Former Minnesota Vikings nemesis finally decides to call it quits, thankfully
By Adam Patrick
As one of the best return men in the history of the NFL, Devin Hester used to torment the Minnesota Vikings during his time with the Chicago Bears.
For a handful of years, no player was more dangerous in the NFL when it came to returning punts and kicks than Devin Hester. As a member of the Chicago Bears from 2006 to 2013, Hester ran an astounding total of 13 punts and five kickoffs back for touchdowns.
Well, after playing for three more teams from 2014 to 2016, the dangerous return man decided to officially announce his retirement on Tuesday. A collective sigh of relief could be heard from special teams coaches around the league after the news of Hester retiring came about.
Given that he spent a majority of his NFL career in the NFC North with the Bears, the Minnesota Vikings were a team that sometimes had to deal with Hester’s abilities twice over the course of one season. However, containing the return man was not something the Vikings excelled at during their matchups.
In his second time ever facing Minnesota back during a 2006 matchup in Chicago, Hester stood back to receive a punt in the second quarter of a game that had yet to see points put up on the board. From the Vikings own 8-yard line, Minnesota punter Chris Kluwe launched the ball 37 yards in the other direction and the rest is history as some people like to say.
Hester would go on to score a total of 10 touchdowns in the 16 times he faced the Vikings during his career. Three of these scores came on punt returns, one on a kick return, and the other six times Hester scored against Minnesota came on passes he caught when he would line up as a receiver.
His 10 touchdowns against the Vikings are seven more than what he scored on any other NFL opponent in his career (the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers both gave up three touchdowns to Hester during his time in the league).
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No team around the NFL is likely happier to hear about Hester retiring than Minnesota. So now that he cannot torch them for any more touchdowns, perhaps some of the Vikings’ special teams coaches can catch an extra few minutes of sleep (well, maybe).