Chicago Bears 2006 season Hester began his professional career in the
National Football League with the
Chicago Bears, who selected him in the second round of the
2006 NFL draft with the 57th overall pick. The team originally drafted Hester as a
cornerback, but they intended to play him as a
return specialist, following the retirement of
Jerry Azumah and departure of
Bobby Wade. The team's decision to draft Hester was initially criticized by fans and sports analysts, who believed the Bears should have spent their early picks on offensive prospects. In his first 13 weeks as a professional football player, Hester recorded six return touchdowns, including a punt return in his NFL debut, and a then-record tying 108-yard touchdown from a missed field goal against the
New York Giants. He also returned a punt for a clutch 83-yard game-winning touchdown against the
Arizona Cardinals to give the Bears the lead in a
comeback win, and two kickoff returns in one game against the
St. Louis Rams. Following his record-breaking game during week 14, opposing teams exercised additional caution when allowing Hester to return kicks. During the postseason, Hester ran back a punt at a critical moment against the Seattle Seahawks, but it was called back on a blocking penalty. Regardless, the Bears won both
NFC playoffs rounds, and advanced to
Super Bowl XLI to play the
Indianapolis Colts. He started the game for the Bears by returning the game's opening kick for a touchdown. The feat was the first touchdown return of an opening kickoff in
Super Bowl history and still remains as the only one in Super Bowl history. Following the kick, the Colts did not kick the ball directly to Hester, significantly limiting the Bears' return efforts as they would lose 17–29. Hester's feats in 2006 earned him three NFC Special Teams Player of the Week Awards and a trip to the
2007 Pro Bowl. After the
2006 season ended, he was named the NFC Player of the Month for December and was a finalist for 2006
Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year. He was also voted onto the
Associated Press's 2006 All-Pro team with 48 and a half votes, finishing fourth behind
LaDainian Tomlinson,
Champ Bailey, and
Jason Taylor who all received 50 votes. He finished the
2006 season by accumulating three touchdowns for 600 yards on 47 punt returns, and two touchdowns for 528 yards on 20 kick returns, thus making him one of the league's most productive kick and punt returners. Even without taking an offensive snap prior to week 14, Hester was the Bears' second leading scorer, behind kicker
Robbie Gould. On the other hand, Hester struggled to control the football at times, having games with multiple fumbles on at least two separate occasions. Many fans speculated that Hester's speed and prior experience as a wide receiver would earn him a spot on the Bears' offense, similar to teammate
Rashied Davis. While head coach
Lovie Smith dismissed the speculation, he played Hester as a wide receiver for one play against the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers on December 17, 2006; he ran a
curl route and was targeted by quarterback
Rex Grossman, but the pass was too low and fell incomplete. Hester attributes his talent to his mentor,
Deion Sanders, who Hester claims helped him perfect his return game. His teammates and coaches have also praised Hester. After the 2006 season, he was voted to receive the team's
Brian Piccolo Award, which is given to a player who possesses a good character and work ethic. Bears fans and the local media nicknamed Hester the "Windy City Flyer" during his first year in Chicago.
2007 season in 2007 Shortly after losing
Super Bowl XLI, Hester and special teams coach
Dave Toub spent a significant amount of time working on new return strategies and formations. Ultimately, Smith converted Hester into a
wide receiver in order to increase the number of opportunities he would receive during a game. Hester, who originally played as a wide receiver at the
University of Miami, was initially hesitant about making the switch to offense, as he wished to follow in the footsteps of
Deion Sanders. However, the Bears' coaching staff eventually persuaded Hester to make the transition over the summer. During the 2007 offseason, Hester won the
Best Breakthrough Athlete ESPY Award. Although NFL rules generally required wide receivers to wear
jersey numbers in the 10–19 and 80–89 range, players who later change positions are allowed to keep their previous number, as long as it is not within the 50–79 range for
eligible receiver purposes prior to the
2021 NFL season. Hester was allowed to keep number 23, a number normally used for cornerbacks, since it sits outside the 50–79 range. Along with former
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver
Dwight Stone, who wore number 20 during his eight-year stint in Pittsburgh, and
Oakland Raiders wide receiver
Cliff Branch, Hester was one of three wide receivers to wear a 20s jersey number since the NFL adopted the current uniform numbering system in 1973. Hester returned his first touchdown of the season, a 73-yard punt return, against the
Kansas City Chiefs during week 2. He nearly recorded a second touchdown return, but the play was negated by a holding penalty. He also returned a punt for an 89-yard touchdown, though the Bears lost the game. In the weeks to come, many opposing special teams began to kick the ball away from Hester, contributing to, according to
Mike Pereira, a 132% increase in kickoffs that went out of ounds.
