In a podcast appearance with teammate and Steelers DL Cameron Heyward, Steelers RB Jaylen Warren revealed that ST coordinator Danny Smith broached the idea of employing QB Justin Fields as a kickoff returner under the new rules.
“Our special teams coordinator was talking about Justin Fields being back there. We’re like hold up, hold up. We looked at him like, ‘Justin Fields is about to be back there?'” Warren said. “I don’t know. I think it’s cool.”
The NFL is instituting a revamped kickoff that starts both teams closer together and doesn’t allow any movement until the returner touches the ball.
The goal was to keep the play in the game and make it safer after it had become largely ceremonial in the past several years. The league hopes the change adds around 1,500 more returns to the season, which makes it a potentially vital play.
While teams are expected to try and get creative with the new rule that no one really knows the full implications of yet, it would still be wild to see Fields on kickoff returns, even if he’s an outstanding athlete.
The Steelers already signed RB Cordarrelle Patterson as a kickoff returner this offseason and Fields is expected to compete for the starting quarterback job, even though HC Mike Tomlin has maintained veteran QB Russell Wilson is in “pole position.”
Fields, 25, was selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Bears out of Ohio State. Chicago traded up to No. 15 overall with the Giants to get Fields and parted with their 2022 first-round pick in the process.
He signed a four-year rookie deal worth $18,871,956 with a signing bonus of $11,085,059 that also included a fifth-year option to pick up on him in 2024 worth $21.978 million guaranteed for the 2025 season.
The Bears traded Fields to the Steelers for a conditional 2025 sixth-round pick that can improve to a fourth-round pick if Fields plays 51 percent of the snaps in 2024. Pittsburgh declined Fields’ fifth-year option.
In 2023, Fields appeared in 13 games for the Bears and completed 61.4 percent of his pass attempts for 2,562 yards, 16 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. He also rushed 124 times for 657 yards and four touchdowns.
We will have more on Fields and the Steelers as it becomes available.
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