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Buccaneers rookie was so confused about fans’ MVP chants

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated Oct 13, 2025 8:10 PM ET

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Tez Johnson caught his first career touchdown on Sunday, and followed it up with a hilarious rookie moment on the sideline.

Johnson was the recipient of a perfectly-thrown 45-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Baker Mayfield during the third quarter of Sunday’s win over the San Francisco 49ers at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. Buccaneers fans began an “MVP” chant for Mayfield, who continues to play at an incredibly high level, but a confused Johnson badly misread the chants.

“When I scored and I heard the MVP chants, I’m thinking they’re talking about me,” Johnson confessed. “So I asked (Sterling Shepard), ‘Shep, they were chanting MVP?’ He was like, ‘yeah.’ I was like, ‘I ain’t do nothing this year.’ Then he was like, ‘they’re talking about Baker, Tez.'”

Johnson was telling the truth, as a microphone on the sideline caught the whole exchange. Naturally, Shepard immediately got up and told everyone about Johnson’s hilarious assumption.

There’s no telling whether the MVP chants were for Tez or Baker pic.twitter.com/yfRGMurtOx
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) October 13, 2025

Johnson will not be living that one down for a while, but he can probably live with that. The MVP hype around Mayfield is growing, and nobody will be confused by the chants again anytime soon.

To be fair, Johnson actually had a moment that left him fairly shaken during Sunday’s game, so maybe his brain was not quite working right.

Mayfield has thrown for 1,539 yards with 12 touchdowns this season, and the Buccaneers are off to a 5-1 start. They have a chance to make a big statement on the road against the Detroit Lions in Week 7, which could really establish Mayfield’s MVP credentials.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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