Although Bears legend Devin Hester made the final cut for a spot in the Hall of Fame, the electric return man will take his rightful place in Canton as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, just not as a first-ballot inductee.
During the broadcast of the NFL Honors award show Thursday night, the 2022 HOF class was announced, headlined by former Patriots standout Richard Seymour. However, Hester was not among the men selected.
There’s was a lot of debate prior to the announcement whether Hester, who was a special teams player, should belong in the Hall of Fame. This is based mainly on his limited production at wide-receiver and the fact that Hester would be the first and only return specialist to ever be immortalized in Canton.
NFL Twitter didn't seem to agree with the Hall of Fames decision and believe Hester was robbed.
For all of Bears fans' frustrations, Hester will make it in the hall sooner of later. This year’s Hall of Fame class includes five modern-era players: Tony Boselli, LeRoy Butler, the late Sam Mills, Richard Seymour and Bryant Young.
Hester's rookie season in Chicago was one to remember. During the 2006 season, Hester had three punt return touchdowns, two kick return touchdowns, and one remarkable score where he took a missed field goal straight to the house.
Most fans remember Hester for his opening kickoff return during Super Bowl XLI for a 92-yard touchdown. He is still the first--and only player to return the opening kickoff for a touchdown. That play is arguably one of the most memorable in Bears' history. To say Hester was an integral part of the team's Super Bowl run that season would be an understatement.
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It didn't take that long for teams to start kicking around him but it didn't matter much. Hester led the league in punt return scores three times, and kick return scores twice. He was named to four Pro Bowls and was a First-Team All-Pro three times.
Someone who knows exactly what it's like to be an elite return man, Deion Sanders, chimed in before the new inductees were announced, calling it "absurd" if Hester were to miss out on the hall in his first ballot.
"It would be absurd," Sanders said. "If he’s not a first-ballot Hall of Famer. There’s no man that was feared more than Devin Hester with a ball in his hands on special teams. And that’s coming from me.”
Hester still owns the NFL record with 20 special teams touchdowns in the regular season. Some of the other notable names that weren't named during their first year of eligibility include: DeMarcus Ware and Andre Johnson.
Follow Jasper Jones on Twitter: @jonesj2342
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