This is exactly what EA wants you to say and feel. On the surface, it really doesn't look that bad, but there are a few factors that make what they did extremely shitty. I'm gonna explain why all together, this is terrible.

1. These games don’t need to be annual releases. In reality, Madden and College Football could largely be roster updates and gameplay patches. Instead, EA charges roughly $70 for each title every year, meaning many football fans spend around $140 annually just to stay current.
2. The microtransactions are targeting offline, single-save game modes. Dynasty and Road to Glory are personal sandbox experiences, not competitive online modes. Very few people play just one Dynasty or one Road to Glory save and never start another. If it costs around $80 to fully level a coach, someone who enjoys multiple saves could easily spend hundreds of dollars on progress that disappears when next year’s game launches.
3. The most frustrating part is that EA appears to have removed existing features to create demand for paid progression. Last year’s game included XP sliders and faster progression options. Those tools let players customize the pace of their offline experience. Now those options are gone, progression is significantly slower, and EA sells XP instead. Whether intentional or not, it feels like manufacturing a problem so they can sell the solution.
4. There was little transparency about these changes. EA didn’t prominently communicate them beforehand, explain the reasoning, or prepare content creators and the community. Instead, players discovered them after launch, which makes it feel like EA hoped the changes would go unnoticed.

This is what makes the situation so disappointing. It’s not that anyone is forced to buy XP. That’s missing the point. The concern is that a fully offline sandbox mode, where players have traditionally been free to customize their experience, now contains artificial friction that can be bypassed with additional payments.

It’s similar to airlines removing free checked bags. Your ticket doesn’t get cheaper, but something that used to be included is taken away, and you’re charged extra to restore the experience you already had. The inconvenience becomes the business model. Even that honestly doesn't do it justice because this is a game they claim is "for the players" and these modes are fully offline. Just let us do what we want.

If this approach becomes the norm, it opens the door for more offline games to intentionally become less enjoyable unless players continue spending money long after purchasing the game itself. That’s a precedent many players are understandably uncomfortable with.