The notion that quarterback Justin Fields could return kickoffs for his new team was “interpreted … wrong,” the quarterback told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in a story published Wednesday.
“Nah, I’m not here to do that,” Fields said. “It was kind of a joke, to be honest with you.”
On a podcast last month, Steelers running back Jaylen Warren said special-teams coordinator Danny Smith showed an interest in putting Fields deep for kickoffs.
“Coach Danny was basically just trying to send a message that no matter who you are, you could be on special teams,” Fields told the newspaper. “He just used that as an example.”
Fields said the social media reaction was too serious.
“It was kind of funny to me when everybody was making a big deal about it for no reason,” he said.
The Bears traded Fields to the Steelers on March 16. He is expected to start the season playing behind Russell Wilson. Putting a second-string quarterback as the kick returner, even with the NFL’s new rules aimed toward safety, would have been highly unusual.
