The NFL truly may never see another kick returner like Devin Hester, and the former Chicago Bears star knows it.
He may not have to worry about much future competition because the NFL has drastically changed its kickoff rules. In short, the kicker still kicks from the 35-yard line, and the defense, now lined up at the opponent’s 40-yard line, can’t take off until a returner catches the ball, or the ball hits the ground.
Hester’s old team ironically became the first to kick off with the new rules at the Hall of Fame game against the Houston Texans in Canton, Ohio, on Aug. 1. Bears kicker Cairo Santos kicked off to Texans wide receiver Steven Sims, who returned it 21 yards.
Chicago wide receiver John Jackson III had the longest kick return of the evening for 31 yards. Every returner netted at least 15 yards during the 21–17 Bears win in a storm-shortened game.
“I’m watching it, man, and I’m surprised that we’re not seeing more big runs,” Hester told ESPN during the Aug. 1 game broadcast. “You know, that’s shocking. But hey, it’s the first game. So, I figure a lot of coaches are going to evaluate this game and try to figure out what they can do to get some more big plays.”
Hester made a career of big returns with an average of 24.9 yards per return and five touchdowns. He maintained that success over an 11-year career from 2006 to 2016 where he averaged at least 21.7 yards per return.
That’s just kick returns. Hester also excelled on punt returns, with 14 career touchdowns and 11.7 yards per return.
“You didn’t know what you were getting yourself into,” Hester said about the Bears drafting him, “but you believed that you had something special coming your way.”
Chicago took the Riviera Beach, Fla., native with a second-round pick in 2006, and he continued what he did at the University of Miami. Hester had six special-teams touchdowns on returns between 2003 and 2005, and he averaged 25.5 yards per kick return and 15.6 yards per punt return.
“Every glimpse of me trying to go to the next level, it would happen on that first play,” Hester said about his kick-off returns for touchdowns. “It was a sign that let me know that football was meant for me.”
Hester’s prowess landed him on the NFL All-Decade Team for both the 2000s and 2010s, and he made the 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. His other accolades include three first-team All-Pro honors and four Pro Bowl appearances.
While Hester is the first primary kick returner to make the Hall of Fame, he hopes he won’t be the last. Others have made many big returns and put up numbers that rival Hester’s during an era that ended with the 2023 season before the new kickoff rules.
“I hope that me being here today opens up the door and brings some attention to other guys like Brian Mitchell and Josh Cribbs,” Hester said. “Because I’m not the only returner who deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. I’m just the first.”
Mitchell averaged 23.1 yards per kick return, and he had 13 touchdowns between punt and kick returns from 1990 to 2003. Cribbs returned 11 touchdowns between kicks and punts, and he averaged 26.1 yards per kick return in his career from 2005 to 2014.
Injuries on kick returns and pushes for player safety led to tweaking of the NFL’s kickoff rules over the years. The latest rule change before 2024 moved the kickoff line back to the 35-yard line instead of the 30 in 2012, which led to more touchbacks.
With the new kickoff rules in place, returns for touchdowns may become a greater rarity than before. If that’s the case, how many kick returners will produce careers similar to Hester remains a big unknown as the first time under the new rules didn’t impress the new Hall of Famer.
“But right now—it’s kinda shaky right now,“ Hester told ESPN. ”But who knows? The first game. We’ll see.”
