Devin Hester Gets Another Chance
The first man ever to return the opening kick in the Super Bowl is a finalst for the Pro Football Hall of Fame ... again.
Devin Hester's place in history will be debated when electors get together during Super Bowl week as he was named Wednesday a finalist for the PFHOF for the third straight year. His first year of being considered was 2022.
Hester has the most punt return TDs in history with 14, the most combined return TDs with 19, and actually has 20 total TD returns since his most famous return was in the postseason and doesn't count in the total of 19. That was the opening kick to Super Bowl LVI in Miami when he brought it back against the eventual champion Colts 92 yards for a TD.
Hester made the group of 15 finalists from semifinalists who were named in November. He made four Pro Bowls and three times was All-Pro. He was a special teams player of the week 13 times and a member of two All-Decade teams. His Super Bowl return came at the end of his rookie season.
The big debate again will be whether a return specialist should be in the Hall of Fame. Although Hester is known for his return abilities, he did play offense but didn't excel. He topped out with 57 catches and 757 yards in 2009 when Jay Cutler first came to the Bears.
Hester actually started out as a defensive back before changing in 2007. He caught 20 passes in 2007, then played a full season as a receiver in 2008 with 51 catches for 665 yards. He made 255 receptions for 3,311 yards and 16 TDs. When the Bears made the 2010 NFC Championship Game, he made 40 receptions and a career-high four TD catches.
After the 2016 season Hester retired. He went to Atlanta in 2014 and to Baltimore and Seattle in 2016. He had one TD return on a punt after he left Chicago and it was for Atlanta in 2014.
Hester has six more returns total for TDs than second-place Brian Mitchell (14).
Three other former Bears made it among the finalists to be considered by electors.
One was former Chiefs/Vikings/Bears/Panthers defensive end Jared Allen and the other was former Panthers/Packers/Bears defensive end Julius Peppers.
Allen had 5 1/2 of his 136 career sacks with the Bears during 18 games in 2014 and 2015.
Peppers had 37 1/2 sacks during four years with the Bears from 2010-13 before going to the Packers and making 25 more sacks in 2014-2016. He had 97 sacks for the Panthers, who drafted him, and played in 266 NFL games in 17 seasons. This is the first season Peppers is being considered.
The Bears could have one other former player make the Hall of Fame and that's from the senior group.
Steve McMichael, ailing with ALS since 2021, is one of the three senior finalists to be voted on, along with Art Powell and Randy Gradishar. Unlike the voting among the younger Hall of amers, McMichael, Powell and Gradishar merely need to get thumbs up from 80% of the electors.
Returned Kicks/Punts/FG TDs
(Includes postseason)
Devin Hester 20
Brian Mitchell 14
Eric Metcalf 13
Josh Cribbs 11
Desmond Howard 10
Deion Sanders 9
Ollie Matson 9
Allen Rossum 9
Mel Gray 9
Darren Sproles 9
Jacoby Jones 9
Cordarrelle Patterson 9
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