Chicago Bears legendary returner and Hall of Famer Devin Hester spent the first eight seasons of his NFL career with Chicago, making himself more than familiar with the NFC North division.
With optimism coming in heavy around the Bears after an impactful offseason, led by the hiring of head coach Ben Johnson and a revamped roster, there’s hope it should lead to a quick and success turnaround.
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On Tuesday, Hester joined NFL personality Kay Adams on the “Up & Adams Show” and was asked about his take on the state of the 2025 NFC North division. In a surprising take, Hester said he believes that the Detroit Lions will finish last in the division with the Bears, Minnesota Vikings, and Green Bay Packers all making the playoffs.
“I think three teams make it (to the playoffs) this year,” Hester said. “Of course we have to play each other but outside of the division, I feel like Chicago, Green Bay, and I feel like Detroit will finish last, Minnesota will go ahead of Detroit.
“I’m telling you with the OC change, Detroit over the last three years was known for their offense if we really want to be honest. If you take away their 28 point per game average, they lose a lot of games. Their defense was pretty good but it was their offense that kept the defense off the field a lot. I don’t see that offense keeping that defense off the field that much now, that offense will struggle in the first few games and it’s going to make the defense tired.”
It’s clear that Johnson’s departure from Detroit to Chicago is going to have a major impact, and, in Hester’s mind, it could see them free fall in the division. The Lions lost both Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn this offseason, with Glenn departing to become the head coach of the New York Jets, so head coach Dan Campbell will have his hands full replacing the loss of his top two coordinators.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears great Devin Hester picks Lions to finish last in NFC North