This year’s <a href="https://x.com/EAMaddenNFL/status/1803805922826862743" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Madden NFL 25</a> game is less than two months away from release. On Thursday, EA Sports released a trailer for the upcoming game release, which surprisingly starts with new Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/justin-fields-69308/">Justin Fields</a> returning a kickoff.



Though most players claim they’d do anything a coach needs them to do for the team on gameday, returning kicks is not on Fields’ agenda for his first season with the Steelers. The former Bears first-rounder laughed off the idea when the chatter started about the potential for using the QB on special teams last month.



“Nah, I’m not here to do that,” Fields <a href="https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2024/05/28/justin-fields-kick-return-danny-smith-mike-tomlin-special-teams/stories/202405280079" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told reporters</a> at OTAs. “It was kind of a joke, to be honest with you.”



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">Nothing hits like Boom Tech in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Madden25?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Madden25</a> Available 8.16.24. Pre-Order Today: <a href="https://t.co/WTlY9pZQX1">https://t.co/WTlY9pZQX1</a> <a href="https://t.co/odBgvVIrGF">pic.twitter.com/odBgvVIrGF</a>— Madden NFL 25 (@EAMaddenNFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/EAMaddenNFL/status/1803805922826862743?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 20, 2024</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



The “joke” gained its legs in early May when Steelers running back <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/jaylen-warren-58996/">Jaylen Warren </a>talked about a special teams meeting with Danny Smith. During the meeting, it was suggested that Fields might use his exceptional giddy-up skills to bolster the special teams unit.



When Warren dropped the nugget on <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/cameron-heyward-17861/">Cam Heyward’s </a>podcast, social media did its thing. Everybody started talking about the possibility of the new Steelers quarterback doing something more than throw passes considering <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/russell-wilson-102829/">Russell Wilson</a> is the favorite to start at QB.



Fields told reporters he was in the Steelers meeting when Smith suggested he do it. He hasn’t returned kicks since he was in middle school back home in Kennesaw, Georgia, but apparently, the Madden creators believe he could still do it.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-christian-mccaffrey-weighs-in-on-madden-cover-curse">Christian McCaffrey weighs in on ‘Madden Cover Curse’</h2>



Landing the cover of Madden NFL 25 is a big honor for San Francisco 49ers running back <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/christian-mccaffrey-23038/">Christian McCaffrey</a>, but is it also a major risk? The so-called Madden Curse has stolen the seasons of several athletes in recent years after they graced the cover of the popular EA Sports game. After news broke of <a href="https://www.on3.com/pro/news/san-francisco-49ers-running-back-christian-mccaffrey-revealed-as-cover-athlete-for-madden-nfl-25/">his selection</a> for this year’s game, McCaffrey weighed in on the Madden Curse and how it felt to receive the call about his opportunity.



“No, yeah, no, I’m not superstitious at all about it,” McCaffrey said on NFL Network’s <a href="https://x.com/TomPelissero/status/1800688902841512152" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Insiders</a>. “I was so excited man. This was such an honor to be able to do this. When I got the call I was just in shock. It’s something that I just never thought would happen to me.



“I never thought that someone would call and tell me I’m going to be on the cover of Madden. So, when I got the call, I wasn’t thinking about any curse. I was just excited. I mean, I think that stuff is kind of a myth and whatever happens, happens. I’m excited to be on the cover.”



McCaffrey is coming off of a 2023 season with 1,459 rushing yards (a career-high) and 14 touchdowns. As a receiver, he also hauled in 564 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. McCaffrey won the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year award for his performance and helped San Francisco advance to a Super Bowl appearance.



It’s been a huge month for the 49ers star already. San Francisco <a href="https://www.on3.com/pro/news/christian-mccaffrey-signs-new-contract-reset-rb-market-san-francisco-49ers-extension/">rewarded</a> McCaffrey for his standout play by extending his contract and re-setting the running back market with a new deal. He will now average $19 million per year.



On3’s Suzanne Halliburton contributed to this report.

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