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Tez Johnson Laughs at Himself for Thinking Baker Mayfield's MVP Chants Were for Him

The Raymond James Stadium crowd had the Buccaneers wide receiver confused.
Tez Johnson backflipped after catching a 45-yard touchdown from Baker Mayfield.
Tez Johnson backflipped after catching a 45-yard touchdown from Baker Mayfield. | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

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Tez Johnson's 45-yard touchdown catch in the Buccaneers' win over the 49ers saw Raymond James Stadium erupt in "MVP!" chants on Sunday afternoon. Those shouts were—of course—for Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield, who continued his career resurgence with another sensational performance as his team improved to 5-1 on the 2025 season.

After the game, however, Johnson hilariously admitted that he thought the raucous was for him.

"Let me tell y'all a funny story. This is crazy," the rookie pass catcher said with a smile after his team's 30-19 win. "When I scored, and I heard MVP chants, I'm thinking they're talking about me! So I asked [Sterling Shepard], I'm like, 'Shep, they was chanting MVP?' And he was like, 'Yeah.' And I was like, 'I ain't even do nothing this year,' and then he was like, 'They're talking about Baker, Tez.' And I was like, 'Welp, that explains it.'"

"But he is the MVP," Johnson continued. "The one he got the first down on, he was—he said he blacked out—but that's just Baker. The pump fake got everybody ... he's a dog. I don't know what he put in his cereal before the game, but that guy wants it every single week."

Mayfield went 17-for-23 for 256 yards and two touchdowns on the afternoon, further padding his NFL MVP resume.

Johnson, meanwhile, hauled in his first career NFL touchdown. The Buccaneers will now head to Detroit next Sunday to take on the Lions.


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Published | Modified
 Mike Kadlick
MICHAEL KADLICK

Mike Kadlick is an NFL writer for Sports Illustrated. He’s also a New England Patriots reporter for CLNS Media, where he hosts the Patriots Daily podcast and covers the beat from Gillette Stadium. Before joining SI, Kadlick worked at WEEI sports radio in Boston. He holds a master’s degree in public relations from Boston University. When Kadlick’s not covering football, he can be found running, spending time with his wife and dog, and enjoying all things pizza.