Andre Lamont Johnson (born July 11, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Houston Texans. He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes, and was selected by the Texans third overall in the 2003 NFL draft. He is 11th all-time in NFL career receptions, and in NFL receiving yards. Playing his first 12 years with Houston, Johnson holds nearly every Texans receiving record. He was also a member of the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans, playing one season with each team.
During his career, Johnson was a seven-time NFL Pro Bowler, named to four All-Pro teams, and emerged as one of the NFL's most productive wide receivers of his era. In 2024, Johnson was selected for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, becoming the first player to start their career with the Texans to be inducted.
Johnson was born in Miami, on July 11, 1981. He attended Miami Senior High School, where he graduated in 1999. He played high school football and was rated as one of the top prospects in the country. As a senior, Johnson caught 32 passes for 931 yards and was named a Parade All-American.
Johnson enrolled at the University of Miami, where he was a standout wide receiver on the Miami Hurricanes football team from 2000 to 2003. He was co-MVP of the 2002 Rose Bowl, in which the Hurricanes defeated the Nebraska Cornhuskers by a score of 37–14 to cap an undefeated season and their fifth national championship. In that game, Johnson connected with quarterback Ken Dorsey for two touchdowns and 199 yards. Johnson finished his college career catching 92 passes for 1,831 yards (19.9-yard average) and 20 touchdowns. His 1,831 receiving yards is ranked fifth on the University of Miami's all-time career list.
Johnson was inducted into the Miami Sports Hall of Fame on April 10, 2014, at a ceremony in Miami.
As a University of Miami player, Johnson also ran for the Hurricanes track and field team. In 2002, he won the Big East 60-meter dash with a time of 6.81 seconds at the Big East Indoor Championship and followed that up by winning the 100-meter dash with a career-best time of 10.59 seconds at the Big East Outdoor Championships. He won the 200-meter dash at the 2003 GMAC Championships with a career-best time of 21.48 seconds. Also a top competitor in the 400 meters, he ran a career-best time of 46.47 seconds in the finals of the 2003 FHSAA Class 3A Championships.
Johnson was selected in the first round with the third overall pick in the 2003 NFL draft by the Houston Texans. He severed ties with NFL agents Michael Huyghue and Jeff Moorad before hiring sports attorney Don West Jr. to negotiate his rookie contract with the Texans. Johnson was signed to a six-year, $39 million contract and was able to start training camp on time due to a timely contract negotiation. His rookie contract included over $13.501 million in guaranteed compensation.
In Johnson's rookie season, he started and played in all 16 games, recording 66 receptions for 976 yards and four touchdowns for the 5–11 Texans. He had three games going over the 100-yard mark on the year, one of which was his first NFL multi-touchdown game in week 3 against the Kansas City Chiefs in a 42–14 loss. He was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team.
Johnson's breakout year came in 2004 when he combined with Texans quarterback David Carr to record 79 catches for 1,142 yards and six touchdowns in the Texans 7–9 season. He had four games going over the 100-yard mark, including a 170-yard, two-touchdown day against the Minnesota Vikings in week 5. He was selected to his first Pro Bowl in recognition of his successful season.
In week 12, Johnson had 12 receptions for 159 yards and a touchdown against the St. Louis Rams in a 33–27 loss. In week 16, against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he had seven receptions for 119 yards and a touchdown in a 38–20 loss. Johnson played in 13 games due to injury and had 63 receptions with 688 yards and two touchdowns as the Texans finished a franchise-worst 2–14. When interviewed in 2012, Johnson said that he was frustrated with the team's struggles, even saying that at times he "didn't want to get up and go to work", but knew that with a new franchise, struggles were expected and he wanted to be there to see the team make the next step.
Johnson returned from injury and started all 16 games. In week 3, against Washington, he had 11 receptions for 152 yards in a 31–15 loss. In week 4, against the Miami Dolphins, he earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week with nine receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown in a 17–15 victory. He led the NFL in receptions with 103 and finished with 1,147 yards and five touchdowns in the Texans 6–10 season. He made his second Pro Bowl appearance.
