EA Sports ran with a joke from Steelers training camp, as former Bears, now Steelers quarterback Justin Fields returns a kickoff at the beginning of their trailer for the new Madden 25 video game.
Steelers running back Jaylen Warren joked in early May about the Steelers special teams coordinator Danny Smith pitching the idea of Fields running back kickoffs under the new kick return rules.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Chicago sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
“Our special teams coordinator was talking about Justin Fields being back there,” Warren said on a recent episode of the “Not Just Football” podcast.
With all due respect to Fields' natural position as a quarterback, his speed, elusiveness and physical resilience would likely make him a strong return man for kickoffs. But, obviously, Fields would probably rather stick under center where he usually makes his money.
When asked about the idea of returning kicks, Fields rebuked the idea.
“Nah, I’m not here to do that,” Fields said, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about returning kicks. “It was kind of a joke, to be honest with you.”
Bears News
The fourth-year quarterback admitted Smith mentioned the idea in a meeting. But the intent behind the suggestion was to warn players about participating in special teams, no matter who they are on the team.
“Nah, I think everybody kind of interpreted it wrong,” Fields told Batko. “Coach Danny was basically just trying to send a message that no matter who you are, you could be on special teams. He just used that as an example.
“It’s funny how serious social media takes everything. It was kind of funny to me when everybody was making a big deal about it for no reason.”
While the real Justin Fields probably won't be returning kicks in real life, you can substitute him in as a kick returner in the game, as EA chose to do in their trailer.