As the NFL prepares to unveil its Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023 on Thursday night at NFL Honors, I’m here to remind you why former Bears return specialist Devin Hester deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.
Sure, there are only four special teams players in the Hall of Fame — all four of them kickers. But when you’re the greatest to ever play your position — special teams or not — that should be an automatic bid into football’s most honored fraternity.
There’s an argument to be made that Hester deserved to get in on his first try. But given Hester is a finalist for the Hall of Fame (for a second straight year), it’s pretty much a lock that he gets in at some point. And it should be this year.
Here’s why Hester deserves to get into the Hall of Fame on his second year of eligibility:
Hester is considered the greatest to ever play his position
When you’re one of the best to ever play your position, it’s not even a question whether or not you belong in the Hall of Fame. When you’re considered the best to ever do it, that should make you a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Unfortunately, Hester was passed over in his first year of eligibility. Now, he has a chance to get in on his second attempt.
The NFL is filled with several great return specialists, including Deion Sanders, Brian Mitchell, Gale Sayers and Hester. But it says a lot that Hester is almost an unanimous choice as the greatest kick returner of all time. Whether it was the numbers or the eye test, Hester proved himself to be one of the most electric and dangerous players when he had the ball in his hands.
“Every time he got on the field, you could feel his presence,” said former Bears defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli, via The Athletic. “Everybody would stand on the bench waiting to see what he would do. He was like Jim Thorpe to me. In my mind, no question he’s a Hall of Famer and the best I’ve seen at returning. I don’t know how many guys are like him in the history of the NFL who impacted the way he did.”
Hester was a dynamic playmaker
Hester was a threat to score every time he had the ball in his hands, and opposing teams understood that. It’s why they kicked away from him. And it’s also why a team like the Colts felt the need to kick it directly to him in Super Bowl XLI. Because they didn’t want to give him the satisfaction. Only, that didn’t work out so well for Indianapolis.
“I told them I hope we lose the toss, and if we do, we’re going to kick right down the middle,” said former Colts coach Tony Dungy said, via The Athletic. “‘You go down there and pound Devin, they’ll know we mean business, and we’ll send a message. We’re going to go right at him just like David did.’
“Big mistake. Big mistake.”
Hester returned the opening kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown, the only player to return an opening kickoff for a score in Super Bowl history.
Then there’s everyone’s favorite — Hester’s 83-yard punt return touchdown that gave the Bears a 24-23 lead in a comeback win against the Cardinals in 2006. The infamous Denny Green “the Bears are who we thought they were” game.
What about Hester’s two return touchdowns against the Rams during his rookie season in 2006. Another pair of return touchdowns against the Broncos, which included Hester leaping over a fallen Todd Sauerbrun, in 2007. Hester returning a missed field goal 108 yards for a touchdown against the Giants in 2006.
The list goes on and on.
He was a playmaker in every sense of the word.
Hester changed the game as we know it
It wasn’t just the fact that Hester was a dynamic playmaker and a threat to score whenever he had the ball in his hands. It was the fact that he had a direct impact on how opposing teams approached defending him.
Teams would go out of their way to not kick the ball directly his way. Whether that was kicking the ball out of bounds or trying And, sometimes even then, he’d still find a way to make an impactful play. But as long as they didn’t give up a touchdown on a Hester return, it was considered a win.
“Some teams would squib kick or liner kick — a deep squib or do a mortar kick — higher and shorter, or the balls would go out of bounds,” said Browns special teams coach Mike Priefer, via The Athletic. “We would try to kick it to one of the upbacks or an end or fullback, one of the big guys and give up 15-20 yards of field position.”
“Everybody’s special-teams units got better because of Devin Hester,” said former Bears special teams coordinator Dave Toub. “Teams would get three or four guys specifically on the team who could cover kicks. Before him, they were just backup players. It didn’t matter how good they were at tackling in space. He made them look really bad.”
Hester has an NFL-record 20 kick and punt return touchdowns in his impressive career. But according to The Athletic, Hester believes he would’ve had more than 40 return touchdowns had teams actually just kicked to him. Another example of how he changed the game as we know it.
Hester's resume speaks for itself
All you needed to do was watch Hester to understand that he’s the best return specialist of all-time. But for those who put stock in statistics, the numbers say the same thing.
Hester has the most punt return touchdowns (14) than anyone in NFL history, and his 20 non-offensive touchdowns are also the most in league history. He also has the highest average yards per punt returns among those with at least 300 returns in NFL history.
Hester is a four-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro and owns the record for most return touchdowns and total return touchdowns. You’d be hard pressed to find many who would argue that Hester isn’t the greatest return specialist of all-time. Even among Packers fans.
Bottom line
While the NFL might be changing in regards to special teams, where there’s a greater emphasis on taking returns out of the game, Hester’s impact as a return specialist is as strong as ever.
Hester forever changed the way the game was played. He was someone you had to watch — to see for yourself the magic that happened when he returned the ball. He was a special teams player who made the kind of electrifying plays you’d expect on offense. There was no one better at his position. And it’s a sentiment shared by many. If that doesn’t scream Hall of Famer, I don’t know what does.
“My criteria for the Hall of Fame would be: Did you change the game at your position?” said former Vikings punter Chris Kluwe, via The Athletic. “Did you change how the game was played? Because if you did that, yes, you will be remembered. To me, Hester is a lock because there is no other returner that has made teams react to him that way. It’s not even close.”
