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Steelers’ Justin Fields Returning Kicks in New Madden Trailer Led to So Many Jokes

Kristen Wong

Screengrab on Twitter/ @MySportsUpdate
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The Madden NFL 25 trailer dropped on Thursday, and as it turns out, not all players were shown in a flattering light. One Green Bay Packers safety immediately complained about his representation in the game, but at least he was portrayed playing his natural football position.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields, on the other hand, was rather hilariously turned into the team’s kick returner. In the trailer’s opening sequence, Fields caught a kick at his own 5-yard line before handing the ball off to utility player Cordarrelle Patterson in a simulation against the Cleveland Browns.

The video game's choice to render Fields as a kick returner comes after Steelers special teams coach Danny Smith said the 25-year-old quarterback could be used as an option to return kicks this fall given the NFL’s new kickoff format.

Fields merely laughed off the suggestion at the time. 

“Coach Danny was basically just trying to send a message that no matter who you are, you could be on special teams,” Fields said in May. “He just used that as an example.”

Regardless, could Madden’s trolling representation of Fields prove to be a precursor of the Steelers’ season to come? NFL fans weighed in and made lots of jokes.

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Kristen Wong

KRISTEN WONG

Kristen Wong is a Staff Writer on the Breaking & Trending News Team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI, Kristen covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. She has written about soccer, the NFL, NBA, and MLB since 2020, and outside of work, has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.

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