Matt Forte, Devin Hester to Sign 1-Day Contracts with Bears and Retire with Team

Devin Hester and Matt Forte are signing one-day contracts with the Chicago Bears to retire from the NFL with the team, the Bears announced Wednesday. 

Hester was a second-round pick of the Bears in the 2006 draft and spent his first eight seasons in Chicago. Forte also enjoyed an eight-year run in the Windy City after the Bears selected him 44th overall in 2008.

Both players had a major impact on the Bears during their time with the team.

Forte was a two-time Pro Bowler, and his 8,602 rushing yards are second in franchise history behind Hall of Famer Walter Payton (16,726). He's also fourth in rushing touchdowns (45). Between Forte's rookie year and his final season with the Bears, no running back had more yards from scrimmage (12,718), according to Pro Football Reference.

Hester, meanwhile, is one of the greatest return men in NFL history. He totaled 3,241 yards and 13 touchdowns on punt returns and 5,504 yards and five touchdowns on kick returns. Hester earned All-Pro honors as a special teams player in 2006, 2007 and 2010.

Forte and Hester struggled for the most part once they left Chicago. Forte averaged 3.7 yards per carry—well below his career average (4.2)—over the last two years with the New York Jets, while Hester was a Pro Bowler with the Atlanta Falcons in 2014 before a toe injury limited him to five games in the 2015 season.

Hester announced his retirement in December after he went unsigned through the entirety of the 2017 season.