Why No Player Will Catch Devin Hester's 20 TDs

Published on August 20th, 2025 4:50 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel

Devin Hesters 20 career return touchdowns stand alone, a record born of another NFL era that todays players cannot touch.

Devin Hesters 20 career return touchdowns stand alone, a record born of another NFL era that todays players cannot touch.

Devin Hester sits alone with 20 career return touchdowns in the NFL. No other player has reached 20. The next closest? Brian Mitchell at 14. Dante Hall, Eric Metcalf, Josh Cribbs - all stopped short.

Why? Because the league changed. Kickoffs moved from the 30 to the 35-yard line in 2011. Touchbacks surged. Special teams coaches stopped risking kicks to elite returners. The game adapted.

Hester thrived in an era where return specialists had real chances. In his rookie season of 2006, he posted 6 return touchdowns. That is an entire career for most return men today.

The NFL wanted fewer violent collisions on kickoffs. The result? Returns plummeted. In 2007, there were over 2,000 kickoff returns league-wide. In 2022, that number was cut nearly in half.

Punt returns also declined. Rule tweaks designed to protect gunners and returners changed spacing and blocking schemes. With fair catches and directional punting, opportunities dwindled.

Hester not only had opportunity, but he maximized it. His vision, acceleration, and ability to hit top speed within seconds were unmatched. Teams spent seasons game-planning around him.

Numbers tell the story. Since 2015, no player has more than 5 career return touchdowns. Cordarrelle Patterson, the best of the modern era, has 9 kick return touchdowns but zero punt return scores. The mixed-skill return men of today cannot touch Hester's versatility.

Hester scored in every possible way: 14 punt returns, 5 kickoff returns, 1 missed field goal return. The missed field goal return is practically extinct in today's game. Kickers are stronger, and return setups are rarely attempted.

The NFL's safety-first agenda will not reverse. In 2023, only 6 kickoff return touchdowns were recorded league-wide. Compare that to 2007, when there were 18. Punt return touchdowns fell from 17 in 2012 to just 4 in 2022. The league does not want high-volume returns.

Add it all up. Hester's 20 return touchdowns are not just a record. They are a monument to a different era. In today's NFL, with fewer returns, stronger special teams coverage, and stricter rules, the math says no one will get close.