Tyreek Hill Gives Shoutout To Forgotten Bears Hero

Most would agree that Tyreek Hill is one of the three or four best wide receivers in the NFL, alongside Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase. Nobody debates he is the fastest. His speed has torched defenses since he arrived in the league several years ago. That didn’t change last year when he went for over 1700 receiving yards for the Miami Dolphins. So it’s fitting the Madden video game creators bestowed him the only 99-speed rating for a receiver. What made it even better for him was teammate Jaylen Waddle was right behind him with a 98.

There is no question this is the fastest wide receiver duo in the NFL. Maybe one of the fastest of all time. Now when thinking about Hill, there is no doubt he had his inspirations growing up. There were players he watched that he wanted to emulate once he got older. One would think it would be obvious names like Randy Moss, Joey Galloway, Julio Jones, Mike Wallace, or DeSean Jackson. So it was probably a shock when the All-Pro gave a shoutout to two Chicago Bears receivers when the ratings became official, including a forgotten fan favorite.

Tyreek Hill gives Johnny Knox his well-deserved respect.

It is probably the biggest what-if story in recent Bears memory. Knox was an unheralded 5th round pick out of Abilene Christian in 2009. He was the pick Chicago got back from Denver in the Jay Cutler. He was a hit almost immediately, posting 1,454 all-purpose yards as a rookie with six touchdowns and making the Pro Bowl as a kick returner. A year later, he posted 960 receiving yards and five touchdowns, averaging 18.8 yards per catch. He was unquestionably one of the best deep threats in the game. Together with the equally speedy Devin Hester, the Bears had a pair of big-play machines.

Sadly, everybody knows the story doesn’t have a happy ending. Towards the end of 2011, at just 25 years old, Knox suffered a catastrophic back injury against the Seattle Seahawks. He never played another down in the NFL. Even today, Bears fans can’t help but wonder how good he could’ve been if he’d stayed healthy. The fact Tyreek Hill still remembers him over a decade after he stopped playing says a lot about how strong his impact was. It’s great to see his contributions were recognized by people outside Chicago.