The official reveal trailer for Madden NFL 25 is here, and it’s already gone viral for one player inclusion in particular.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields is shown returning a kickoff, only further fueling rumors he might be involved in the play this season.
Justin Fields Returns Kickoff in Madden NFL 25 Trailer
The first clip of the trailer shows Cleveland Browns kicker Dustin Hopkins kicking off in a game against the Steelers, and Fields back deep as one of Pittsburgh’s returners. He fields the ball and heads upfield before cutting left and handing it off to wide receiver/kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson.
Justin Fields returning kicks in the #Madden25 trailer 👀
🎥: @EAMaddenNFL pic.twitter.com/LRWNnKRxyW
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) June 20, 2024
The clip only provides further fuel to rumors that have circulated for months about whether Fields might return kicks for the Steelers, given returners’ increased safety under the new rules and his dynamic ability as a runner.
That speculation grew in part from teammate Jaylen Warren telling reporters that Pittsburgh special teams coach Danny Smith mentioned potentially having Fields back to return kickoffs.
Fields shot down that idea at the time, but rumors have persisted anyway.
“Nah, I’m not here to do that,” Fields told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “It was kind of a joke, to be honest with you.”
Teams May Get Creative With NFL’s New Kickoff Rules
The rumors around Fields and some other potentially unique kickoff returners have spawned from the league’s new kickoff rules for this season.
The biggest change is that the 10 kickoff team members will line up at the receiving team’s 40-yard line, and at least nine members of the receiving team will line up at their own 35-yard line. This is designed to minimize the high-speed contact associated with higher injury risk that was characteristic of kickoffs under the previous format.
KEEP READING: Everything You Need to Know About the NFL’s New Kickoff Rule
These new rules provide increased protection that could incentivize teams to put players back for returns that hadn’t previously been in consideration.
Fields is certainly one, while other outside-the-box names that have been floated include Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons, New Orleans Saints utilityman Taysom Hill, and Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett.
All three have freakish athleticism of sorts from positions that haven’t typically returned kickoffs, but they could provide some dynamic playmaking under the new format.
Madden NFL 25 Trailer Showcases New BOOM Tech Feature
The newly released Madden NFL 25 trailer also showcased one of the new features in this year’s game — BOOM Tech.
In the trailer, EA describes the feature as bringing “authentic, 1-on-1 impacts fueled by physics” to the game and says it’s “data-driven.” The new system apparently “considers timing, momentum, weight, speed, strength, and player ratings to inform 1-on-1 ball carrier impact for a wider variety of explosive and authentic physical outcomes.”
The feature is part of EA’s FieldSENSE, which also influences the way offensive players can juke, truck, dive, and stiff arm defenders.
The trailer showcases many of those moves with jukes, spins, and broken tackles performed by several players.