Devin Hester belongs in the Hall of Fame; Where is he now?
CHICAGO (BVM) – The football world may never see another talent like Devin Hester, the greatest kick returner in NFL history. The 11-year NFL veteran became famous for his ridiculous special teams touchdowns with the Chicago Bears and broke records along the way.
From Miami to Chicago and everywhere in between, Hester deserves enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Devin Hester’s early life
Hester was born in Riviera Beach, Florida and before he even became a teenager, tragedy was a part of his life. His mother was severely injured in a car accident while Hester was an adolescent and just two years later, his father died of cancer.
Thanks to help from his stepfather and brother, Hester was able to escape depression and rebuild his life through football. Hester was a big fan of the Dallas Cowboys – specifically idolizing Deion Sanders, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin – throughout his youth and would play the same positions as his idols once he arrived in high school.
Hester first attended Palm Beach Gardens High before playing cornerback, wide receiver, return specialist and running back for Suncoast High School. SuperPrep.com named him the top high school prospect in Florida while Parade listed him as an All-American. Many teammates nicknamed him “Sugar Foot” and during the 2002 CaliFlorida Bowl, Hester returned a kick for an 80-yard touchdown.
Hester was ranked as the second-best cornerback in the nation’s Class of 2002 and a five-star prospect by Rivals.
Devin Hester’s college career
Hester went on to stay within the state of Florida and play football for the Miami Hurricanes. During his freshman year, he returned the opening kick for a 98-yard touchdown against the Florida Gators. Hester earned national recognition as a kick returner in 2004 as the sophomore was named a first-team All-American. His junior season was the most productive as he totaled 715 return yards (kick and punt combined), four touchdowns and four interceptions.
Known as “Hurricane Hester” by fans and teammates, Hester became the first football player in the Hurricanes’ recent history to play on offense, defense and special teams.
Devin Hester was absolutely electric at Miami ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/H0LyT8qbvY
— Football Is Life (@FootbaIl_Tweets) April 4, 2022
Devin Hester’s NFL career
The Chicago Bears drafted Hester in the second round (57th overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft. Drafted as a cornerback, the Bears intended to use Hester as a return specialist which led to initial criticism from fans and analysts who believed the franchise should’ve used early draft picks on offensive weapons.
However, through his first 13 weeks in the NFL, Hester recorded six return touchdowns and immediately became a force. He returned a punt for a touchdown in his NFL debut, had a then-record-tying 108-yard touchdown from a missed field goal against the New York Giants and two kickoff returns in one game against the St. Louis Rams. By Week 14 of his rookie season, opposing teams exercised caution when kicking to Hester, or avoided it altogether.
Hester’s fireworks continued through the postseason as the Bears made it all the way to Super Bowl XLI. The game started on a high note for Chicago as Hester returned the game’s opening kickoff for a touchdown, the first time that had been done in Super Bowl history. It marked the quickest touchdown scored in Super Bowl history and following the kick, the Colts didn’t kick directly to Hester for the rest of the game.
Devin Hester really started the Super Bowl with a house call 🏃💨
One of the greatest kick returners ever turns 40 today.
(via @NFLLegacy)pic.twitter.com/dfnDfTke3C
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 4, 2022
The Bears would go on to lose Super Bowl XLI to Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts, but Hester’s spectacular rookie season earned him a trip to the 2007 Pro Bowl. The All-Pro return specialist concluded his first NFL season with 1,128 total return yards and five return touchdowns.
Hester would begin to earn opportunities at wide receiver during the 2007 season in an effort to get the ball in his hands on more occasions. He immediately showed his dual-threat ability in a loss to the Minnesota Vikings when he caught an 81-yard touchdown pass from Brian Griese and returned a punt for an 89-yard touchdown. Hester finished the season with six kicks returned for touchdowns which set a league record.
The 2008 season would begin in controversy as Hester refused to attend the Bears’ summer camp without a new contract. The Bears were reportedly puzzled on how to compensate Hester – as a wide receiver or star return specialist – but later offered him a new four-year contract extension worth over $40 million. Although Hester didn’t record a single touchdown return for the first season in his young career, he developed as a receiver, catching 51 passes for a team-high 665 yards.
Quarterback Jay Cutler arrived in Chicago for the 2009 season and Hester took over as the team’s No. 1 wide receiver. In the season opener, Hester caught seven passes from Cutler for 90 yards, including a 36-yard touchdown catch. Despite missing three starts, Hester finished the season as the team leader with 757 receiving yards.
Hester set the all-time NFL record for combined kickoff and punt return touchdowns with 14, passing Brian Mitchell, during the 2010 season. Then in 2011, Hester became the NFL’s all-time leader in punt return touchdowns with 11 when he returned a punt 69 yards to the house against the Carolina Panthers.
Over the next two seasons, Hester’s role would diminish after the firing of head coach Lovie Smith. He became a free agent in March 2014 and released a statement that the Bears did not intend to re-sign him.
The Atlanta Falcons inked Hester to a three-year contract later that month and he proved to be worth it in his first season in the NFC South. He caught five passes for 99 yards in a season-opening win over the New Orleans Saints. Two weeks later, he returned a punt 62 yards for a touchdown which broke the record for career non-offensive touchdowns he previously shared with Sanders. Hester finished the season with 504 receiving yards and an NFL-best 1,128 kickoff return yards before appearing in his final Pro Bowl.
A turf toe injury caused Hester to miss a majority of the 2015 NFL season and the Falcons released him on July 26, 2016. He signed a one-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens ahead of the 2016 season but was released in December before joining the Seahawks for their playoff run. After losing in the Divisional Round to the Atlanta Falcons, Hester announced his intention to retire from the NFL.
On Dec. 12, 2017, Hester made his NFL retirement official and on April 23, 2018, the Bears honored him and a former teammate. Hester and Matt Forte signed ceremonial one-day contracts to retire as members of the Bears.
Hester ended his legendary, 11-year NFL career as a five-time All-Pro and four-time Pro-Bowler. He holds NFL records for total return touchdowns (20), punt return touchdowns (14) and total return touchdowns in a season (6).
Devin Hester celebrates his 38th birthday today 🥳
One of the best returners EVER.
(via @nflthrowback) pic.twitter.com/uavkayaxMX
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 4, 2020
Where is Devin Hester now?
Hester married Zingha Walcott, an elementary school teacher, in 2010 and the couple has three sons and lives in Windermere, Florida. The greatest kick returner in NFL history appears to be enjoying retirement and spending time with his children.
Back in 2019, a clip of Hester’s son, Dray, went viral after a clip emerged of him juking multiple defenders like his father used to.
Devin Hester’s son taking ANKLES 😈 @D_Hest23 pic.twitter.com/J8RcHCBwkU
— Overtime (@overtime) July 15, 2019
It shouldn’t be a surprise if the NFL welcomes another electric Hester to its ranks in the future. It also shouldn’t come as a surprise when Hester inevitably dons a gold jacket.
Devin Hester’s Hall of Fame status
Hester was chosen as one of 15 modern-era finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Jan. 2, 2022. However, he’ll have to wait at least another year for enshrinement as he was not chosen as part of the Class of 2022.
Being chosen as a finalist should help Hester’s future chances, though, as all five of the modern-era honorees part of the Class of 2022 (Tony Boselli, LeRoy Butler, Sam Mills, Richard Seymour and Bryant Young) were finalists prior to this year.
It’s only a matter of time before Hester, the best kick returner in NFL history, is enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
