Devin Hester, Matt Forte retire with the Chicago Bears

LAKE FOREST, Ill.—It’s easy to see former Chicago Bears standouts Devin Hester and Matt Forte as players with skills in decreasing demand.

For Hester, he’s not happy about the possibility the NFL could soon eliminate one of his fortes—the kickoff return.

“At the end of the day kickoff and punt return is one of the key aspects of the quality of football,” Hester said. “You’ve got to let these guys play football. It is what it is.

“You try to find ways to eliminate injuries. But the minute you step on the field you’re bound to get hurt somewhere. That’s just the nature of the beast. And I think taking that out of the game is big. I don’t like to see it happen.”

Hester and Forte both signed one-day contracts with their original team Monday at Halas Hall so they could retire as Bears, and an emotional ceremony capped careers rich in highlight-reel material for the former second-round draft picks.

For Hester it may mean a spot someday in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“Every athlete wants to be in the hall of fame,” Hester said. “If there’s one out there that says they don’t really care about it then they’re playing the wrong sport.”

No other player is in the Hall based solely on returns, but Hester’s league record of 20 TD returns could make him a candidate. He had 14 punt return TDs, five on kickoffs and one on a missed field goal.

Not included in those 20 returns is his most well known, because it came during his rookie year and in the postseason—the 92-yard return for a TD in 2007 on the opening kickoff of Super Bowl 41.

Whether a special teams player should be in the Hall is a question for voters, but Hester pointed out kicker Morten Andersen made it.

“He just opened up the doors for all special teamers,” Hester said.

If Hester eventually gets in, he might be the only returner considered because of the number of concussions last season has league officials meeting next month. Eliminating kickoffs is expected to be a hot topic.