Devin Hester return stats: Why ex-Bears star made NFL Hall of Fame history

Jacob Camenker

•
Devin Hester return stats: Why ex-Bears star made NFL Hall of Fame history image

Devin Hester is going where no NFL return specialist has gone before: to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

Hester will be enshrined in the Hall of Fame as part of its 2024 class, per the Chicago Sun-Times. The NFL officially announced Hester's election Thursday as part of its NFL Honors gala.

Hester, 41, drew consideration for enshrinement in each of the past two offseasons but was not chosen. Why? The NFL has not often rewarded players with Hall of Fame status based primarily on their special teams contributions.

Despite the so-called third phase of the game being important, only four kickers and one punter have made the Hall of Fame. Only two of those kickers — Morten Anderson and Jan Stenerud — played the position exclusively, while Ray Guy is the Hall of Fame's lone punter.

MORE: Devin Hester is who we thought he was — the best return man of all time

Now Hester will join that crew, as a majority of his production throughout his NFL career came as a return specialist. Here's a look back at his stellar career as the former Bears star prepares to make NFL history.

Devin Hester return stats

Hester logged a whopping 20 touchdowns as a returner during his NFL career, the most by any player in league history.

Most of Hester's special teams scores came on punt returns. He logged an NFL record 14 of those, four clear of the second-place finisher Eric Metcalf, who had just 10. Hester also added five kickoff return touchdowns in the regular season and one touchdown return off a missed field goal.

Hester was an All-Pro as a returner three times and led the NFL in punt return touchdowns in three different seasons (2006, 2007 and 2010). He also led the NFL in kick return touchdowns in both 2006 and 2011.

Below is a look at Hester's year-by-year stats as a return man.

YearTeamPunt returnsPR yardsPR TDsKick returnsKR yardsKR TDs
2006Bears476003205282
2007Bears426514439342
2008Bears321980316790
2009Bears24187071560
2010Bears335643124270
2011Bears284542337231
2012Bears403310246210
2013Bears182561521,4360
2014Falcons182401451,1280
2015Falcons834092350
2016Ravens251800194660
Total—3153,695142957,3335

Hester twice led the NFL in average yards per punt return with his marks of 17.1 and 16.2 in 2010 and 2011 respectively. It's also worth noting that he served as a productive receiving weapon at times. He racked up 255 catches for 3,311 yards and 17 total touchdowns (one rushing) during his time with the Bears and the Falcons.

Still, what's getting Hester into the Hall of Fame is prolific numbers as a returner; his receiving production is merely a bonus for his case.

MORE: Where Patrick Mahomes, Christian McCaffrey land in 2017 NFL re-draft

Devin Hester Super Bowl return

Of course, the most memorable play of Hester's career came during his rookie season. The Bears made the Super Bowl thanks to their excellent defense and Hester punctuated the start of the game by returning the opening kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown.

Hester showcased his elusiveness during the play, moving his feet and shifting until he saw a lane open on his right side. From there, his speed took over, and he outran the Colts to the end-zone to give Chicago an early 7-0 lead in its 29-17 Super Bowl defeat.

Below is a look at the play, along with a near-prophetic call by Jim Nantz.

Hester's score after 14 seconds remains the fastest in Super Bowl history, and it will be a tough mark for any team to top. 

Hester is also just one of 10 players in NFL history to notch a kick return touchdown in the Super Bowl. Only Jacoby Jones (Ravens, 2013) and Percy Harvin (Seahawks, 2014) have achieved that feat since Hester broke loose back in 2007.

That play is Hester's lone postseason return score and gives him a total of 21 return touchdowns across 163 games in the regular season and postseason.

MORE: Sporting News experts make 49ers vs. Chiefs Super Bowl picks

Devin Hester highlights

The Super Bowl return was far from the only highlight of Hester's career. His touchdown returns were often explosive; and when he got to open space, his speed was a big-time difference maker, as seen in the highlight package below.

NFL fans will certainly understand why Hester is becoming a Hall of Famer after watching that brief video. He was a massive special teams weapon and routinely set the Bears up for offensive success during his heyday.

Thus, it's only fitting that he becomes the player ever inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame primarily for his abilities as a return man.

Jacob Camenker

Jacob Camenker Photo

Jacob Camenker first joined The Sporting News as a fantasy football intern in 2018 after his graduation from UMass. He became a full-time employee with TSN in 2021 and now serves as a senior content producer with a particular focus on the NFL. Jacob worked at NBC Sports Boston as a content producer from 2019 to 2021. He is an avid fan of the NFL Draft and ranked 10th in FantasyPros’ Mock Draft Accuracy metric in both 2021 and 2022.