Christopher David Hanson is an American former professional football player who was a punter for 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Marshall Thundering Herd, and was signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 1999. He also played professionally for the Green Bay Packers, Miami Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars, New Orleans Saints and New England Patriots. Hanson is perhaps best known for a season-ending injury sustained while swinging a motivational axe in the Jaguars' locker room in 2003. Hanson was a switch-punter, able to effectively kick with both his left and his right leg, which he alternated to reduce fatigue.

A punter (P) in gridiron football is a special teams player who receives the snapped ball directly from the line of scrimmage and then punts (kicks) the football to the opposing team so as to limit any field position advantage. This generally happens on a fourth down in American football and a third down in Canadian football. Punters may also occasionally take part in fake punts in those same situations, when they throw or run the football instead of punting.