With Andre Johnson finally in Hall of Fame, is Carolina Panthers legend Steve Smith next?
At long last, the wide receiver who embodied the spirit and captured the collective imagination of his expansion franchise’s fan base is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
He deserved it, what with over 1,000 receptions and 14,000 receiving yards to his name in over 190 career NFL games.
This is Andre Johnson, to be clear.
But the same could — should? — be said for someone Carolina Panthers fans know well, too.
In many ways, the enshrinement of Johnson was a belated one. The near-career-long Houston Texan joined the elite gold-jacket club in Canton, Ohio, on Saturday alongside forever North Carolinian Julius Peppers and Devin Hester and Dwight Freeney and others — and he did so after retiring in 2016, meaning he’s been eligible for the game’s most sacred room for several years.
Steve Smith, the Carolina Panthers great, has been waiting too.
Johnson’s induction prompts a compelling question: Is Smith next?
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A look at the stat comparison only boosts Smith’s candidacy.
According to StatHead.com, a football website that compares players and teams, Smith (who played from 2001 to 2016) and Johnson (2003 to 2016) had wildly similar careers as far as the numbers go.
Johnson’s career stat line: 1,062 receptions for 14,185 yards and 70 touchdowns.
Smith’s? 1,031 receptions for 14,731 yards and 81 touchdowns.
In fact, in every statistical category besides receptions, Smith has the edge. That includes yards per catch, all rushing categories and all special teams data. Smith caught punts throughout the bulk of his career and even returned kickoffs — twice for touchdowns, even — in 98 career attempts.
It’s true that Johnson has the edge in Pro Bowl appearances — seven to Smith’s five. It’s also true that Johnson got tabbed for the All-Pro team four times while Smith did so three times.
It’s also true that nitpicking comparison data isn’t how classes are selected, and that voters engage in a rigorous, thorough, holistic process that culminates in an annual meeting shortly before the Super Bowl. According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame website: “The Committee consists of one media representative from each pro football city with two from New York” and that “every candidate is carefully scrutinized and must receive at least 80% approval of the Committee at the annual meeting before he or she can be elected.”
But the similarities between the two beg a comprehensive comparison.
Smith, a 5-foot-9, 195-pound speedster, was drafted by the Carolina Panthers out of Utah in 2001, not long after the team had its inaugural season in 1995. He immediately made an impact and sustained that excellence across multiple quarterbacks and head coaches and front offices. He finished with eight 1,000-plus yard seasons and left Carolina for the Baltimore Ravens in 2014 before retiring in 2016. This November, Smith was named a semifinalist for the Hall of Fame — his third such mention — but has yet to advance as a “finalist” for the honor.
Johnson, like Smith, was drafted by the Texans in 2003 and didn’t play for another team until the twilight of his career. The 6-foot-3, 227-pound quiet enforcer found ways to impact the game despite not having an MVP quarterback — rising above struggling offenses and double teams to put together seven 1,000-yard seasons that culminated in a Hall of Fame nod this year — after three consecutive years of being named a finalist.
The road was a long one for Johnson, no doubt. Emotions spilled Saturday.
“I hope you guys really take this in,” said a “happy as hell” Johnson in his speech. “Enjoy it. Cherish it. Because one day, one of you guys could be standing up here, man.”
He was directing his words at his Houston Texans teammates in the Canton crowd. But the same words could apply to Smith, too.
This story was originally published August 4, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
