Devin Hester will be the first returner to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The wait for Devin Hester is officially over.
After not being selected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame during his first two years of eligibility in, Devin Hester finally received the call in 2024. And now he will be inducted into the hall of fame this Summer in Canton, Ohio.
Devin Hester began his professional career with the Chicago Bears, who selected him in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft as the 57th overall choice. Hester was drafted as a cornerback, but he gradually established himself as a kick returner and a serviceable wide receiver.
He won two NFL kickoff return yardage awards, two NFL punt return yardage awards, and three NFL Alumni Special Teams Player of the Year honors. Hester was also named to the NFL’s 2000 and 2010 All-Decade Teams.
Devin Hester has an excellent history, having been named a first-team All-Pro three times and a Pro Bowler four times. He has 14 punt returns, the most in NFL history, 20 total non-offensive touchdowns, and the highest average yards per return among players with at least 300 returns.
One of the league’s most notable plays was taking the first kickoff of Super Bowl XLI for a 92-yard touchdown.
Hester also accumulated 3,427 yards and 17 touchdowns on offense, primarily as a wide receiver.
The former Bear also played for the Atlanta Falcons for two seasons before moving on to the Baltimore Ravens and Seattle Seahawks in 2016. In two games, he averaged more than 35 yards per kickoff return, contributing to Seattle’s playoff run in 2016.
Devin Hester is a first for the Pro Football Hall of Fame
The debate with Hester has been if he was good enough as simply a returner to make the Hall of Fame for his career. While he didn’t get in the first two years of eligibility, the panel now does believe he was good enough as a returner to make it in.
Devin Hester will be the first pure returner to Canton, elected as a modern-era candidate in his third year of eligibility. He will be joined by Julius Peppers, who spent four years with the Bears from 2010 to 2013, and Chicago Bears veteran Steve “Mongo” McMichael.
Hester instilled fear in opposing special teams and will always hold a special place in Chicago fans’ hearts. There was never any doubt that he deserved to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and his legacy will live on, not only in Chicago, but among the greatest players to ever play in the NFL.
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