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Even though one went to Miami and the other to Florida State, Devin Hester and Deion Sanders have forged a friendship based on the bond only elite kick returners can understand. So that's why you've got to take what Sanders said on the NFL Network Tuesday with a slightly smaller grain of salt than many of his rantings and ravings.

Discussing the Bears, Sanders mocked their quarterbacks and receivers and said that they could have a problem brewing with their most exciting player.

"They're looking for tremendous things from this guy, Devin Hester, but Devin Hester isn't happy with his contract and he deserves to be paid amongst the league's best."

There's no player in the NFL with a murkier financial value than Hester. He's the league's best kick returner, by miles, but he hasn't proven to be an every-down, or even every other down, player on offense and that makes it hard to figure out exactly how much he should get paid.

This season will be quite telling. Is he a Sanders-type who contributes on more than just special teams or is he a Dante Hall, whose returns diminish outside of returns? The Bears need to know that before they sink a lot of money into Hester because one is worth a helluva lot more than the other. With two years left on his original deal, the team has time to figure out which and should use it.