Indianapolis Colts sign free agent wide receiver Andre Johnson

In the last 24 hours, the Indianapolis Colts have provided quarterback Andrew Luck with two talented new weapons, first by signing running back Frank Gore, and second by inking star free agent wide receiver Andre Johnson today.

The 6'3" and 230-pound Johnson, is a seven-time Pro Bowl selection (2005, 2007, 2009-2011, 2013-14) who battled against the Colts for years during his long stint (2003-2014) with the Houston Texans.

“I wanted to be at a place that had a stable quarterback," said Johnson. "I feel like Andrew is arguably the best quarterback in the game, playing against him twice a year, getting a chance to watch him a lot. Like I said, I felt like this was a good place where I could win a championship.”

A veteran wideout with a knack for the big play, Johnson has an impressive career resume. Johnson also gives Luck a big target who can make catches in traffic over smaller defensive backs, as his size provides a dimension Luck did not always have last year with the fast, but smaller T.Y. Hilton.

As for that resume, Johnson is the Texans’ all-time leading receiver with 1,012 receptions for 13,597 yards and 64 touchdowns. Johnson ranks ninth in NFL history in career receptions and 12th in receiving yards. He has averaged an NFL all-time best 6.0 receptions per game, while his 80.5 yards per contest rank second in NFL annals.

Johnson is one of three players in NFL history to record five 100-catch seasons (2006, 2008-09, 2012-13), surpass 1,500 receiving yards in consecutive years (2008-09) and lead the league in receiving yards in back-to-back seasons (2008-09). He also led the NFL in receptions in 2006 and 2008. Johnson is the only player to record at least 60 receptions in each of his first eight seasons and became the second-fastest player to reach 1,000 catches in NFL history, doing so in his 168th career game. He also tied for the second-fastest player in NFL history to reach 13,000 receiving yards (160 games).

Johnson holds the NFL record with 21 career games with 10-or-more receptions and 100-or-more receiving yards. He has 10 games with at least 10 receptions and 150 yards receiving, which is tied with Jerry Rice for the most in NFL history. Johnson’s 51 career 100-yard receiving games ranks tied for fourth all-time.

Since being selected as the third overall pick of the 2003 NFL Draft, Johnson has recorded the most receptions and receiving yards of any player during that span. He has started four postseason games and has totaled 25 receptions for 358 yards and a touchdown.

By Staff of TheDailySportsHerald.com and news services