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.'"
#Bucs WR Tez Johnson thought he was getting MVP chants after his first NFL TD…
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 13, 2025
“I was like I ain’t do nothing this year.”
Sterling Shepard had to let him know it was for Baker Mayfield 😂😂😂
(via @Buccaneers) https://t.co/z0KYqAc4pW pic.twitter.com/0RjP6fW3VR
"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.
More NFL on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Tez Johnson Laughs at Himself for Thinking Baker Mayfield's MVP Chants Were for Him.
