Could the Chicago Bears trade Devin Hester?

With Hurricane Sandy crippling much of the East coast, the NFL has moved the trade deadline back to this Thursday at 3pm Central time. The deadline was moved back to week 8 in the off season, from week 6, in an attempt to drum up a trading frenzy!

Which won't happen...

But what if the Bears were looking to deal? What if they had Devin Hester on the trade block? Would there be much interest?

There's no question his mere presence is enough to alter game plans. The sky punt, directional punting, the shank punt (thank you Carolina), squib kicks, and pooch kicks, are common to see from Bears opponents. Teams still fear the Ridiculous One. While the Bears enjoy the field position they are handed - even if they don't always take advantage - could they benefit from having someone else return kicks and punts? With the great schemes of special teams coordinator Dave Toub, wouldn't the Bears be better off with, say... former Pro Bowl returner Eric Weems back there? At least he'd get a chance to run with the ball.

Are the Bears better off watching teams kick and punt unreturnable balls, or would they be better off utilizing the expertise of Toub in designing returns for a returner that will get some opportunities?

The Bears would never take Hester off returns, but if he were removed from the team via a trade, would Toub's units still shine?

Here's how Rotoworld lists Devin's contract;

7/27/2008: Signed a four-year, $40.975 million contract extension through 2013. The deal contains $15 million guaranteed, including a $5 million signing bonus and $5 million roster bonuses in both the second and third years. Another $18.939 million is available through performance-based escalators. $250,000 annual workout bonuses are also available throughout the contract's life. 2012: $1.646 million, 2013: $1,857,523 (+ $10 million "deescalating" roster bonus), 2014: Free Agent

Is that an untradeable deal? I guess it depends how bad a team would covet his unique skills. Spotrac sees the Hester contract a bit differently. They have a cap hit for about $7.6 million this year, and $12.8 million for next year. Both have his base salary the same for the next two years, but they differ on the bonus money.

Many of bonuses were tied to his success as a wide out, so it's probable he'll come up short on the total money owed anyway. However you cut it, trading him would see the Bears taking a hit for a portion of the bonus money. How much exactly I'll leave to a capologist.

But back to the matter at hand... What could the Bears get in trade for Devin Hester?

Should they look to add a few picks to their already depleted 2013 total?

Should they look for offensive line or tight end help?


(sbnation.com)