Rod Marinelli, the head coach of the
Detroit Lions, placed a strong emphasis on kicking the ball away from Hester, saying, "kick the ball into
Lake Michigan and make sure it (sinks) to the bottom." Before the Bears' week 12 matchup against the
Denver Broncos,
Todd Sauerbrun infamously stated that he would kick the ball to Hester. Hester, who had not returned a kick for a touchdown in almost a month, responded by returning a punt and kickoff for touchdowns.
Keith Olbermann, a commentator for
NBC Sunday Night Football, awarded Sauerbrun with the dubious "Worst Person in the NFL Award" for kicking the ball to Hester and failing to tackle him. The two touchdowns gave Hester the most kick returns for touchdowns in the Bears' franchise history. Hester concluded the season with a 64-yard punt return for a touchdown and a 55-yard touchdown reception against the
New Orleans Saints. He was even given the opportunity to throw a pass on a variation of a
wide receiver reverse, but he was
sacked while motioning to
Bernard Berrian. Hester finished the season with six kicks returned for touchdowns, which set a league record. He finished the season ranking fourth on the League's all-time combined kick return list, behind
Brian Mitchell (13),
Eric Metcalf (12), and
Dante Hall (12). Additionally, he amassed 299 yards on 20 receptions as a receiver, though he was often used as a decoy. His play on offense received mixed commentary. While the Bears' coaching staff believed Hester showed enough progress to become one of the team's top receivers in 2008, Hester was prone to making small errors, including running routes incorrectly or dropping catches. He drew a 15-yard facemask penalty while attempting to fend off a would-be tackler in a game against the Saints, and received a $5,000 fine. Nevertheless, Hester concluded the season with four Player of the Week Awards, giving him a franchise-high total of seven in his career, and an invitation to the
2008 Pro Bowl.
2008 season in 2008 Prior to the beginning of the
2008 season, Hester stated that he would not attend the Bears' summer camp unless the team offered him a new contract. He further voiced his displeasure with his current contract in a phone interview with the
Chicago Tribune, commenting, "I can't go out and play this year making $445,000. Come on, man." League insider
Adam Schefter believed the Bears were puzzled over how Hester should be classified (as a wide receiver or a return specialist of such a star caliber), and be offered a contract accordingly. After receiving a $30,000 fine for not attending two days of training, Hester returned to the team's camp. The team later offered him a new four-year contract extension, worth over $40 million. Hester missed the third game of the season after tearing
cartilage in his ribs during the previous week. He returned to the field in the team's week 4 contest against the
Philadelphia Eagles, where he caught his first touchdown of the season. Smith gave Hester his first starting job as a wide receiver the next week, in place of the injured
Brandon Lloyd. Hester went on to catch five passes for 66 yards and one touchdown. In the following week, Hester totaled 87 yards on six receptions. After a week 8
bye, Hester caught four passes for 42 yards and had an 11-yard run against the
Detroit Lions. He eventually lost his kick return duties to
Danieal Manning, but began receiving more playing time as a wide receiver. Between week 12 and 15, Hester caught 17 passes for 250 yards and one touchdown. David Haugh of the
Chicago Tribune regarded Hester as the team's "biggest threat in the passing game". He concluded the season by catching 51 passes for a team high 665 yards. Unlike his previous two seasons in the NFL, Hester did not record a single touchdown return Smith commented on Hester at the end of the season by saying, "I know his returns dropped off a little bit this year, but his plate was full there for a while. We think we have a happy medium now for him as a punt returner and continuing to develop as a receiver." Hester was also selected to play in the
