Report: Jason Hanson likely to return to Lions for 22nd season
When Jason Hanson entered the NFL in 1992 his professional debut with the Detroit Lions coincided with the opening of the Georgia Dome, the 21-year home of the Atlanta Falcons.
With the completion of a deal for a new Falcons' stadium last week, there is a remote possibility Hanson could still be kicking when the dome is expected to shut down in 2017. Hanson, who ranks third in NFL history in career points with 2,150, has decided to return to Detroit for the 2013 season provided he can complete a deal with the Lions, according to USA Today Sports.
"I don't want to be someone who fades away," Hanson told the Detroit Free Press last month. "I want to feel like I actually could be better."
Hanson, 42, has set a litany of NFL records throughout his 21-year career. Hanson has hit 51 field goals of 50 yards or more -- the most in NFL history. In 2008, at 38, he tied a league-high for made field goals beyond 50 yards with four. Hanson set a team-record for longest field goal in an outdoor game when he connected on a 56-yard attempt Carolina on Nov. 16, 2008. He also became the oldest kicker in league history to hit a field goal from that distance. Hanson's 325 games with the Lions in 21 seasons are the most by any NFL player with a single team.
Hanson finished with a career-high 134 points last season, marking just the third time he finished with at least 130 in his career. He also connected on 32 of 36 field-goal attempts (88.9 percent), his second-highest in a single-season since 2003.
Hanson trails Morten Andersen, the NFL's all-time leader in career points, by 394. Andersen was 47 in 2007, the final season of his 25-year career, when he connected on 25 of 28 field goals while with the Falcons. Hanson has averaged 130 points over the past two years. He can break Andersen's all-time record for points if he averages 99 points over the next four seasons.
By then, the Georgia Dome could be demolished.
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