After hauling in a deep pass from quarterback Baker Mayfield for his first NFL touchdown on Sunday, Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie Tez Johnson thought he had become the star of the show at Raymond James Stadium.
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Johnson’s hilarious misunderstanding came moments after his 45-yard touchdown from Mayfield that extended Tampa Bay’s lead to 27-19 late in the third quarter. The rookie couldn’t resist celebrating and cartwheeled into the end zone before sticking a clean backflip as his teammates erupted. As did the fans with the MVP chants.
“When I scored and I hear MVP chants, I’m thinking they’re talking about me,” Johnson laughed after the Bucs’ 30-19 win over the San Francisco 49ers.
“And so I asked (wide receiver Sterling Shepard), I’m like, ‘Shep, they was chanting MVP,’ and he was like, ‘Yeah.’ I was like, ‘I ain’t do nothing this year.’ And then he was like, ‘They talking about Baker, Tez.’ And I was like, ‘Well, that explains it.’ But he is the MVP.”
A seventh-round pick in April’s NFL Draft, the former Oregon standout and Troy transfer put himself on the map with his 26 offensive snaps on Sunday and his first career score.
“You know I’m slow sometimes, bro,” Johnson joked as teammates teased him for the mix-up.
Meanwhile, Baker Mayfield continues to play like a man on a mission. Despite missing four starting wide receivers, two offensive linemen, and a starting running back, the veteran quarterback has kept Tampa Bay rolling to a 5-1 record. When the Bucs lined up in victory formation Sunday, the “MVP! MVP!” chants only got louder.
“The thing I enjoy about this team is the confidence and the trust they have in the next guy,” Johnson said. “I’ve never been part of a team like that. Any other team I’ve played for, when one guy goes down, it’s like, ‘Oh, the season’s over.’ But here, it’s just next man up. We believe in each other.”
Through six games, Mayfield has thrown for 1,539 yards (4th in the NFL) with 12 touchdowns and just one interception, numbers worthy of MVP talk, even if he’s not ready to hear it.
“It’s Week 6. Got a big one next week,” Mayfield said. “It’s awesome to have the support, don’t get me wrong. We’re just getting started.”
The Buccaneers will next face the Detroit Lions on Monday Night Football.
