Odds are, you won’t see Justin Fields return kicks in an actual game for the Pittsburgh Steelers this year. But the folks at EA Sports and Madden 25 are imagining what it would look like. The debut trailer for the newest Madden dropped Thursday morning. The first clip shows the Cleveland Browns kicking off to the Steelers. And it’s Fields back there to return.
In the video, he fields the kick and hands it off to Cordarrelle Patterson on a reverse.
Unfortunately, that’s as far as we see the play go. I’ll just pretend Patterson took this one to the house.
Fields has been rumored as a return man ever since RB Jaylen Warren mentioned the possibility in a conversation on Cam Heyward’s Not Just Football podcast. The team has downplayed the idea, Special teams coordinator Danny Smith calling it a “storyline,” though he didn’t outright deny using Fields back there.
Under the new kickoff rules, two players must be in the “landing zone” to field the kick. Arguably the greatest returner in NFL history, Patterson will be one. But it’s not clear which Steeler will stand opposite him. Funny enough, it could be Warren instead of Fields. If kickoffs are now treated like a running play, Warren’s bowling ball demeanor with his explosiveness makes him a threat with the ball in his hands and some runway. Other options include WRs Calvin Austin III and Quez Watkins.
The only Steelers quarterback returning kicks this spring was fourth-string rookie John Rhys Plumlee. A tremendous athlete who played baseball and football throughout college, he figures to at least be in the return lines at training camp. Whether he’s used there in a preseason game remains to be seen.
In addition to Fields, T.J. Watt is briefly shown in Madden’s trailer making a big sideline hit on Atlanta Falcons WR Drake London. Those two teams will square off to open the season.
New to Madden 25 are “Boom Tech” and updated hit stick along with new AI Logic and catch animations. Franchise Mode has also reportedly received refreshed storylines though the mode has underwhelmed for years. Madden has come under intense criticism for a subpar product and now competes with College Football 25, set to be released next month.
Madden 25 is available Aug. 16.
