http://espn.go.com/chicago/nfl/story/_/id/10561574/chicago-bears-say-re-sign-devin-hester

Bears won't re-sign Devin Hester

By Michael C. Wright | ESPNChicago.com

Despite all his accolades as a return man, Devin Hester won't be returning to the Chicago Bears in 2014.

After the Bears informed Hester he wouldn't be re-signed for 2014, general manager Phil Emery released a statement Thursday thanking the record-setting returner.

"For the past eight seasons, we have been honored to have Devin Hester as a part of our organization," Emery said. "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."

Interestingly, the team parted ways in 2013 with future Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher in similar fashion.

Hester ranks as the NFL's all-time leader in punt return touchdowns (13) and total kick return touchdowns (18). Overall, Hester has generated 19 regular-season return TDs -- which ties Hall of Famer Deion Sanders for the most in league history -- including a 108-yard return of a missed field goal.

Hester returned the opening kick in Super Bowl XLI 92 yards for a score, giving him a league-record 20 return TDs in the regular season and playoffs.

"Not only is Devin a special player, he is also an exceptional person," Emery said. "He is a great teammate, husband and father. Devin represented the organization off the field as well as he did on it. When his career is over, he will always be a welcome member of the Bears family. We thank him for his dedication and wish him and his family all the best."

Hester made the news of his pending departure public Wednesday during an interview with NFL Network.

"From my knowledge, I know that Chicago wants to go a different route with me," Hester said. "All I can say is thanks to the fans for their support. They've always been great to me, always been loyal. I couldn't have played for a better city than those guys. At the end of my career, I do want to retire as a member of the Bears."

Hester later took to his Facebook page to thank the team's fans.

"To all my Chicago people ... I can't thank you all enough for my time in Chicago," he wrote. "I've always said I wanted to retire a Chicago Bear but sometimes things don't work out the way we would like. Chicago will always hold a special place in my heart and if I am fortunate enough to break the return record, we will have all broken it together ... no matter where I am. Thank you again and God Bless."

Urlacher's exit from Chicago played out similarly last offseason.

The linebacker became a free agent last March for the first time in his career, and although he engaged briefly in negotiations for a new contract with the club, the sides cut off talks on March 20. Soon after, the Bears issued a statement announcing the sides couldn't come to an agreement and therefore would part ways.

Hester endured several lulls on returns during his career, particularly when the Bears tried to make him a receiver. But he showed some of his old form while focusing solely on returns last season.

Hester's TD return against Washington last season was his first in nearly two years. He led the NFL with a career-high 1,436 kick return yards on a league-high 52 tries, including five returns for a team-record 249 yards against Minnesota in Week 2 of last season.

But with Hester focusing primarily on returns in 2013, it's likely the team held expectations that he would return to greatness on a more consistent basis. Toward the end of last season, the Bears signed receiver/return specialist Chris Williams, who had spent time with the New Orleans Saints and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League prior to joining the Bears. Other candidates on the roster to replace Hester on returns include veterans Eric Weems and Earl Bennett.

In 123 games (46 starts) over eight seasons, Hester's 3,241 punt return yards are eighth most in NFL history and his 12.3 punt return average ranks No. 5. Hester is the club's all-time leader in total return touchdowns, punt return touchdowns, punt return yards, kickoff return yards (5,504) and total kick return yards (8,745) and is second in all-purpose yards (11,632).

A three-time Pro Bowler (2006, 2007 and 2010), Hester was named to the 2000s All-Decade team by The Associated Press and ESPN. He was the rookie recipient of the team's 2006 Brian Piccolo Award, which is elected by Bears players for teammates they feel best exemplify the courage, loyalty, teamwork, dedication and sense of humor of the late Piccolo.

Hester has expressed some interest in a reunion with former Bears coach Lovie Smith with Tampa Bay.

"I look at Lovie as my No. 1 coach right now because he's the one that took a chance on me coming out of the draft," Hester said. "He has all my respect. So if he's a guy that is going to shoot at me and want me to come play with him again, my arms are open."

