Andre Johnson: Looking Back at Greatness
Houston Texans legend Andre Johnson has officially retired from the NFL. He deserves a look back on his illustrious career to appreciate his greatness.
The NFL saw an all-time great walk away from football this past week. Future Hall-of-Famer Andre Johnson decided to hang up his cleats. The long time Houston Texans wideout decided to call it a career after 14 seasons, 12 of which were spent with Houston. He will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest players of his generation. From his days as a Miami Hurricane to his final touchdown pass with the Tennessee Titans, it’s been an incredible career.
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Johnson originally caught the eye of NFL scouts while helping lead the “The U” to a National Championship in 2001. As the co-MVP of the Rose Bowl he posted 199 yards and two touchdowns. Leaving college one of the greatest receivers in the history of Miami’s storied program, the Texans selected him with the third-overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft.
He departed Miami with 92 receptions, 1,831 yards and 20 touchdowns. Johnson is still fifth all-time in receiving yards for the Hurricanes. Johnson was inducted into Miami’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2014. Included in his college accomplishments were also outstanding track and field performances.
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Once in the NFL, Johnson had an immediate impact, catching 66 passes for 976 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie. He followed his rookie season up with a breakout sophomore campaign. That next step came with catching 79 passes for 1,142 yards and six touchdowns.
When it was all said and done in Houston his resume boasted seven Pro Bowls, four All-Pro teams (two first team) and three NFL Alumni Wide Receiver of the Year awards. He holds just about every receiving record there is to hold for the Texans franchise.
His accomplishments go far beyond just the Texans record books, though. Johnson is the only player in NFL history to start his career with eight-straight 60-plus reception seasons. He also holds the record along with Brandon Marshall and Wes Welker with seven 10-reception games in a season. Johnson is also alone as the player with the most career 10-reception games.
On top of that, he also holds the record with five seasons with over 100 receptions. His 1,062 receptions is good enough for ninth all-time, his 14,185 receiving yards 10th all-time, and 70 touchdowns is 40th all-time among all players.
Johnson’s career wound down after being cut by the Texans following the 2014 season. His final year and a half of his career was spent with the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans. He tacked on just 50 receptions for 588 yards and six touchdowns during this time.
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While he never left the AFC South, he still always looked out of place not in a Texans jersey. He decided to retire as a Texan on Oct. 31 and will undoubtedly be enshrined in Canton as a member of Texans. I, as well as all football fans, will look forward to seeing him in his gold jacket in the near future. He’s beloved by fans for being an even better person than he was an athlete. And considering the player he was, that says it all.