you should factor in a few things before making a decision.
For each team, there will be a letter grade on their offers. The better the grade, the more they need a player in your position. The other icon (scheme fit) is mostly for your playstyle fit with the team.
Your playstyle is completely dependent on how you play and the fit is mostly based on your position style. For example, if you are a QB that plays lots of precise long passes, it could be a bad fit with a team’s current playbook.
If you want to choose based on your favorite team, you can adjust and also fight for a better spot. It could take more time, but it will be worth it.
Contract extension offer
During the season, you will be constantly reviewed by the organization. During the middle of the season, your agent will try to work out a deal with the team for an extension.
The offer will be based on your current performance with the team as well as your current overall rating. The numbers will factor in your performance more than your overall rating.
During my playthrough, I went 7-2 before the contract extension was offered. In order to switch teams in the future, you need to decline this offer.
If you don’t, you will have to honor the 2-year contract extension – or whatever years they offer up on your extension that you ultimately agree to.
You have to take into account the Creds and Rep you are receiving from the contract. These are what help you increase your rating more.
I was doing incredibly well for the team up to the point of the contract extension, but it could be a little different if your team is losing or your performance is bad.
The two losses were caused by a lack of playing time at the start. Since the player lock got featured in this mode, the game doesn’t let you play most of the 4th downs. The game doesn’t let you play for an extra point after a touchdown as well.
It is odd, and in my opinion, it doesn’t feel great to not have control over these situations, but that’s the direction EA has taken the mode this year.
Ending the season and contract
After declining the contract extension, you will continue the season until your team is eliminated from the playoffs or wins the Super Bowl.
The better you and your team perform, the better the contract offer you will receive. If you lose immediately, it will hurt your overall market value.
To get contract offers from different teams at the end of the season, you have to advance every week up until you reach the free agency period.
Your agent will tell you about the offers you received, and you will get to pick a team again, just like at the start of your career.
Here is what the contract looks like if you have done the following:
- Won the Super Bowl
- Best regular season record
- Won the MVP
Each team has a different offer for you. In the image above, this is the best offer I received with regards to Reps and Creds, and it was a 2-year contract.
Some offers give lower Rep and Cred. Always choose the best fit with the highest Rep bonus and Rep per game. Doing so allows you to get a 99 overall rating as fast as possible.
The contract years can also be considered if you want to choose a different team in two years instead of three. I haven’t seen a single offer with a 1-year contract.
If you check the difference between this offer and the extension offer, there isn’t any difference regarding the Rep and Cred you gain.
The market value is higher, but the money doesn’t matter here. You don’t have anything to spend your money on.
If you performed worse leading up to the contract extension, you could get a better offer here.
Always try to perform your best and you will get better offers and increase your overall rating. With regards to switching teams, you can always turn your favorite team into a dynasty, and having a good overall rating will help a lot.
