He played college football for the Oregon State Beavers and was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the seventh round of the 2001 NFL draft.

[3] In 2016, he joined Long Beach Poly High School as a wide receivers coach and was elevated to varsity offensive coordinator in 2018.

[5][6] In his two seasons with the Cerritos College Falcons in 1998 and 1999, he was a two-time First-Team Mission Conference selection at wide receiver and kickoff returner.

[7] Based on his junior college performance, Houshmandzadeh was offered an athletic scholarship at Oregon State University by then head coach Dennis Erickson.

[10] At Oregon State, he played with Chad Johnson, who would later be his teammate in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals.

[11] Houshmandzadeh was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the seventh round with the 204th overall pick in the 2001 NFL draft.

[13] Houshmandzadeh made his NFL debut in Week 3 of the 2001 season against the San Diego Chargers.

[14] His most notable achievement was in a game against the Cleveland Browns, in which he set a franchise record with 126 punt return yards.

[15] In Week 13 of the 2002 season, against the Baltimore Ravens, Housmandzadeh scored his first professional touchdown on a four-yard reception.

"[24] With the release of Warrick during the 2005 training camp, Houshmandzadeh retained the starting position and he and Johnson soon earned recognition for being among the NFL's most exciting receiving tandems.

In March 2005, the Bengals rewarded Houshmandzadeh with a four-year, $13 million contract and an undisclosed bonus.

[40][41] Against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 3, Houshmandzadeh totaled 141 yards on 12 receptions for one touchdown in the 24–21 loss.

[47] In Week 3 of the 2008 season, Houshmandzadeh recorded 12 receptions for 142 receiving yards and one touchdown in the 26–23 loss to the New York Giants.

[58] Houshmandzadeh signed a one-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens on September 6, 2010, for the veteran league minimum of $855,000.

[62] He managed to score only three touchdowns, although one of them won the Week 4 divisional matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Andy Furman, a sports commentator on Cincinnati's 700 WLW was fired on November 1, 2006, for referring to Houshmandzadeh as a racist on the air.

The next evening, Furman, a New York City native, alleged that he heard from another source that Houshmandzadeh called him a "punk-ass white boy" for criticizing the no-show.

It was also claimed that the woman had posed as the mother of his kids online and had sent harassing mail and personal items to his home.

In Electronic Arts' Madden NFL series of games, Houshmandzadeh's surname was shortened to "Houshmandz".

The limit was increased to allow his and other players' names to be displayed in full beginning with Madden NFL 2010.