The Chicago Bears were well-represented in the Pro Football Hall of Fame 2010s All-Decade Team that was released on Monday. Outside linebacker Khalil Mack and kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson were among the 53 players selected by the Hall of Fame selection committee. Former Bears return specialist Devin Hester and defensive end Julius Peppers were also selected.
Mack, drafted by the Oakland Raiders with the fifth overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, has been a dynamic player for six seasons. He has 61.5 career sacks with four-straight season of double-digit sacks from 2015-19. He was traded to the Bears in 2018 for a pair of first-round draft picks and more in a blockbuster deal.
Patterson, meanwhile, has bounced around the league since he was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings late in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft, but has consistently performed at a high level on special teams.
After spending four years as a Viking, Patterson went to the Raiders and then the New England Patriots before signing with the Bears in 2019. Patterson is the NFL’s active leader in kickoff return touchdowns with seven and is one shy of tying the league record held by Joshua Cribbs and Leon Washington.
Hester, drafted by the Bears in 2006 and Peppers, who signed as a free agent from the Carolina Panthers in 2010, were with the team until 2013. Hester also spent time with the Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens and Seattle Seahawks before calling it a career in 2017.
Since 2010, Hester has totaled eight kickoff and punt return touchdowns. Peppers went on to play for the Green Bay Packers from 2014-16 and returned to the Panthers in 2017-18 before retiring.
Both Peppers and Hester join Tom Brady as the only players to make both the 2000 and 2010 All-Decade Team, according to The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain.
The only players to make both the 2000s and 2010s NFL All-Decade team:
Tom Brady
Julius Peppers
Devin Hester(Interestingly, Hester is listed as the kickoff returner for the 2010s even though he had 7 punt return TDs in the decade) https://t.co/rFwQADBCrY
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) April 6, 2020
While Hester and Peppers have both called it a career, Mack and Patterson show no signs of slowing down. Heading into 2020, could they both continue to play at a high level and be considered for the 2020s All Decade Team? Only time will tell.
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