Andre Johnson is impressed with the Hall of Fame honor, even though others saw it coming
Andre Johnson never expected to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Throughout his playing days, which included a storied NFL career in which he terrorized defenses for the better part of 14 seasons, the wide receiver always aspired to greatness. And for years, Johnson watched the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Canton, Ohio, on television. But Johnson always associated the images and accolades — the bronze busts, the gold jackets, the stirring speeches, the cheers of adoring fans — with players he idolized, not with himself.
“I never thought I’d ever be a part of it,” Johnson, 43, said last week. “I never thought, ‘Oh, I want to be a Hall of Famer.’ I think because I’m such a fan of the game, I was always excited to see other guys get into it. But to be honest, I never really thought about it. Of course, when you’re playing, reporters would come up to me after games and say, ‘You could be in the Hall of Fame someday,’ and stuff like that. But I never really thought about it.
“So, to get that knock on the door,” Johnson added, referring to the visit he received from Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter welcoming him to the NFL’s most elite fraternity, “that was special.”
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Johnson will officially take his place in the hallowed hall of pro football on Saturday. He will join return man Devin Hester, pass rushers Dwight Freeney and Julius Peppers, linebackers Patrick Willis and Randy Gradishar and interior defensive lineman Steve McMichael.
Johnson ranks 11th on the NFL’s all-time receiving yards (14,185) and receptions (1,062) lists, with seven Pro Bowl seasons and two first-team All-Pro selections to his name. He’s more comfortable with his Hall of Fame induction now, about six months after learning he would the cut made in his third year as a finalist.
He understands the significance of the honor and how much it means to his family, his fans and the Houston Texans as he takes on the the franchise’s first Hall of FamerYet there’s still a part of Johnson that finds it hard to believe.
“The first time I visited the Hall of Fame (earlier this year), I walked into that room with those busts, and I think for me it was like, ‘Man, I’m one of those guys?'” he said. “There were so many great people to play that game, and to be in that room with those guys is an amazing feeling. I kind of feel like I’m dreaming.”
No one familiar with Johnson’s work has ever questioned his qualifications or worthiness.
“One of my favorite players I’ve ever coached. One of my favorite people I’ve ever coached,” said San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, who was Houston’s wide receivers coach in 2006 and offensive coordinator in 2008 and 2009. “Andre was such a great guy. He and Julio (Jones) are the two most talented receivers I’ve ever been around. And Andre is probably the hardest-working guy I’ve ever been around — and not just a receiver. He was always in shape, always knew how to work, never took a play off, never turned anything down in the run game. He was a real great guy and a real Hall of Famer.”
The Hall of Fame sends happy birthday wishes to @HoustonTexans Legend Andre Johnson, who received this special gift earlier this year! The Class of 2024 member turns 43 today. 🎂 🎉 #HBD photo.twitter.com/tNQXy4KwNb
— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) July 11, 2024
Johnson’s modest approach to professional football’s highest individual honor makes sense given the humility, hunger and intense focus that were the themes of his career. After Houston selected Johnson with the third pick in the 2003 NFL Draft, he spent 12 years with the Texans, followed by one season with the Indianapolis Colts and eight games with the Tennessee Titans. He retired in 2016.
He played a position often associated with flashy and flamboyant personalities. Yet it’s hard to find memorable soundbites from Johnson, and there were certainly no attention-grabbing antics off the field.
Johnson was often described as “quiet” or a “silent killer” during his playing career. But in reality, Johnson was anything but quiet, and he certainly did not fly unnoticed in the areas that really mattered.
At 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds, Johnson stood out for his stature. And he came out of the University of Miami with a 40-yard dash time of 4.37 seconds, a vertical jump of 41 inches and a long jump of 10 feet, 9 inches.
Johnson made a lot of noise, using his speed and tight routes to beat defenders, and his strength to pick off 50-50 balls or break tackles, move the chains and score touchdowns.
“Andre Johnson is a unicorn in his own right,” said Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel, who was an assistant forward in Houston from 2006 to 2008. “Not only was he, without a doubt, the greatest athletic freak at his position in a world where sometimes super-talented guys could get away with not having a work ethic, you had this guy who was on a mission to be great and be the best he could be.”
Janssen credits Former University of Miami wide receivers coach Curtis Johnson for his relentless pursuit of perfection. Curtis Johnson taught Andre Johnson the importance of film study, how to analyze his own game and practice performance with an ultra-critical eye, and then how to hone the finer details on the field.
“He kind of gave me a blueprint of what it was like to be a pro,” Andre Johnson said. “So when I got to the league, I was already a note-taker and watching a lot of film and stuff like that. … It was a really smooth transition.”
In Johnson’s rookie season, he had 66 catches for 976 yards and four touchdowns. The following season, he reached the Pro Bowl after recording the first of seven 1,000-yard seasons, including two consecutive league-leading 1,500-yard campaigns (2008 and 2009).
“He was just a businessman,” former defensive end Will Blackmon, who played against Johnson in college and the NFL, said via text message. “He showed up, went to work, didn’t say a word, put up great numbers and went home.”
“I won’t rail against you… But at the next play, I’m going to do everything I can to shame you in front of the whole world.”
Andre Johnson let his game do the talking.@johnson80 @HoustonTexans (quote via @FlemESPN) photo.twitter.com/QoNXojXCK2
— NFL Legacy (@NFLLegacy) March 30, 2019
For Johnson, the on-field statements were far more satisfying and effective than any verbal criticism.
“I was never a big trash talker,” he said. “I felt like if you go out there and take care of your business, that’s enough talk. You know, you don’t have to argue with a guy. You just go out there and take him on and embarrass him, and then there’s really nothing to talk about.”
As Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin put it, “His tape did the job. He was just a beast. You know, his size, his agility, his body control, the skills he showed relative to the position, late hands, etc. He was just a monster to deal with in one-on-one situations.”
Perhaps one of the most remarkable aspects of Johnson’s productive career was that he dominated without the luxury of a star quarterback. (David Carr, Matt Schaub and Ryan Fitzpatrick were Houston’s starters during Johnson’s 12 seasons there.) Johnson used his physical gifts, unmatched diligence, consistency and reliability to compensate for that fact and raised the level of play of those around him.
“When I say he was the heart and soul of the team, it’s because he was the best player and he was also the tone setter for how we did our business, how we operated,” McDaniel said. “All those things: the combination of being the all-star player and that baseline tone setter for how people went about their day, he made everyone better that played with him or against him. And he never, never, never had a day where he compromised that identity.”
That identity and his refusal to compromise have earned Johnson professional football immortality.
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(Photo: Bob Levey/Getty Images)
