Although it’s been 12 years since he played for the team, Devin Hester is still a proud supporter of the Bears.
It’s the team where the Hall of Fame kick returner made his name and reached his greatest heights, playing eight years for the franchise.
The Bears obviously had a tremendous amount of success this season, advancing to the divisional round of the playoffs against the Los Angeles Rams. Chicago clinched the No. 2 seed this season in Ben Johnson’s first year as head coach.
Hester Calls Johnson The “Missing Piece” The Bears Have Been Looking For
“I told them before the season started when I had a couple interviews, that picking up Coach Ben was the missing piece that we need,” Hester told CardPlayer in an exclusive interview. “The offensive-minded guy that he is, he can go into any offense and make that offense a high-powered offense, just the creative mind that he has. Play-calling, the strategy, setting up the opponent. Everything he does on the offensive side of the ball is special, and you don’t have that many coaches like him.”
Hester has been blown away by Johnson changing the Bears’ fortunes in just one season.
“Look what he’s done in the first year,” Hester said. “It’s very rare that you have an offensive coordinator that comes in, as well as a head coach, that comes out and changes the whole program around in the first year. This is a process where it could take two, three, four, maybe five years to change the program, and to come out and do it in the first year is just unbelievable what he’s done.”
The story of the 2025 Bears has been the superb play of Caleb Williams. Williams has led the Bears back to prominence, leading them to their first division title since 2018 and their first playoff win since 2010.
Hester is impressed when it comes to Williams’ play in his second season, speaking glowingly about the No. 1 overall pick.
When asked to make a quarterback comparison for Williams, Hester takes a few seconds to think about it. Eventually one comes to mind — Green Bay Packers legend Brett Favre.
“I hate to say the team, but I would say a Brett Favre in his prime,” said Hester. “He just keeps the play alive. You know what I mean? That’s Brett Favre. Sometimes you look back and say, ‘What the hell is he doing?’ And then two seconds later, you’re like, ‘Okay, what an amazing throw.’ That’s just the type of quarterback he is. He’s trying his best to keep the play alive, and by doing that, he’s great. He’s good at running, and he’s great at shifting around, breaking in front of D-linemen and trying to keep the play alive.”
Hester: ‘Young-Minded’ Matt Ryan Will Do Great Job With Falcons
Although Hester is best known for his Chicago Bears tenure, he also spent two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons towards the end of his career during the 2014 and 2015 seasons. Hester notched his last Pro Bowl bid with the Falcons and led the league in kickoff return yards that season.
The Falcons are coming off of an 8-9 season, but they finished tied atop the division with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers after ending the year with four consecutive wins.
They obviously have a great young nucleus in offensive weapons such as Kyle Pitts, Drake London and Bijan Robinson. However, they’re seeking a new head coach after firing Raheem Morris.
The Falcons made a major move in bringing back the best quarterback in franchise history and former MVP Matt Ryan. They recently named him the President of Football Operations. Hester said he believes Ryan will do a “great job” in Atlanta.
“I think right now, you need young-minded, which is Matt Ryan,” said Hester. “Matt is always going to keep up with the trend. Nowadays this league, it’s really a copycat league. You always want to do what you see the next guy doing, if he’s doing a great job at it. You try to find a situation to put yourself in that same mind-frame, or just keeping up with the trends. That’s something Matt is good at, and I think he’ll do a great job.”
Hester: KaVontae Turpin Best Return Man In The NFL
There’s little doubt that Hester is the greatest returner in the history of the NFL.
The 43-year-old became the first player primarily known as a returner to make it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2024. He holds the record for most return touchdowns (20) and punt returns for touchdowns (14) in NFL history.
Hester is also the only player to return an opening kickoff for a touchdown in Super Bowl history, doing so as a rookie. If there is anyone that knows what it takes to be a great returner, it’s Hester.
When asked who is the best returner in the game today, Hester said it’s Dallas Cowboys special teams dynamo KaVontae Turpin. Turpin is a two-time All-Pro selection and two-time Pro Bowler and led the NFL in kickoff return yards over the past two seasons.
“That’s a tough one right now, man,” Hester said. “It’s so hard to find one. Back in the day when I played, you can say two or three guys. If I had to go off the history of the past two or three years, I would say the kid from Dallas, KaVontae Turpin.”
DJ Siddiqi is a sports reporter who focuses on football, basketball, baseball and pro wrestling. He has covered some of the biggest sporting events, including the NBA Finals and Wrestlemania and often interviews high-profile athletes. Siddiqi has interviewed the likes of Dan Marino, Emmitt Smith, Shaquille O’Neal, Tony Hawk and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
