Scott Hanson had doubts about ‘RedZone’ return: ‘The NFL are very tough negotiators’

Scott Hanson will be returning for his 17th season as the host of NFL RedZone after officially signing a multi-year extension with NFL Network back in May. However, according to Hanson himself, it was no foregone conclusion that things would fall the way they did in the “knockdown drag-out negotiations” with the league network.

Before signing the extension to remain the NFL RedZone host, there were reports that talks between Hanson and NFL Media had “stalled”, which had some predicting that Hanson could transition into a role at NBC on a full-time basis after helping out on the network’s whip around coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics with the newly created Gold Zone program.

Hanson discussed some of the difficulties he faced in his negotiations with NFL Media during an appearance on the SI Media Podcast with Jimmy Traina on Thursday, admitting that there was a point when he wasn’t sure whether he would return as the RedZone host for the 2025 NFL season.

“We started talking before last season,” said Hanson. “Once the season hit and we hadn’t reached the deal, I said I got to focus on the football here. I’m confident we’ll get something done. I’ve been the host of the show for 16 years now. I’ve been with the NFL for 18 seasons. They’ve been good for me. I’d like to think I’ve been good for them. A reasonable mind should be able to come to an agreement here. However, the NFL as they want to do, they are very tough negotiators.

“There was quite a knockdown drag-out negotiation, but I’m thrilled to be back. Thrilled that we were able to come to an agreement. “To think that I would be on the show for 20 years, and have it be as successful as it has been, as it most likely will be, is extraordinary. I’m very blessed. There was a time when I thought, I don’t know if this is going to happen. It was not my intention to kind of go that direction, but you have to be willing for that eventuality or that possibility.”

Fortunately, Hanson got the best of both worlds. Not only will he return as the host of NFL RedZone for the foreseeable future, but he will also continue to host the Gold Zone Olympics coverage on NBC for the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.

However, according to Hanson, the reports at the time that suggested he was considering a move to NBC due to his Olympics coverage in 2024 may have only been part of the truth.

“My contract was up, that was reported in public,” said Hanson. “It was coming up, and we were negotiation. That was true. There was a feel I was going to leave for NBC. Well, it was conflated with what I did with Gold Zone for the Paris Olympics last summer, and the fact that I was and we were in the middle of a negotiation with NBC to come back and do future Gold Zones. I think some people got part of the truth and reported that NBC was going to pull Scott Hanson away. Ultimately, we were able to do deals with both because they don’t directly conflict with football season. I’m very glad that the kind of best of both worlds happened.”

NFL RedZone has always been an incredibly beloved product because of the kind of energy Hanson brings every given Sunday. And that same energy was quite apparent in his podcast appearance with Traina, as he expressed his excitement to return to hosting the show in 2025.

“I love my job. I love hosting RedZone, and I hope that comes across,” said Hanson. “I love serving the football public, and that’s why I look at myself as a servant. I’m not doing it to glorify myself. I’m not doing it to try and make my platform greater. That is a byproduct of plenty of millions of people on NFL Sundays. I’m trying to serve the viewer as I want to be served.”