Oct 27, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Detailed view of a Carolina Panthers helmet on the turf at Empower Field before the game against the Denver Broncos at Mile High. Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Carolina Panthers exec explains how he used 'Madden' to help learn his trade

Originally posted on Carolina Panthers on SI
By Tim Weaver | Last updated Jun 7, 2025 9:00 AM ET

The Madden franchise has been around long enough now that you can find tons of NFL players who grew up playing the game, dreaming of one day being part of the league themselves and therefore part of the ever-popular video game. Apparently those dreams can also apply to league executives.

Here's Carolina Panthers executive vice president of football operations Brandt Tilis making a recent appearance on a podcast talking about how he used Madden's Franchise mode to indulge his roster-building hobby. Apparently Tilis wouldn't even play the games themselves unless his team made the Super Bowl - he only went through the offseason portions of the game.

Brandt Tilis is one of us. pic.twitter.com/FIYlxR4laZ
— Michael Bell (@avl_mike) June 6, 2025

Very cool stuff, albeit in an extremely nerdy kind of way.

In any case it worked out well for Tilis, who got his start in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs. He spent 13 years with that organization in a variety of roles, finishing as their VP of Football Operations for three years before jumping ship to Carolina in 2024.

The Panthers' offseason work is of course much more than a one-man job - and the buck stops with general manager Dan Morgan more than anybody else. That said, this front office deserves a lot of credit for putting together a quality offseason after a somewhat shaky first year on the job.

Carolina didn't sign any high-profile names in free agency, but the team did manage to plug all of their holes on defense - free safety being the one exception that still needs to be addressed before the season begins. The Panthers followed that up with what's been universally praised as a very strong 2025 NFL draft class.

The next step will have to come from head coach Dave Canales and third-year quarterback Bryce Young. If they can raise their respective games then the Panthers should finally break out of this seven-year funk and post a winning record.

This article first appeared on Carolina Panthers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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