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YARDS

..i agree that he can help a team, and would love to see him suit up for tampa.

i just don't want the org to start signing every castaway @ ridiculous prices.


*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

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They put their first punter in, so I suppose the walls are widening. People like to talk about Adam Vinatieri a lot like a future HOF, but who knows? One kicker and one punter in the history of the NFL. That's it. Everybody else was an every down player.

i figured he was a no brainer hall of famer.

I mean, I think that you can acknowledge that he's the greatest return man of all-time without thinking that he should be in the HOF.

There are a lot of really good football players that played every down on one side of the ball and had 10-15 year careers that aren't in the HOF.

understand the argument that some may use against him.

There are some truly outstanding players who have not and will not ever make the HOF who were far more productive offensive/defensive players than Hester. There are guys who, if given the opportunity to exclusively play on STs, *may have put up similar numbers to Hester.

Take a guy like Brian Westbrook for instance. He's got no shot at the HOF. But, he was more valuable to his team and had more of an overall impact on his team than Hester did. Is it fair that Hester gets in over him? Had BWest focused solely on STs, his return game #s would be sick. I hate to just be a homer and cite Eagles players, but the same scenario can be used with Desean Jackson too (although he's got an outside chance of making the HOF if he can play at this level for another 5 years). Putting a guy like Hester in over someone like DJax would be flat out insulting imo.

I do think Hester should make the HOF. However, I can certainly understand the case that may be made against him.

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on one hand, i have been a vocal advocate for punters in the HOF. on the other, few if any position on the field consistently accounts for more yardage than the punter. anyone who's ever coached at a lower level where things are not so automatic can tell you their value.

a return man is such a hit and miss thing. fair catches, touchbacks and an overall lack of opportunities. no question hester is one of the all time greats if not the best ever. i'd put him ahead of other straight specialists like dante hall for sure. brian mitchell i would consider his peer, he took a very different approach but fuck he was good at what he did. but you have the deions and rod woodsons of the world who were awesome as it was and could have probably be even better if they were straight specialists.

for me to have been 100% sold, hester would have had to have done more as a receiver. as it is, i don't know how comfortable i am with a return man getting in, though if anyone deserves it, it's him and brian mitchell.

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mitchell treated the return game like the running game, found the hole and took what he could. he was a master at it. like emmitt smith and some other actual backs, he was not always spectacular and his rep suffered for it. but for consistency, longevity and substantive quality? he was outstanding. i would give hester the edge, but not by a lot.

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He could have some success catching passes out of the backfield, he'd certainly be better at it than playing WR or probably corner.

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*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

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..can't say how much of an effort was made, but i know i've seen hester line up in the slot on a number of occasions.

didn't seem to yield much for them, but that might be an indication of other issues plaguing the team as well.

either way, outside of special teams, i'm not sold on hester.


*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

2008- 51 catches for 665
2009- 57 for 757

Totally respectable as part of a pretty bad offense. Then as the Bears offense went from "normal-Bears-bad" to EPIC FAILURE AT EVERY POSITION

2010- 40 for 475
2011- 26 for 369
2012- 22 for 242



For some reason, Hester ( who never should have been the #1) suddenly became the focus of all blame even though nobody can tell me a single player who was good for the Bears on offense 2010-2012.

Yeah, he looked bad but so did Cutler, the entire oline and all the bench players, Forte, all the tight ends and every other receiver.


So, either, Hester CAN be a solid offensive contributor in the right situation OR every Bears offensive player was absolute trash because although he didn't play well in that time span, neither did anyone else.

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..its one of the reasons i pointed out the possibility that there were systemic problems that possibly nullified any impact hester might've had in the slot.

we all know he's a gifted special teams player, but that solution is pretty simple: stop kicking to him.

as it stands, i'm still skeptical on the overall impact he will have for any team moving forward (and more importantly, at what cost?).


*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

Pretty much all Sproles does is catch passes. Have Hester run behind some screens or be a safety valve, and he could do some damage. He is fast and he is dangerous in open space, and imo a lot better suited in that role than running slants or posts. Putting him in the backfield as a pass catcher plays to his strengths.

