The Pittsburgh Steelers’ grand experiment with Justin Fields’ kick return seems to have ended prematurely.

Fields claimed the entire incident was kind of a farce, at least from the outside. It seemed like remarks had been taken out of context.

According to The Post-Gazette, Fields stated on Tuesday, “No, I’m not here to do that.” “It was kind of a joke, to be honest with you.”

Fields was acquired by the Steelers in a deal in March that was somewhat unexpected given that Wilson was expected to start at quarterback for the team. However, Fields’ prospective position in Pittsburgh took an even more unexpected turn when Steelers running back Jaylen Warren revealed on Cam Heyward’s podcast that special teams coordinator Danny Smith had broached the notion of employing Fields on kickoff returns this season.

According to Fields, “I think everybody kind of interpreted it wrong,” she told reporters on Tuesday. “Coach Danny essentially wanted to convey that anyone can be selected for special teams, regardless of their identity. He merely cited that as an illustration.”

Fields claimed he laughed at the response he observed to the notion when it was initially made public.

“It’s funny how serious social media takes everything,” Fields said. “It was kind of funny to me when everybody was making a big deal about it for no reason.”

Fear not: Fields has been practicing a lot at quarterback. Last week, he declared that he and Wilson are “definitely competing” for the title of quarterback of the year. Head coach Mike Tomlin commended both players for their work so far behind the arch.

Regardless of whether Fields was being cautious or dangling a carrot, he did not completely rule out the prospect of being used in certain situations, like kickoffs.

“Hey, you never know,” a smiling Fields remarked. “Coach Smith might prepare something. We’ll watch and see.”

Maybe it’s not quite dead, but hold off on updating your depth charts just yet.