On March 3, 2007, the Texans signed Johnson to a six-year extension; the deal was worth $60 million and includes $15 million in guarantees.
Johnson started the 2007 season with seven receptions for 142 yards and a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs in a 20–3 victory in week 1. In week 2, against the Carolina Panthers, he had seven receptions for 120 receiving yards and two touchdowns in a 34–21 victory. Starting in week 3, Johnson missed seven games due to injury. He returned mid-season to finish with 851 receiving yards and a career-high eight receiving touchdowns as the Texans went 8–8. He led the league in receiving yards per game in 2007 with 95.6.
For his efforts in the month of October, Johnson earned AFC Offensive Player of the Month. In the month, he had 41 total receptions and had games with 131, 178, 141, and 143 receiving yards. On December 14, 2008, Johnson recorded his first 200-yard game with 207 yards and one touchdown in the Texans' 13–12 win over their AFC South rival Tennessee Titans. Johnson finished the 2008 season recording career highs in receptions and receiving yards totaling 115 receptions for 1,575 yards (both of which lead the league) and touchdown receptions with eight. This same season, Johnson became the first player in NFL history to record seven games with at least 10 receptions. He was named to the Pro Bowl and was a First-team All-Pro.
In week 2, against the Tennessee Titans, Johnson had ten receptions for 149 yards and two touchdowns in the 34–31 victory. In week 5, against the Arizona Cardinals, he had eight receptions for 101 yards and two touchdowns in the 28–21 loss. In the following game against the Cincinnati Bengals, he had eight receptions for 135 yards in the 28–17 victory. In week 14, against the Seattle Seahawks, he had 11 receptions for 193 yards and two touchdowns in the 34–7 victory. He followed that up with nine receptions for 196 receiving yards in the 16–13 victory over the St. Louis Rams in week 15. In the 2009 season, Johnson once again led the league in receiving yards with 1,569 on 101 receptions and a career-high nine touchdowns to lead the Texans to a 9–7 record, the first winning record in franchise history. Johnson joined Jerry Rice as the only two receivers since the merger to lead the league in receiving yards in consecutive seasons. However, the Texans narrowly missed the playoffs on tiebreakers to the Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets, who also finished with a 9–7 record but had better conference records. Once again, Johnson was named to both the Pro Bowl and the First-team All-Pro.
On August 4, 2010, Johnson became the highest paid wide receiver in NFL history when he signed a two-year contract extension, keeping him under contract through the 2016 season.
In week 2, a 30–27 victory over the Washington Redskins, he had 12 receptions for 158 yards and a touchdown to earn AFC Offensive Player of the Week. In week 6, against the Kansas City Chiefs, he had eight receptions for 138 yards and a touchdown in the 35–31 victory. In week 10 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he had nine receptions for 146 yards and a touchdown in the 31–24 loss. In week 12, against the Tennessee Titans, Johnson became the first player in NFL history to have 60 or more receptions in each of his first eight seasons. In the same game, he fought Tennessee Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan. After being jammed hard off the line of scrimmage by Finnegan to the head and neck area repeatedly throughout the game, Johnson lost his temper and pulled off Finnegan's helmet. Finnegan then removed and threw Johnson's helmet down-field and was promptly thrown to the ground by his jersey. Johnson then proceeded to strike Finnegan on the back of his head and neck before being pulled away by the referee. Johnson and Finnegan were ejected from the game, but not suspended. Both were fined $25,000 for their unsportsmanlike actions. In week 13, against the Philadelphia Eagles, he had six receptions for 149 yards in the 34–24 loss. In the following game, he had nine receptions for 140 yards and two touchdowns against the Baltimore Ravens in the 34–28 loss. Johnson finished the 2010 season with 86 receptions for 1,216 yards and eight touchdowns. He was invited to the 2011 Pro Bowl, but the Texans finished 6–10 and missed the playoffs once again. He was ranked seventh by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2011.