Justin Fields laughs off idea that he’ll run kicks back for the Steelers: ‘I’m not here to do that’

No, Justin Fields won’t be running back kick returns for the Pittsburgh Steelers this fall.

The former Chicago Bears quarterback laughed that idea off on Tuesday, ending what would’ve been a remarkable development on his new team.

The idea was first floated by Steelers running back Jaylen Warren on Cam Heyward’s podcast earlier this spring. Warren mentioned that special teams coordinator Danny Smith had suggested that Fields could be used on kick returns this season.

Quickly, that spiraled into a much larger deal on social media — which Fields said he thought was incredibly funny.

The in March after he spent his first three years in the league with the Bears, who have since used the No. 1 overall pick in the draft on his replacement in Caleb Williams. The Steelers also landed Russell Wilson this offseason, who many presumed would be their starter this fall. Fields, however, that he was “definitely competing” for the starting job.

Fields threw for a career-high 2,562 yards and had 16 passing touchdowns last season in Chicago. He had another 657 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, which came on the heels of his 1,100-yard rushing season in 2022.

With that competition being a very real thing — and honestly, there’s no reason that it shouldn’t be considering everybody involved — throwing Fields into the mix for kickoff returns wouldn’t make any sense at all. The risk involved is just far too high.