Devin Hester News

"At face value, Devin Hester will pocket more than $22 million just for showing up with his new contract. The four-year extension Hester signed last weekend maxes out at $40 million if he hits all of the performance-based escalators. But if the all-pro returner doesn't play a down at wide receiver between now and 2013, he'll still pull down $22,036,000 in new money. His contract includes a $5million signing bonus with $10 million in roster bonuses (half the roster bonus will be paid next year and the other half is due in 2010). He has a workout bonus of $200,000 in 2009 and then annual workout bonuses worth $250,000 for the final four years to total $1.2 million in workout bonuses. His base ..."

"Devin Hester's new contract has $15 million in guaranteed money, a statement by the Bears recognizing what Hester has accomplished as a kick returner. But could the end be in sight for Hester's days as a returner? If Hester develops into the wide receiver he and the Bears expect—he can reach $20 million in contract escalators in the final two years of his four-year contract based on receiver performance—there will be some difficult decisions to make. In fact, the Bears already have made one. Hester expending his typical effort on a return and then going immediately into the offensive huddle as a receiver "is a concern," coach Lovie Smith said, noting that Panthers All-Pro receiver Steve ..."

"There simply is no accounting for how valuable Devin Hester can be. Yes, the Bears put a price tag on their Pro Bowl kick returner—four years, $40 million. But his return yardage and scoring threat represent just the icing on the cake when you consider the intangible impact he has on field position as opposing kickers nervously shank the football in an attempt to keep it away from No. 23. Add that unique quality to Hester's new mission to become the Bears' No. 1 wide receiver and the limits for offensive success become even more intriguing. "We're going to ask him to be in on a lot more plays this year. He has to be in top shape," Bears coach Lovie Smith said. "We will tax his body a ..."

"So the Bears stretched their offseason work five days into training camp. When you're as busy as they have been, sometimes it takes a little overtime. That work concluded Sunday morning when the Bears signed Devin Hester to a four-year, $40 million contract extension that will keep him with the team through 2013. The signing coincided nicely with the healing of his tight hamstring, and the record-setting return man and apprentice wide receiver was on the field for the afternoon practice to the delight of the biggest crowd of training camp. It's a huge step getting the Bears' leader in touchdowns the last two seasons under contract. And while development of a revamped offensive line is ..."

"With a contract extension through 2013, the biggest smile in Bears camp Sunday might have belonged to Devin Hester. But Hester's was far from the only happy face. Hester's contract has a maximum value of $40 million and includes $15 million in guaranteed money. The deal features escalators of $10 million in each of the final two years, which Hester can reach through receptions, yardage and other targets. The deal brings to 10 the number of Bears signed to extensions or new deals this year. General manager Jerry Angelo, President Ted Phillips and senior director of football administration Cliff Stein are concluding a stellar off-season. The front office has signed Pro Bowl defensive tackle ..."

"Now comes the hard part for Devin Hester. Now Hester will try to meet the impossible expectations raised by the four-year contract extension he signed Sunday with the Bears that could be worth as much as $40 million with incentives — and guarantees him $15 million. Eventually, Hester probably will. His future promises to produce as much excitement as Chicago sports fans are used to seeing from athletes wearing No. 23. But nobody should expect Hester to immediately look like the No. 1 wide receiver he demanded to be treated like during negotiations that picked up after he ended a two-day holdout. Nor does the new contract put pressure on Hester to make that transition quickly in the Bears' ..."

"The deal that Devin Hester showed up Friday to work out was finally hammered out Sunday, with the Bears agreeing to a four-year contract extension with the wide receiver/return man that could be worth as much as $40 million. The contract, which locks up Hester with the Bears through 2013, includes $15 million in guarantees—the type of reward he was looking for after holding for two days in protest of a scheduled $445,000 salary. If Hester develops into the No. 1 receiver he believes he can be, then he will be able to trigger up to $10 million in escalators in the final year of the deal, according to a league source. Hester becomes the 10th Bears starter and fifth Pro Bowl player the Bears ..."

"To clarify … Bears defensive tackle Dusty Dvoracek, returner/receiver Devin Hester and rookie guard Charles Adams are on the non-football-injury list. Running back Kevin Jones and center Olin Kreutz are on the physically unable-to-perform list. What's the difference? NFI cases, whatever the injury or severity, did not involve a game, practice or team workout program. PUP cases arise from football situations. In Jones' case, it was during rehab from a torn knee ligament suffered last season. A key is that either designation must be made at the outset of training camp. Once a player is signed, passes a physical and reports, he cannot go on either. In both situations the players occupy ..."

"Devin Hester, you are ridiculous. We all know as much. And the injury that's keeping him out of practice after he ended his two-day holdout might be ridiculous as well. At the minimum, let's call his reported hamstring pull a bit of a stretch. The wide receiver and returner extraordinaire complained of a tight hamstring when he arrived at Bears training camp Friday and was failed on his physical, so he's on the non-football injury list. That means he can't practice until he passes a physical -- something that could be synchronized with the signing of a new contract. Hester said when he began his short-lived boycott of camp -- which started with his attention-getting no-show Tuesday -- that ..."

