The Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2022 will be announced on Thursday night, and Devin Hester believes his name should be called.
Hester told Mitch Goldich of Sports Illustrated that he thinks his status as the return man on the NFL’s 100th anniversary all-time team, he ought to be not just a Hall of Famer, but a first ballot Hall of Famer.
“So, in this situation, it’s not us being worried about making the Hall of Fame,” Hester said. “It’s about whether or not we’re gonna be picked on the first ballot.”
Hester said first ballot status matters to him.
“It does. First-ballot Hall of Famers are Hall of Famers that you don’t have no question that they should be a Hall of Famer. You think about the best of the best—best quarterbacks, best running backs, best receivers. I know we don’t have any [full-time] returners in the Hall of Fame, but I did things that have never been done before,” Hester said.
Hester said he is the best return man in NFL history “without a doubt.” But the reality is, there’s a lot of doubt about whether Hester will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. As great a return man as he was, Hester is probably not going to hear his name called on Thursday night.