Measuring Hester's value as difficult as tackling him

He isn't a No. 1 receiver yet, so don't expect Pro Bowl return specialist Devin Hester to get a contract extension from the Bears that pays as well as Bernard Berrian, who got $42 million for six years after leaving Chicago.

But because he figures to be a starting wideout for the Bears and has established himself as the best return man in the game, Hester and agent Eugene Parker likely won't settle for anything less than the three-year, $12 million extension the Buffalo Bills gave Roscoe Parrish on Dec. 14, 2007.

Parrish finished slightly ahead of Hester in average yards per punt return last season (16.3 to 15.5 yards), but Hester had 4 punt-return touchdowns to Parrish's 1, and the Bills' standout did not return kickoffs.

While Hester had 20 catches for 299 yards and a 15.0-yard average last season, Parrish caught 35 passes for 352 yards and a 10.1-yard average.

The Browns' Josh Cribbs, whose deal was done late in the 2006 season, was third in the NFL in punt-return average last season behind Parrish and Hester, averaging 13.5 yards with 1 touchdown. Cribbs also led the NFL with a 30.7-yard kickoff-return average and scored 2 touchdowns, the same as Hester. But Cribbs caught just 3 passes for 37 yards last season.