Which Madden NFL game introduced the Create-a-Team feature?

Which Madden NFL game introduced the Create-a-Team feature? The correct answer is Madden NFL 2002.

Madden NFL 2002 included a Create-a-Team mode that let players build an original football team. The feature allowed customization such as team identity and roster-related details, then made the created team available for play.

Madden NFL 2003 also included Create-a-Team, which may explain why it is sometimes identified as the introduction. Contemporary Madden NFL 2003 materials clearly document the mode, but the Madden NFL 2002 listing already identifies Create-a-Team as an available feature.

Madden NFL 2004 expanded customization with additional editing and franchise tools, but it was not the debut of Create-a-Team. Madden NFL 2005 and Madden NFL 2006 likewise came later. The stored answer is therefore incorrect, and the earliest documented answer is Madden NFL 2002.