How long has hanson been with the lions

Hanson put his team in a good position to win games throughout his career. The award recognizes the top kicker in the league. At the age of 38, Hanson was still a dominant player in the NFL.

Hanson played until the age of 42 and became a fan favorite in Detroit throughout his career. In his final season in , he scored the most points in his career with He scored points or more 12 times over 21 seasons. Hanson made a total of field goals out of attempts for an average of Overall, he scored a total of 2, points as a member of the Lions. Hanson kicked a total of 17 game-winning field goals throughout his career. When he announced his retirement in , he was the oldest active player in the NFL.

This week, veteran David Akers made a visit to the team's practice facility. Did Hanson retire rather than play for the veteran's minimum after his long service to the franchise? He told Mike O'Hara of the Lions' web site that a previously unrevealed heel injury spurred his decision. It would not have been an issue. There are no hard feelings. It never got to a point where there was serious back and forth with numbers. It didn't matter.

If you accept that the NFL is a business above all else, you understand that most decisions are driven by money. In this case, however, we'll take Hanson at his word. Let's not mistake this instance with the divorce between the Chicago Bears and linebacker Brian Urlacher , who turned down a low offer from the team.

A year-old place-kicker knows he probably won't be paid a premium salary to remain in the league in today's tight salary-cap environment.

So the Lions will move on and should attract interest from veteran free agents who would love the chance to kick at least nine games indoors this season eight at Ford Field and one at the Metrodome. Or the Lions could look to the draft; if you're interested, here are the top five college place-kickers available, according to ESPN's Mel Kiper :. It opened in -- 10 years after Hanson joined the team. After meeting with the fans, Hanson explained what led to his retirement, finally putting to rest some questions about whether the Lions pushed him away.

I was just having a hard time getting excited to do it again. In , the team tried to find a long-term replacement by draft Nate Freese in the seventh round. Hanson said the team asked what he thought of Freese before the draft, and he thought he was technically sound even if he lacked a powerful leg.