Lions' Jason Hanson retires

espn.com / 4-4-13

Detroit Lions place-kicker Jason Hanson retired Thursday after after 21 seasons.

Hanson, 42, retires having played more games with one team -- 327 -- than any other player in NFL history.

Hanson had expressed interest in returning to the Lions in 2013 but negotiations have been stalled amid reports the team hadn't offered him a deal higher than the NFL's veteran minimum.

Hanson told the team's website that a heel injury that first developed during the 2012 season and lingered into the offseason helped him to make his decision. He said he had the desire to play in 2013 but the injury was "still an issue."

MORE: http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/9134652/detroit-lions-kicker-jason-hanson-retires-21-years

Wow -- this guy was such a fixture in Detroit. He was drafted in 1992! Take a look at the draft class and it'll blow you away how long ago that actually was: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_NFL_Draft