Scott Hanson says his future with NFL RedZone is not fixed, even as he returns to the show he has fronted since 2009. He said this week that he is in the second year of a four-year deal, but added that he is not married to RedZone and could go somewhere else when the contract runs its course.
That matters because Hanson is not just another host in the NFL ecosystem. He has been the face of RedZone since its inaugural season on NFL Network in 2009, and his presence has become part of the weekly rhythm for viewers who follow the show. When someone with that kind of history says he may not stay, the question becomes bigger than one contract.
Hanson framed it as gratitude, not defiance. He said, “I love my job. I give everything I’ve got to RedZone,” and added that he hopes he has been good for the NFL and that the NFL has been good for him. But he also made clear there is no lifelong lock-in: “I’m not married to it. Could I go somewhere else? Sure.”
He went further, saying that if he were to move on, he would want the next show or project to thrive in a way it never has before and serve the audience as well as a host possibly can. That line fits a broader pattern. Hanson was briefly in question before last season before he announced on social media that he would return, and he said in July 2025 on the SI Media Podcast with Jimmy Traina that there was a time when he thought he did not know if the RedZone deal would happen.
Those comments also give new weight to earlier reporting that negotiations had stalled and that he was being courted by NBC. Hanson worked for NBC on GoldZone during the 2024 Summer Olympics and 2026 Winter Olympics, so the idea of another landing spot was never far-fetched. He said the NFL was a tough negotiator and described the talks as a “knockdown drag-out” process, but he also said he was thrilled to be back and thrilled the sides reached agreement.
For now, the work continues under the current deal. What happens when it ends is still the open question, and Hanson made plain that the answer is not automatic.