2009 Pro Bowl as a third alternate.
2009 season After the acquisition of
Jay Cutler, Hester took on the role as the de facto number one wide receiver. In the first game of the season, Hester caught seven passes from Cutler for 90 yards, including a 36-yard touchdown reception. In the following weeks Hester began to develop a rapport with Cutler and amassed 634 receiving yards and three touchdowns through the first ten weeks of the season. He played the best game of the season on October 25, 2009, against the
Cincinnati Bengals, catching eight passes for 101 yards and a touchdown. In a game against the
St. Louis Rams during the thirteenth week of the season, Hester injured his calf and missed three starts. Hester returned to play in the Bears season finale against the
Detroit Lions, catching three passes for 75 yards. Despite missing the three starts, Hester led the team with 757 receiving yards, and finished behind
Greg Olsen in receptions. He told the
Chicago Tribune that he planned on spending the offseason honing his receiving and returning skills by strengthening in his legs, especially to fully recover from the calf injury he sustained earlier.
2010 season During the offseason, Hester worked on his speed and conditioning by prioritizing running over weight training. Bears offensive coordinator
Mike Martz gave Hester the opportunity to work with
Isaac Bruce, who was part of Martz's "
Greatest Show on Turf". Bruce advised Hester on route-running and basic wide receiver fundamentals. Hester appeared in three preseason games, where he recorded five receptions for 64 yards. On September 19, the regular season, Hester caught four passes for 77 yards and a one-handed catch for a touchdown against the
Dallas Cowboys. The following week, Hester returned a punt for a 62-yard touchdown in a close game against the
Green Bay Packers. This was his first touchdown return since the final week of the
2007 season against the
New Orleans Saints. On October 17, Hester returned two punts for 93 yards and an 89-yard touchdown, in a 23–20 loss against the
Seattle Seahawks. The touchdown tied the record for most combined kick and punt return touchdowns in a career with
Brian Mitchell (13). In week 10 of the regular season, Hester caught four passes for 38 yards and a 19-yard touchdown against the
Minnesota Vikings. Hester was given back his kick return duties, and returned two kicks for 100 yards including a run back of 68 yards. Hester also ran back two punts for 47 yards including a return of 42 yards. Two weeks later, Hester caught three balls for 86 yards from
Jay Cutler, and returned a kick 46 yards in a 31–26 win against the
Philadelphia Eagles. On December 20 in a game against the
Minnesota Vikings, Hester scored on a 15-yard touchdown pass from
Jay Cutler. Later, Hester returned a
Chris Kluwe punt 64 yards for a touchdown, which set the all-time NFL record for combined kickoff and punt returns for touchdown with 14, passing
Brian Mitchell. It was the tenth punt return for touchdown of his career, tying
Eric Metcalf's record for the most punt return touchdowns in a career. Hester finished the season with 40 receptions for 475 yards and four touchdowns. As a
return specialist, he amassed 564 yards on punt returns, while averaging 17.1 yards per return and scored three touchdowns. Hester was the third leading scorer, behind running back
Matt Forte and kicker
Robbie Gould. His accomplishments in the 2010 season earned him 2 NFC Special Teams Player of The Week Awards, a trip to the
2011 Pro Bowl, and a selection to the All-Pro Team. Hester was ranked 32nd best player in the League in a poll where active NFL players ranked their top 100 peers.
2011 season Prior to the
2011 season, the NFL passed a new rule that moved kickoffs to the 35-yard line from the 30-yard line. The change was a result of a player safety initiative to reduce injuries during kickoffs. The rule change directly resulted in a higher number of touchbacks and fewer returns. Hester commented on the situation stating, "They got a couple touchbacks but you've still got guys bringing it out and at the end of the day that rule is pointless." On October 2, 2011, Hester became the
NFL's all-time leader in punt return touchdowns with 11 when he returned a punt 69 yards for a touchdown against the
Carolina Panthers surpassing
Eric Metcalf's record. On October 16, Hester returned a kickoff for a 98-yard touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings. On November 13, Hester returned a punt 82 yards for a touchdown against the Detroit Lions. He was ranked 48th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2012.
2012 season On April 30, 2012, Bears offensive coordinator
Mike Tice and general manager
Phil Emery announced that Hester's role would be reduced down to at least 4th-string, and Tice mentioned that the Bears would utilize Hester in a series of plays called the "Hester Package", instead of an every-down receiver. In the season, Hester caught 23 passes while only catching one touchdown, which occurred in week 4 against the
Dallas Cowboys. He also failed to return a kick/punt for a touchdown and ranked 22nd in punt return average during 2012. After Smith's firing on December 31, Hester stated that he considered retirement, though he tweeted that his consideration was not related to Smith.
