Hoge: Hester snubbed on first ballot, but time will come

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The best player to ever play a position that scores points was not elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Thursday.

When put like that, it is surprising that Devin Hester — who holds the NFL record for most return touchdowns in NFL — is not a first ballot Hall of Famer.

But sometimes that’s how these things work. And with Hester, it’s more a matter of when he gets in, rather than if he gets in. 

“First off, congrats to the 2022 HOF,” Hester wrote on social media. “But this hurts for me not being a first ballot. I really wanted this one bad, but life goes on and hopefully it will happen someday.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ0n-2Nsmhj

Still, it is significant that Hester made it to the finalist stage in his first year of eligibility. It’s the farthest a primary returner has ever made it and bodes well for his chances in future years. 

None of the first ballot finalists were selected, as wide receiver Andre Johnson and defensive end DeMarcus Ware were also left out. 

Those who did make the 2022 Pro Football Hall of Fame class included Packers safety Leroy Butler, 49ers defensive tackle Bryant Young, Jaguars offensive tackle Tony Boselli, Saints linebacker Sam Mills and Patriots defensive tackle Richard Seymour. Senior member Cliff Branch, former head coach Dick Vermeil and former director of officiating Art McNally also got the call Thursday. 

While it wasn’t completely surprising that Hester didn’t make it on the first ballot, there seemed to be enough support from non-voters to indicate he had a chance. 

“He deserves to be in there. There's no question about that,” Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan told NBC Sports Chicago Thursday. “I mean, he's the most dynamic returner that the game has ever seen.”

Ryan played with Hester for two seasons towards the end of the returner’s career. Hester actually set the NFL’s return touchdown record as a member of the Falcons. 

“I hated playing against him because at any time there could be six points on the board,” Ryan said. “Every time that ball went up in the air, you held your breath. And then lastly, I loved playing with him. He's an awesome teammate.”

The fear Hester put into teams is part of why his Hall of Fame argument is so strong. Most teams figured out quickly that they shouldn’t even kick the ball to him, sacrificing important field position instead. And those who did kick to him often regretted it, including the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLI. Hester is the only player to return the opening kickoff of a Super Bowl for a touchdown. 

Hester’s case should be strong enough on the merit of him being the best player ever at a specific position — especially one that scores points. But some argue he didn’t contribute enough offensively with just 255 receptions for 3,311 yards and 16 touchdowns. Of course, that ignores the impact he had on field position, which drastically helps the offense score. Whether you kicked to Hester or not, the Bears were starting most drives with the equivalent of an explosive play.  

At least this time around, the argument wasn’t strong enough to persuade the voters to put him in on the first ballot. Instead, this year’s class rewarded many players who waited for the call for a very long time. 

In Hester’s case, he’ll have to wait too, but probably not that long.