Listening to the Score this morning Mully brought up an interesting point. Why is Hester still on the roster? Only a returner paying 2.8 mil, if you trade him you dont have 833,000 in dead cap space. Bragging him up and offering him on draft day for a 5th or 6th rounder? Makes a lot of sense to me. I see a good team taking a flyer on him to put them over the top. He has not been good for the last 1 and 1/2 years but teams still treated him as such by altering there kickoffs. I see that as a possibility.

What would said good team do with him? Probably exactly what we plan on doing right? Why can't we just be the good team that just keeps the flyer? I think I read he's on the coverage team now as well so at this point he's basically like a #5 WR on a team that won't use 5 WRs.

I think Trestman is going to give him one season with Joe DeCamillis.

I think Trestman is going to give him one season with Joe DeCamillis.

 

I think that's what we plan to do as well but I wouldn't completely rule out trading him or using him as part of a trade. However, his cap hit makes it a tough pill for a most teams so the market for that trade is small. He's proven to have no value as a WR so why wouldn't that same team just grab one guy in the 5th to return kicks? The only real value I can see is his name will help a bad team sell tickets.

What would said good team do with him? Probably exactly what we plan on doing right? Why can't we just be the good team that just keeps the flyer? I think I read he's on the coverage team now as well so at this point he's basically like a #5 WR on a team that won't use 5 WRs.

He is not a WR anymore.

What would Hester's cap hit be if we dealt him?

 

If we could just clear 2.8mil by dealing him for a 5th- I'd be all over it.

Dude, Hester is worthless in trade. Hes the best returner of all time. And this is his last year to show us that. Just drop it

I think that's what we plan to do as well but I wouldn't completely rule out trading him or using him as part of a trade. However, his cap hit makes it a tough pill for a most teams so the market for that trade is small. He's proven to have no value as a WR so why wouldn't that same team just grab one guy in the 5th to return kicks? The only real value I can see is his name will help a bad team sell tickets.

I think if traded for him, they would force him to redo his contract. I dont think he has it anymore, and think the Bears are keeping him around for a trade option. We would save 2mil if we cut him and would create 833,000 in dead cap space. I just dont think we have the luxury of keeping strictly a KR-PR with that paycheck. Also you have 4 special teams spots that do nothing but kick, punt LS, and KR. I dont see us having him around.

You'd be hard pressed to see a team offer a 7th round pick for Hester.

You'd be hard pressed to see a team offer a 7th round pick for Hester.

 

You're probably right- but clearing cap space at this point isn't that big of a deal IMO- if I couldn't get a 5th I'd rather the Bears just keep him.

You'd be hard pressed to see a team offer a 7th round pick for Hester.

Just so everybody knows someone else came up with that idea, I just posted it. I dont think he has it anymore, and I suppose we wont know until training camp if that is true. I was just showing options of a trade, a cut , or keep him if he's still good. I just dont see us keeping a roster spot for a player that just returns kicks,and there is the issue of his pay check.

If we could get any draft pick for him I would take it, and if we can't I tend to think we should probably cut him pending how he looks in camp....

It would only cost $833,335 of dead money to cut Hester. Cutting him saves $2.1 million in cap space. Now considering that they may want to extend some players, having some cap flexibility would help.

Regardless of the savings in cap space, Iam still pissed the former hard headed staff took the best returner in all of football and ruined him. That was a crime.

Regardless of the savings in cap space, Iam still pissed the former hard headed staff took the best returner in all of football and ruined him. That was a crime.

Yeah, who knows how many more scores and records we would've had. Hell just the field position alone might have given us an extra win or two.

Time to move on...

 

What's done is done. Here's hoping he will regain that prowess under the new regime!

 

Yeah, who knows how many more scores and records we would've had. Hell just the field position alone might have given us an extra win or two.

 

Regardless of the savings in cap space, Iam still pissed the former hard headed staff took the best returner in all of football and ruined him. That was a crime.

 

So he should have just been strictly a return man? Something that others here are complaining about.

There's nothing that Hester once had that he couldn't get back once again. Whether he will or not has more to do with what's going on in his head and what our coaches do with with him.

There's nothing that Hester once had that he couldn't get back once again. Whether he will or not has more to do with what's going on in his head and what our coaches do with with him.

Its 85% mental and unfortunately its Devin's head .

Regardless of the savings in cap space, Iam still pissed the former hard headed staff took the best returner in all of football and ruined him. That was a crime.

 

But we also created him. How good is Hester if he played for a gawd awful special teams his entire career?

 

Do you blame the staff for Hester's terrible decision making last year? Calling "fair catch" and letting it drop to the ground for a 15 yard loss? Calling fair catch when the nearest defender is 20 yards away? Catching the ball and running backwards 10 yards? Was he coached up to do these stupid things?

 

I'd love to see him reinvigorated. If not, he'll be cut.

 

 

This is just my 2 cents for what it's worth lol. If someone would have asked me who I thought would still be with the team between Hester and Urlacher, I'd have thought it would be URL but. I wasn't sure how it was going to shake out would he quit, make it clear he wanted to be elsewhere, or stay put. I felt the whole time if he were to stay here it would and should only be in the capacity that he currently is. And that is special teams only. I don't think he's smart enough to play wide receiver TBO. He struggled at being in the right place at the right time. The whole mindset of a WR is different than a returner. Where as a wider receiver requires precision, running proper routes, timing, and hitting pre-determined points on the field so Jay can trust you will be where your supposed to be. It's a much more technical thinking position After the catch or when a play breaks down is the only time you are then able to freelance. As a returner you have your blocking schemes but it is a much more fluid freelance style of running with the ball, once you field the ball it's all up to following the blocks, finding the crease, setting up blocks and using your vision as the play develops. I feel this is where Hester excelled before he was put on offense and had a lot of fun doing it. Putting him back in a position where he can focus on what he does best without having to also "think" too much like he would if he was on offense (especially with a new offense being installed). I think this gives him the best chance to get back to where he was as a return man. Not saying it will happen, since there's no guarantee you can get your groove back but if Hester can I think they are putting him in a position to do so. We'll just have to wait and see how that works out. If it does work out and Hester does get his groove back, that will help our offense tremendously in the field position department with teams having to fear kicking to him again. If he doesn't we have other guys on the roster who can return as well.