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he isn't a running back
now i know people would say he wasn't a receiver but in the few years he started as WR1
i thought he proved he could at least be a slot.

he regressed since 09 as a receiver big time
just started dropping passes so much
he played himself out of the rotation, esp love's last year.

woodhead and d sproles are both running backs by nature.
They are both much stronger and have running back instincts.

>he isn't a running back
>now i know people would say he wasn't a receiver but in the
>few years he started as WR1
>i thought he proved he could at least be a slot.
>

He did prove that

>he regressed since 09 as a receiver big time

Or did the entire offense regress big time, from average to nightmarish. I mean, who played well during those years?

Not Cutler. Not a single offensive lineman. Not any receivers. You could make an argument for Forte but every time we needed short yardage he got hit for a loss and his pass protection was meh. Basically, the entire offense was sabotaged by terrible line play, bad playcalling and injury. Hard for me to then put the blame on Hester for somehow not rising above it. He is not THAT good.

>just started dropping passes so much

He dropped a couple but more often than not he just wasn't getting the ball because a) he was in wrong place b) Cutler threw ball to wrong place c) the entire play broke down

>he played himself out of the rotation, esp love's last year.
>

Cutler threw every single pass to Brandon Marshall that year.

I'm from the lost black tribe of Israel, the Yos

http://coolehmag.com/frontEnd/

>He could have some success catching

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YARDS

When the Bears offense was anywhere near competent, he did have success on offense.

When the entire offense was submarined by terrible playcalling, the worst oline in recent NFL history and injuries at QB, he struggled.


The revisionist history is, Devin Hester cannot catch a pass or run a route but it simply is not true.

I'm from the lost black tribe of Israel, the Yos

http://coolehmag.com/frontEnd/

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One Hundred.

We can always use the help. Our special teams returners should make the pro bowl. Hester along with Patrick and the badger should make will break an NFL record easily.

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Desean had his heroics but we want him solely focused on WR duties as he can sometimes dance backwards & lose yardage.

Dude here could surely give a team some good field position for a few more years if not break out the TD strut as often as he used to.

plus send Desean back there at times.

it was time

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2014-03-06/sports/chi-brian-urlacher-devin-hester-20140306_1_devin-hester-brian-urlacher-departure

"DISGUSTING!! THEY AIN'T KEEPIN IT REAL, THEY KEEPIN IT WRONG!!" - B. Urlacher

I wish Hester was staying but if they are not going to find a way for him to contribute on offense, it's just not worth it.

Bears are fucking capped out. I'd rather keep Peppers (which probably won't happen either) than Hester UNLESS Hester was going to have other roles, which he wasn't.

I'm from the lost black tribe of Israel, the Yos

http://coolehmag.com/frontEnd/

Just return kicks and punts.


Do that only.


He earned money in being the BEST.


The Bears messed that up exposing him to injury at WR when he has only ONE JOB.

>Just return kicks and punts.
>
>
>Do that only.
>
>
>He earned money in being the BEST.
>
>
>The Bears messed that up exposing him to injury at WR when he
>has only ONE JOB.
>
>
>


I couldn't disagree more. Like, literally, everything you said I disagree with categorically.

I'm from the lost black tribe of Israel, the Yos

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http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2014/03/07/baffoe-urlacher-puts-grudge-ahead-of-basic-business-with-hester-comments/

Urlacher Puts Grudge Ahead Of Basic Business With Hester Comments
March 7, 2014 10:00 AM

By Tim Baffoe-

(CBS) Chicago Bears general manager Phil Emery knew the basic fan would not stand for it, so he played to the base.

In a press release regarding parting ways with Devin Hester, Emery said: “Not only is Devin a special player, he is also an exceptional person. He is a great teammate, husband and father. Devin represented the organization off the field as well as he did on it. When his career is over, he will always be a welcome member of the Bears family. We thank him for his dedication and wish him and his family all the best.”