"You didn't have to see Devin Hester finally arriving at Bears practice, you could hear him. The buzz began with a muffled roar as Hester was driven in a cart nearly 200 yards to the field. By the time Hester rode past the thousands of fans in a pair of orange shorts and his navy No. 23 jersey, there were applause, cheers and shouts of "Thank you, Devin." One sign summed up the sentiment of the day—"Devin Hester, You Are Still Ridiculou$$"—and, no, it wasn't held by coach Lovie Smith. Hester may make more celebrated returns in the coming months than the one he made Friday, but perhaps not many. The return specialist officially checked into Bears training camp after a two-day holdout over a ..."

"A desperate tactic by a desperate man. That's the way some regard Devin Hester's contract holdout, which reached Day 2 on Thursday -- or $30,000 in fines for two missed practices. Hester isn't the desperate man, mind you. The supposed villain of this production is his agent, Eugene Parker, according to one reading of the script. That's the same Eugene Parker who has seen two of his former clients -- Tommie Harris and Bernard Berrian -- dump him in favor of Drew Rosenhaus before signing big-money deals. Never mind that Berrian actually was represented by Roosevelt Barnes, Parker's partner. One interpretation of the ongoing saga is that Parker is grabbing hold of this negotiation by holding ..."

"No one, with the possible exception of Bears coach Lovie Smith, appreciates the abilities of Devin Hester more than I do. He is a player unlike any other I have seen in more than 20 years covering the NFL. Hester can affect games as much as any player in the NFL. With that in mind, if I were the Bears, I would be calling every NFL team to see which ones were interested in acquiring him. My guess is quite a few, and they would be willing to compensate the Bears handsomely for Hester's rights. This is the perfect time to trade Hester—when his returning skills are at their peak and before he has shown what he cannot do as a wide receiver. As a third-year player with a low salary-cap figure, ..."

"As much as you might admire Devin Hester as a player, like him as a person and respect his Stick-It-To-The-Man negotiating tactics, understand this about his decision not to report to training camp in a demand for more money: It's either a bold act of genius or an act of complete madness. Clearly, the Bears were stunned by the escalation of tactics. And that was before Hester told the Sun-Times on Wednesday evening that he was ready to sit out the season to force a new deal. ''I talked to his agent [Eugene Parker] a few days ago,'' general manager Jerry Angelo said. ''He floated it out there, but I didn't really take it serious because we are still talking. We're still in the process. ..."

"With news of his absence from training camp blaring from a sports talk station in the background, Devin Hester said he's prepared to dig in for the long haul. As in the entire 2008 season. The most dynamic return man in NFL history -- and a guy who would have run with the first team at wide receiver had he attended the Bears' first practice Wednesday -- wants more money. And he's ready to call general manager Jerry Angelo's bluff that the organization will not negotiate with players who are AWOL. ''That's what they said to get me to start coming to OTAs,'' Hester told the Sun-Times on Wednesday. ''It's time for me to take a stand. We're going to stand by our decision to do this, and we ..."

"Speed always has been the preferred method Devin Hester uses to make points. So hurry up and get to training camp, No. 23. Maybe Hester can borrow Lance Briggs' car. Whatever it takes to get him to the Olivet Nazarene University campus, pronto. He and agent Eugene Parker should know the Bears are more likely to give Hester the new contract he seeks with him on the practice field rather than in his living room. That doesn't necessarily mean Hester is making a bad argument by protesting a scheduled salary of $445,000 this season. He is the NFL's most underpaid player and has earned a new deal as much as any Bears player who received one this off-season. It only means Hester has gone about ..."

"The most electrifying return man in the league has found a different way to display his elusiveness. Devin Hester told the Tribune on Wednesday he intends to hold out of training camp until the Bears grant him a new deal. "I'm not coming," he said by phone. "I have to make a statement. I showed by going to [organized team activities] that I was a team player. But then, I just felt they weren't taking it seriously that I wanted to get a new deal. "I can't go out and play this year making $445,000. Come on, man." Hester is entering the third year of the four-year deal he signed as a rookie second-round draft choice. The Bears have discussed the possibility of a raise with his agent, ..."

"The tranquil start to Bears training camp disappeared faster than a Devin Hester touchdown return today when the Bears special teams ace refused to show up for the opening practice in a contract holdout. Hester did not report to camp on Tuesday night before midnight as players were required to do and missed team meetings this morning, but he officially became a contract holdout with the start of practice at 3 p.m. His decision not to report to camp had to be a surprise to a franchise that reached 12th-hour contract solutions for middle linebacker Brian Urlacher and rookie left tackle Chris Williams in an effort to ensure the entire roster would report on time."

"Devin Hester is still a work in progress at wide receiver, but he seemed to be able to work his way free behind the defense for huge gains almost at will throughout the weekend's minicamp. The depth chart at wideout is in flux with newcomers Marty Booker and Brandon Lloyd figuring prominently in the mix, along with Hester, Rashied Davis, Mark Bradley and rookie Earl Bennett, plus holdovers Mike Hass and Brandon Rideau fighting for roster spots. "Right now the position is wide open," Hester said. "The best two are going to step up and play." Hester sees himself as a starter; if not now, then soon."

"''Not everybody is going to be Michael Jordan. All Michael Jordan can do is teach you fundamentals and hope you learn from it and put your own mix in it.'' Right there is about as close as Hester will ever get to comparing himself to another sports legend who wore No. 23. But the simple fact is that Hester is to NFL return men as Jordan was to basketball players. And if the Bears' weekend minicamp can be viewed as any indicator of the future, well, Hester someday may be seen similarly among wide receivers. His transition to the position -- at least at this point, before the real artillery starts flying -- has exceeded anybody's highest hopes. Except, of course, Hester's."