Andre Johson and Derek Carr have a bond that has lasted through Carr's high school, college, and now NFL career.
The younger brother of David Carr hasn't seen Johnson since the family left Houston, but he hasn't forgotten what the seven-time Pro Bowl receiver meant to him.
"Oh my goodness, he was just always so nice to me," Carr said on Wednesday. "I was always bugging him, telling him I was going to go to Miami, all of these things. I remember him always taking the time to see how my season was going or he went to some of games, which is pretty cool. Not a lot of kids have a Hall of Fame receiver come to their football games, so it was pretty neat."
Carr often attended practice when big brother David was Houston's quarterback. He was in the Texans locker room after every game, Johnson recalls. He always had a lot of confidence, even as a kid. That's what stands out most to Johnson after all these years.
"When I used to come out of the locker room sometimes, he'd be sitting right there in the hallway," Johnson said, pointing. "He was always telling me he was going to Miami and be a quarterback at the U. I always thought he would follow in his brother's footsteps and go to Fresno State. He did that and had a great career there."
Now that he's in the NFL, Johnson has a chance to catch up with the "kid" he used to cheer for in middle school. Johnson is curious to find out what those years following middle school were like for Carr, playing at the collegiate level, the Combine, the NFL draft process. Even though the two hadn't kept in touch, he had been following Carr's career all this time.
"It just shows you how old I'm getting," Johnson said, smiling. "It should be fun. I can't wait to get to talk to him and just ask him about the experience and everything. I watched him play in middle school and I followed him in college. Just to see him out on the field playing now, it's crazy, but at the same time it will be a good chance to get to see him."
