When the knock at the door came that Andre Johnson’s prolific career had prepared him for, the former Texans receiver initially had no idea what was awaiting on the other side that Thursday afternoon.
The funny thing is it was meant to be that way.
All Johnson knew was suddenly that day he had a house full of people; his mom, brother and other friends and family members and all seemingly because his agent, Kennard McGuire, wanted to put Johnson in his will to take care of his son in the event something happened. The spontaneous gathering really wasn’t that out of the ordinary.
But then came the knock at the front door and Johnson was told specifically to answer it.
“So, I’m in the kitchen, and I walk around and look at the front door and I see a camera, but I can’t see who’s actually standing at the door,” Johnson said to The Defender. “I can tell there’s somebody standing there, and I can see him in the gold jacket, but I can’t see his face. So, right then and there, I was like, ‘I know this is not about to happen.’ So, I open the door and – I mean, you guys saw it – it was Cris [Carter] and I was just like, ‘Wow, this is really happening.’”
Just like that, Johnson crossed over into one of the most exclusive fraternities in sports, the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Johnson wouldn’t say it was a lifelong dream realized because he never dreamed of such, but it was certainly the desired exclamation point to a stellar career.
The knock finally came on the third year Johnson was eligible for enshrinement in Canton, Ohio.
“I think it was just perfect timing,” said Johnson, who was the Texans’ first-round pick in the 2003 NFL Draft. “The first two times that I was a finalist, to be honest, I knew I wasn’t getting in. To be honest, I didn’t really – I wouldn’t say ‘care’ – but I just didn’t really think about it as much.”
Johnson knew well ahead of the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame class announcement during Super Bowl week, but he and his family were sworn to secrecy until the official announcement. It hit the day he found out, but it became real in Las Vegas when suddenly he was being embraced as the newest member of the gold jacket wearers.
Johnson, who is naturally quiet and laid back, was admittedly speechless in a room that included many of the players he grew up idolizing like Jerry Rice, Marshall Faulk, Dan Marino, Jimmy Johnson, Deion Sanders, Isaac Bruce, Darrell Green, Champ Bailey, Mean Joe Green and Carter.
“For me, I don’t really have to – being around those guys – you really want to try to learn from them,” Johnson said. “There’s not really much you can say when you’re around them because those are the guys I watched growing up. So, to be in that class with them is great.”
Johnson, who was a seven-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro during his 12-year career with the Texans, had tried to put the selection out of his mind in the days leading up to this year’s selection process. It was so out of his mind, that it didn’t strike him as odd when Texans CEO Cal McNair out of the blue asked him if he thought he had a shot to get in this year.
Johnson’s response was, “I told myself, ‘If there’s a year for me to go in, it’s this year.’ And he was like, ‘Really? You think so?’
“And at that time, when I told him [Cal McNair] that, he already knew [laughs]. I found this out later. But he already knew that I was going in. I don’t know, it was just something about this time around. I don’t know, I could just feel it. I was like, ‘If there’s a time for me to go in, it’s this year.”
The McNairs getting their first player into the Pro Football Hall of Fame was certainly special, and that it was Johnson, who was the franchise’s first great player, made it that much more special. The bond Johnson has continued to share with owner Janice McNair and her family has remained strong.
The party started during Super Bowl week, but Janice McNair vowed to keep the party going all year long.
“What they’ve done for me and my family, you can’t really repay that,” said Johnson, who ranks 11th all-time for most career receiving yards with 14,185 yards. “Them taking a chance on me – a young, 22-year-old guy – and me being able to do what I’ve done for the organization. I know they appreciate it, and they let me know that they do. And them just telling me how happy they were – we had some emotional moments, too. It was just a great feeling to have them there and experience all this with me.”
Johnson is also honored to share his enshrinement with the city of Houston and the fans here. In fact, he has already warned the folks in Canton to be ready for the Houston fans when they show up in August for the Enshrinement Ceremony.
“Because Houston’s going to show up and show out,” he said. “Just the love I’ve received from this city and the fans, it’s truly been great. It’s been a fun time. I know that they are super, super excited for this to be happening. Honestly, I can’t wait to see what happens in Canton.”
