Hester Says He Wants A "Fresh Start" And Guess What, So Do I

Bears return man Devin Hester has been frustrated this offseason, and said he might need a “fresh start” to make football fun again. Hester told Vaughn McClure of the Chicago Tribune he wanted to play a few more years, even if it is somewhere other than Chicago. “I’m going to try to get two or three more years in,” the 30-year-old Hester said. “I think I have that much left in me. “At the same time, I think I do need a fresh start.” Hester has a year left on his contract, but seemed more frustrated with his lack of action on offense. He caught 57 passes in 2009, but just 23 last season. “Not only this year, but the last couple of years it has been like that,” Hester said. “It was really starting to show, why I was frustrated.

“I’m not making any excuses. I know some of the plays I should have made in terms of catching the ball. But I just wasn’t feeling it. My mind wasn’t there the majority of the time.” He called a trade “a possibility,” but said if he returns to the Bears, he’s willing to just return. “To be honest with you, if I’m still here, I don’t want to play offense,” he said. “I don’t think my role [on offense] will fit. I can’t truly say that with the new offense, but from past experience, I don’t think it will fit. . . .

“If I’m here, I want to bring another Super Bowl title to this city. I love the fans and the support. But I don’t want to play this game like I have the last couple of years — not having fun.” It’s clear that Hester’s issues go far beyond the firing of head coach Lovie Smith, and will be something the Bears need to decide if they want to work on fixing, or just move on from the aging return specialist.

Look, Devin Hester was great. One of the most thrilling Bears/Chicago athletes to watch. His kick return against the Colts in Super Bowl 41 would probably be a top 5 Chicago sports moment of all time if it weren’t for Rex Grossman and his tiny fumbling hands. But I think we can all agree that when a “wide receiver” starts saying things like “My mind wasn’t there for the majority of the time” and “I’m not having fun” its probably time for a change. And I’m convinced that what Devin Hester wants is to still be a wide receiver. Maybe not here but somewhere. And just like the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting the same results, the definition of football insanity is trying to make Devin Hester a wide receiver over and over while he runs the wrong routes and drops every ball thrown to him.

And I know Devin Hester has basically been going to the press saying his relationship with Cutler and the new coaches is non existent, that if people reached out he could be persuaded to stay and be happy, but honestly I don’t give a fuck. You’re a professional athlete. If you need to be coddled and told how important you are just to be motivated to make millions of dollars playing football you need to get your head checked. So if I’m Phil Emery, I’m on the phone yesterday calling to see what we can get for him. I know its going to be something small, 5th/6th round pick, but it doesn’t matter. The Bears should be compiling picks any way they can at this point and that starts with trading Hester.

PS
Seriously though, goosebumps.