Fan Pulse: Do the dollars define Devin Hester?

By Neal Coolong  |   Friday, July 25, 2008  |  Comments( 5 )

Chicago Bears
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In the NFL, the middle of July is defined heavily by holdouts. The Chicago Bears are getting a taste of it from wide receiver and kick returner Devin Hester, who is complaining about his $445,000 salary.

Hester and his agent say he's a top 40 receiver and should get a contract along those lines. The Bears say his 20 catches and 299 yards and two touchdowns from last season do not put him into the elite category of pass catchers.

Mix in seven career returns for touchdowns and a team without a proven playmaker on the entire offensive side of the ball, and the holdout begins. Hester has not reported to Olivet Nazarene University for Bears training camp.

Former Bears wideout Bernard Berrian set the receiver market this offseason by signing a six-year, $42 million deal with Minnesota. David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune wisely points out that Hester is probably more accurately compared to hybrid receiver Antwaan Randle-El, who got a seven-year, $31 million deal from Washington in 2006.

Bears fans posting on the official team forum debate how to define Hester.

The board seems to be mostly split, except for the frustration that takes any fan in a holdout situation. One poster thinks the burden of evidence is on Hester to show he's worth it.

"God I wish this kid would just get to camp and prove he is 40 million dollar WR before we give it to him."

There's the rub. Hester hasn't had much of a chance to show his value as a receiver because he's been used primarily as a returner until last season. The Bears only asked Hester to learn four routes last season as a receiver because of his duties on special teams. He's truly a unique player, so the league isn't exactly filled with contractual precedence of what he brings to his team. One poster suggests the Bears don't really have much of a choice.

"I don't know if he's worth #1 receiver $$$$ or not, but I do know that he is the only offensive player the Bears have that strikes fear in the opposition. The Bears have 2 players that create the kind of mismatches required to be a potent offense; Greg Olsen and Devin Hester. Hester requires double teams EVERY time. If you don't double him, he will burn you deep. That opens up the middle for running the ball, routes across the middle."

It's a hung jury in Chicago, and a poster thinks the best path just may be to agree to look at this again down the road.

"He definetly deserves a raise just not a 40 million dollar raise. He should sign a 2 year extension with some guarenteed money and then renegotiate if he proves he is a #1 wr."
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About Neal Coolong

Neal Coolong is a freelance sports writer with contributions to Scout.com, AOL and Steelers Live. He lives with his fiance in St. Paul, Minn., and saves every dime (that she knows about) for their wedding next June. He's already made the prediction that the Steelers 2007 draft class will be one...
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No.1
RedskinFan21ST		09:27 PM
07/26/2008
Whether he's a top 40 WR or not, Devin Hester is one of the most explosive players in the game and deserves some kind of raise.
No.2
12:06 AM
08/02/2008
He may not be a 40 million dollar wide reciever, but he's def. a 40 million dollar player. The impact he has on special teams is...
No.3
02:48 PM
08/02/2008
Hester is worth all the $ he wants without him they are probablly one of the most boring-est teams in the league if thats even a...
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