Madden NFL 22 rumors are already flying fast and furiously, but that's likely not a very good thing for the series. Certainly, there are reasons to be happy to already see rumors like who will be the Madden NFL 22 cover athlete, but that also means it well in the works now. Assuming it's right, one alarm bell has to go off that this is the first piece of information leaked about the next installment in the series. If the rumor is accurate, and Derrick Henry being the big news for this game, it feels like it's far more likely the next Madden will be like the last few.

The argument can already be made that the Madden franchise should take a page out of the WWE 2K series this year. Considering how negatively the most recent iteration was viewed (of both games), it might be time for Madden to take some time off and hit the reboot button. An extra year of prep would allow the developer to really take stock of what's working and what's not. It could look at adding features to the franchise that have oddly been removed over the years, despite being quite popular, and far more. Of course, even if the Madden NFL 22 leaks hadn't gotten out there, it was going to be incredibly unlikely the franchise would actually take a year off. It's simply too lucrative for Electronic Arts.

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One of the biggest complaints over the last couple of years especially is that each new release of Madden is little more than a roster update. If the game didn't cost $60 every year, that might not be nearly as galling. Because the game does cost as much as a full-price game, many feel it should be adding more new features.

That's not to say the last few games have offered nothing new. Madden Ultimate Team is a relatively new feature to the series, but even that mode has seen very few changes or tweaks since it first appeared. In short, each game feels more and more like the last than something new and innovative.

Face of the Franchise is another new mode that made its debut in Madden NFL 20. The follow-up addition of that mode in Madden NFL 21 even saw the ability to play a couple of games as a one of a few college football teams. It's possible that particular mode was a hint at a bigger announcement, with EA Sports College Football being unveiled earlier this year.

Unfortunately, the second version of Face of the Franchise and Ultimate team aren't enough to keep the game fresh. In order for Madden NFL 22 to take real strides, there are going to need to be big improvements to the franchise mode. Electronic Arts has seemingly hinted that it understands this, promising improvements moving forward, but the issue is that what's needed isn't just a couple of tweaks here and there. Big changes and additions are needed if the next franchise mode is to feel truly different from the last few. Leaks about the next installment already being out there feels like a bad sign in that regard.

Madden NFL 22 has not been officially announced.

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