The Bears don’t have a ring of honor, so this will have to do: Former stars Devin Hester and Matt Forte will sign one-day contracts and retire as Bears on Monday at Halas Hall.
RELATED STORIES
Draft analysis: Could Bears pass on ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ Irish G Quenton Nelson?
Bears using ‘fresh start’ to build up WR Kevin White’s confidence
Both made indelible marks on Bears history. Hester is the most prolific kick returner in NFL history, with 20 kick returns for touchdowns — all but one in his eight seasons with the Bears (2006-13). He scored 14 touchdowns on punt returns and five on kickoff returns and had a 108-yard field-goal return. He also made NFL history when he returned the opening kickoff of Super Bowl XLI for a touchdown against the Colts in 2007.
Forte, who led the Bears in rushing in eight consecutive seasons from 2008 to 2015, ranks behind only Hall of Famer Walter Payton as a running/receiving threat in team history. He’s second behind Payton on the Bears’ all-time list in rushing yards (8,602), receptions (487), receiving yards by a running back (4,116), yards from scrimmage (12,718), 100-yard games (24) and games with at least 150 yards from scrimmage (25).
In that eight-year span, Forte led all NFL players in yards from scrimmage and was fourth in rushing yards. He also led all NFL running backs in receptions and receiving yards.
Sigh of relief
Outside linebacker Aaron Lynch, who could be a factor if he’s right this season, had to be gingerly helped off the field at the Payton Center late in practice Wednesday after suffering what appeared to be a bad injury to his left leg. As it turned out, coach Matt Nagy said it was an ankle injury that was not serious.
“He’ll be OK, but it makes you all of a sudden kind of jump back,” Nagy said. “First of all, you hope he’s OK, then who’s the next man up and then you roll. He’ll be fine.”
Get ’em while they’re hot
Single-game tickets for preseason and regular-season Bears games will be available at 8 p.m. Thursday — one hour after the NFL announces the regular-season schedule. Fans can purchase tickets via ticketmaster.com or by phone at 800-745-3000.