That’s basic GM-speak for trying to minimize the blowback from walking stereotypes who are appalled at the gall of a front office deciding to not re-sign one of the most exciting players in franchise history. Lots of fans really hate it when the jersey they own becomes sort of obsolete, smart business decisions be damned. And I’m sure it didn’t enter into Emery’s mind (because he’s, you know, mature and stuff), but the banging at the gate becomes extra pathetic when it’s by a guy who wore an actually-issued jersey.

Brian Urlacher hates the Bears general manager because in 2013, Emery put what was best for the team ahead of letting the corpse of a Hall of Famer decay further on the field. And then when nobody else wanted Urlacher either, he burned a bridge rather than admit even just to himself that Emery was basically right. Far be it from Urlacher than to look at Emery’s choice to let Hester walk in a rational manner when No. 54 can instead keep his pathetic grudge aflame.

“Look at what the Steelers have done the last couple days signing Troy Polamalu, Heath Miller, some older guys to a couple more years just so they can retire as Steelers,” Urlacher said. “The Bears could do that with Devin. He should retire a Bear. He set all those records in a Bears uniform, and his No. 23 should be retired one day in Chicago. It’s just the loyalty factor. It’s just not there.”

Don’t think for a second that the last part of that quote isn’t a shot at Emery, whose name Urlacher maturely refuses to say anymore. And it’s a shot that won’t pierce the GM, but it is a scrap that rabid fans eat up. The same ones who think the Bears would have been better last season and probably this coming one with Urlacher. The same who relish the former linebacker’s hardly disguised dislike of Jay Cutler.

The NFL has decided it doesn’t care for kick returners. It eliminated kickoffs from the Pro Bowl, has debated eliminating them in real games and, after moving kickoffs up to the 35-yard line in 2011, the amount of them returned has plummeted. There is no sane reason for a GM to pay significant money to a return specialist like Hester anymore — and doubly so when he has an offense that no longer needs its special teams to pull so much weight but very much needs as much cash as possible to fix the league’s worst defense that kept the Bears out of the postseason.

That isn’t a loyalty issue, it’s a basic business issue. People who make personnel decisions fueled by loyalty don’t get to make decisions for much longer. Just like if a cable company didn’t see someone’s celebrity value worth what it once was, it wouldn’t be disloyal, just smart.

But, hey, memories, right?

“You think of Devin returning all those punts and kicks as a Bear,” said Urlach Holmes. “He’s going to break the record on another team, probably. It’s crazy to think he won’t be in a Bears uniform doing that. It’s frustrating as an ex-Bear and a player to see that happen.”

Holy meatball signal, Batman. Why is seeing a player set an individual record in a team sport on another team “frustrating?”

“No, he must be reflectively ours forever and never wear another uniform,” said the man with the car and Bears flag on his lawn.

Problem is, Urlacher’s voice still carries to those fans, the ones who buy the nonproductive but very marketable and profitable “heart tradition Bear football loyalty” jumbotron bumper stickers, who wish Hester could play in Chicago until he doesn’t want to anymore because clinging to nostalgia and refusal to let go are always signs of a person with some solid opinions and one who should be a voice on a network that desperately needs credibility.

And where he has the opportunity to educate, Urlacher chooses to retard a very basic understanding for the sake of his petty saltiness toward his former team that, with every lame refusal to say Emery’s or Cutler’s name, is taking away more and more of the easy “team ambassador” money Urlacher could make if his broadcast career doesn’t pan out.

It’s very unlike Olin Kreutz, the former center who on Wednesday on 670 The Score with Zach Zaidman and former Bears teammate Patrick Mannelly had positive things to say about the Bears and no harsh words for how his much publicized football divorce went down.

“There’s no hard feelings at all,” Kreutz said. “My career, that’s just the way it was meant to end, and that’s when I was meant to leave.”

Makes a lot of sense why during the interview Mannelly acknowledged Urlacher’s locker room contribution but made it clear that Kreutz was the team’s unquestioned leader when both played.

Nobody likes being dumped, and part of me feels bad for an electrifying player, should-be Hall of Famer and really nice guy in Hester (who isn’t taking this well). But because he’s such a good guy, he’ll hopefully soon see this as business, not personal.

Then maybe he’ll tell Urlacher to stop being so basic.

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