New Seahawks returner Devin Hester excited to get another shot at a Super Bowl
Jan 5, 2017, 6:12 PM
Devin Hester has made the postseason just three times in his career, but he does have a Super Bowl TD. (AP)
(AP)
RENTON – Coming out of high school in south Florida in 2003, three years before the beginning of his record-setting NFL career, Devin Hester says USC was the only major college football program that didn’t offer him a scholarship. Pete Carroll got another reminder of that earlier this week when the Seahawks signed Hester to be their kick returner for the postseason.
“Somehow he got lost in the shuffle somewhere,” Carroll said Thursday. “He’s never let me forget that, that we didn’t offer him. I told him he’s on scholarship now. Finally got it done.”
Something else Hester finally has: another shot at a Super Bowl, one thing that’s missing from the hall-of-fame-worthy resume he’s built over 11 NFL seasons. He could have called it a career once he was released last month by Baltimore and says he would have if he didn’t have a chance to play for a contender. The way Hester tells it, he was close to signing with New England, but the deal fell through when the Patriots instead claimed wide receiver Michael Floyd after his release in Arizona.
Nine days later, Tyler Lockett broke his leg in Seattle’s Christmas Eve loss to Arizona, leaving the Seahawks without their kickoff and punt returner. Hester got a call a week later.
“This is a blessing to get an opportunity to get released and then get an opportunity to be back in the playoffs,” he said. “My goal now is, with the career that I’ve had, I don’t have a Super Bowl ring, and what great opportunity do I have right now standing here in front of you guys and being able to play for the Seattle Seahawks.”
Devin Hester said he was only interested in signing w/ a contender after he was released by Ravens last month. Nearly signed w/ Patriots. pic.twitter.com/ZfIsmbykVV
— Brady Henderson (@BradyHenderson) January 5, 2017
Hester arrived in Seattle Tuesday then practiced with the team Wednesday and Thursday. Carroll said he’ll handle kickoff- and punt-return duties in Saturday’s wild-card game against Detroit.
“He’s done fine. He just jumped right out,” Carrol said Thursday. “He was battling yesterday at practice. He looked fast and quick and confident and all of that. He did everything he could.”
How much Hester can still do is a question considering he’s 34 years old and has presumably lost a step from his prime.
“It looks good,” special teams coach Brian Schneider said of Hester’s speed. “For Baltimore, you could see him on tape, he still has his stuff.”
Hester’s 24.5-yard average on kickoff returns over his 12 games with the Ravens was right around his career mark of 24.9, though his average on punt returns was down from 11.7 to 7.2. He also fumbled five times, losing one of them.
“This is another part of our team that we’re counting on,” Carroll said. “We want him to do a really good job taking care of the football, making great choices back there. Everybody that we had here that was going to go did not have a lot of background or experience. We felt like it was really important to get the experience and the decision making, a guy that’s been there and played in weather and all that kind of stuff his whole career. I think we’re very fortunate to get him.”
This will be only the third trip to the postseason in Hester’s career and the first since 2010 with Chicago. The other was during his rookie season in 2006, when the Bears lost to Indianapolis in Super Bowl XLI. He returned the opening kickoff of that game for a touchdown.
His 20 career return touchdowns during the regular season are the most in NFL history.
The Seahawks hope he has another one in him.
