EA Sports heard the rumors about Justin Fields potentially returning kicks and decided to add a little fuel to the fire.
The latest trailer for Madden 25 dropped Thursday, giving gamers a sneak peak of what is to be expected for the latest edition of the iconic game.
However, it wasn't the features, or the gameplay clips, or a game mode specified that grabbed people's attention. It was the player receiving the opening kickoff to start the trailer — Steelers quarterback Justin Fields.
The trailer began with a contest between the Browns and the Steelers. Cleveland booted the ball away to begin the action, and it's No. 2 — Fields — who received the ball out of the air and took it up field. Eventually, he handed it off to Pittsburgh' newest special teams weapon, Cordarrelle Patterson.
MADDEN STARTED THEIR NEW TRAILER OFF WITH JUSTIN FIELDS RETURNING KICKS😭 pic.twitter.com/Ao9ISv8rWh
— IcyVert (@IcyVert) June 20, 2024
The clip may confuse some people considering it's a quarterback acting as a kick returner. But to those that have been paying attention to the offseason rumors in the Steel City, it's a call back to a quote from Steelers running back Jaylen Warren about Fields potentially taking kick returns in his first year as a Steeler.
MORE: When does Madden 25 come out? Everything to know about latest NFL game
Is Justin Fields returning kicks?
The speculation around Fields acting as a special teams member started when Warren disclosed a conversation that special teams coordinator Danny Smith had with the team. Smith said that he was considering putting Fields back there to catch punts and return them, according to the Pittsburgh running back.
"Our special teams coordinator was talking about Justin Fields being back there," Warren said when discussing the new kickoff rules. "We were like, ‘Hold up! Hold up!'"
#Steelers RB Jaylen Warren says their special teams coordinator discussed the possibility of having Justin Fields return kicks under the new kickoff rules.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) May 2, 2024
(via @NotJustFootball)pic.twitter.com/N4WGMwETxV
Of course, everyone wanted to know what the newest member of Pittsburgh's QB room thought of the potential plans to put him out on kick returns. Unsurprisingly, Fields shut down that idea altogether.
"Nah, I think everybody kind of interpreted it wrong," Fields said, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "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."
Fields never took the suggestion seriously. His focus is working on competing with Russell Wilson to earn the No. 1 job on the Steelers, but he did see it take the internet by storm.
"It’s funny how serious social media takes everything," Fields said. "It was kind of funny to me when everybody was making a big deal about it for no reason."
Madden 25 trailer
Here is a look at the latest trailer for Madden 25.
