The thing is ... if this game just came out totally new, it would be "pretty good". The fact that it's basically Madden 25 with a few half-arsed improvements, which was basically Madden 24 with a few half-arsed improvements, etc. means that it truly does seem like a scam.
If the difference between Madden 25 -> Madden 26 was a free patch/update, I'd think, "okay, that's pretty reasonable, they've made a decent effort". But a NEW GAME? Get out of town. It's a scam.
I know a lot of people are calling for competition with 2K being given a licence. Unfortunately, I doubt it's ever happening. I suspect - I don't know - that EA and 2K have come to some kind of agreement. We'll take the NFL, you take the NBA, let's not either of us mess with each other's cash cows.
As soon as the compeition went, both games went downhill. Just really lazy and scammy by EA.