2013 season Hester exclusively saw playing time as a return specialist when
Marc Trestman became the Bears' head coach. In week two against the
Minnesota Vikings, Hester broke the team record for most kickoff return yards in a game with 249. Four weeks later against the
New York Giants, Hester passed
Glyn Milburn for the most all-time kickoff return yards in franchise history with 4,643 yards. Against the
Washington Redskins, Hester returned a punt 81 yards for a touchdown for his 19th career return touchdown, tying
Deion Sanders' record. In addition to Hester's NFL records, he is also the leader in career punt returns (264) and punt return yards (3,241) among active players. Hester ended the 2013 season having averaged 27.7 kick return yards and 14.2 punt return yards, while also leading the league in kick return yards with 1,442. Hester became a free agent on March 11, 2014. He released a statement on March 5, 2014, that the Bears did not intend to re-sign him. Hester thanked the Bears organization and fan base for their support throughout his time in Chicago.
Phil Emery, the Bears' general manager, commented on Hester's legacy, stating, "While Devin has redefined the pinnacle standard of the return position in the NFL, the memories and contributions he has given us cannot be measured by stats or numbers."
Atlanta Falcons in 2014 Hester signed a three-year contract with the
Atlanta Falcons on March 20, 2014. In his debut game with the Falcons, Hester caught five passes for 99 yards, helping lead the Falcons to a 37–34 week 1 overtime victory over the
New Orleans Saints. During week 3 against the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Hester brought back a 62-yard punt for his 20th career touchdown return, breaking the record for career non-offensive touchdowns he previously shared with Deion Sanders. Also in the same game, Hester recorded a rushing touchdown, forced fumble and fumble recovery. Hester was named the NFC's Special Teams Player of the Week for his accomplishments. Hester concluded the season with 504 receiving yards from 38 receptions and led the NFL with 1,128 kick-off return yards. He was also selected to play in the
2015 Pro Bowl. Hester missed a majority of the 2015 NFL season due to a
turf toe injury. The Falcons activated him from the injury reserve for the final five games of the season, but only used Hester on special teams. He tallied 235 kick return yards and 34 punt return yards, but failed to record a touchdown. Hester underwent foot surgery in January 2016 to repair the toe injury he sustained earlier in the season. On July 26, Hester was released by the Falcons. Hester attributed his dismissal to the lingering toe-injury he sustained in the previous season. He voiced interest in continuing his career in the NFL for the 2016 season once he has fully recovered.
Baltimore Ravens On September 4, 2016, Hester agreed to a one-year deal with the
Baltimore Ravens. Hester appeared in 12 games for the Ravens, where he was used exclusively as a return specialist. He recorded 180 punt return yards and 466 kick return yards but failed to return a touchdown during the 2016 season. The Ravens released Hester on December 13.
Seattle Seahawks Hester signed with the
Seattle Seahawks on January 3, 2017. He debuted for the Seahawks in the first round of the
2016 playoffs against the
Detroit Lions. Hester returned one kickoff for 20 yards and one punt for five yards against the Detroit Lions.
Retirement and legacy On December 12, 2017, Hester officially announced his retirement from the NFL. The
Chicago Bears honored both Hester and former teammate
Matt Forte on April 23, 2018, during a press conference at
Halas Hall. The two players signed ceremonial one-day contracts to retire as members of the Bears. He amassed over 10,000 career yards returning punts and kickoffs, an NFL-record 20 touchdown returns, and four
Pro Bowl selections over his 11-season career. He is regarded as one of the greatest
return specialists in NFL history.
Dave Toub, Hester's former special teams coordinator, noted Hester left a lasting impression in the NFL, shaping the way teams approached special teams and the value they placed on return specialists. He believed Hester's success led other teams to invest draft capital in return specialists, hoping to replicate the impact Hester had on the Bears. though he was not inducted. On February 8, 2024, in his third year of eligibility, Hester was selected for induction, becoming the first return specialist to make the Hall of Fame. ==NFL career statistics==