The Denver Broncos selected two wide receivers in the 2024 draft. According to Broncos head coach Sean Payton, that made finding and taking one in the 2025 cycle, specifically Bo Nix’s former Oregon Ducks teammate, Tez Johnson, difficult.
With Johnson instead joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Nix offered words of advice.
“Keep proving them wrong kid,” Nix captioned a post on Instagram on April 26, featuring a graphic of Johnson’s selection.
Per The Oregonian’s Bill Oram in 2023, Nix’s family took Johnson in in 2017.
Johnson excelled on the field but was having difficulty in school. His mother, Shamika Johnson, Nix’s family (including his father, Patrick Nix, the head coach at the high school in Pinson, Alabama), and school officials made the decision.
Johnson previously said, “It would be great” to reunite with Nix and some of the other former Ducks on the Broncos’ roster. The two are so close, they consider each other brothers.
“I told Bo if Sean Payton drafts me, we’re making a movie. We’re definitely gonna make a movie. Me and you the starring characters. We definitely gonna make a movie. And just being under Sean Payton is gonna be great,” Johnson told Sports Illustrated’s Bri Amaranthus in May 2024. “We don’t even know the name of it yet. We just brought it up and was like, ‘We gonna create a movie.’ And I’m thinking the movie should be called “Reunited.” That’s just based off my head. “Reunited” is a movie.”
Johnson also predicted a Super Bowl in the group’s future if reunited.
Bo Nix, Tez Johnson Miss Reunion in Broncos-Bucs Tilt
GettyBo Nix #10, Alex Forsyth #54, and Troy Franklin #16 of the Denver Broncos pose for a photo with Bucky Irving #7 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
To make matters worse for Johnson and Nix, they missed an opportunity for an on-field reunion by one season. The Broncos visited the Buccaneers in Week 3 of the 2024 regular season, a game Nix’s squad won 27-3.
That game featured multiple former Ducks, including Broncos center Alex Forsyth and wideout Troy Franklin Jr., who is one of those 2024 draftees, and Bucs running back Bucky Irving.
They gathered for a photo after the game. Nix later shared a different image from B/R Gridiron.
Ducks fly together 🦆
Bo Nix & Troy Franklin. Tez Johnson & Bucky Irving. Ducks offense put all four in the league 🔥
Johnson does reunite with Irving, his “best friend,” who assumed lead duties toward the end of his rookie season in Tampa. Unfortunately for Nix and Johnson, they will not get a chance to do the same.
The two teams will not meet in 2025, barring runs to the Super Bowl.
Broncos Get Honest About Passing on Tez Johnson
GettyOmarr Johnson #WO24 of Oregon speaks to the media during the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine.
Johnson caught 83 passes for 898 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2024, one season after posting an 86-1,182-10 line with Nix as his QB in 2023. His preexisting connection with Nix made him an easy speculative target for the Broncos.
However, he weighed in at 154 pounds and ran a 4.51 40-yard dash at the 2025 combine. That lent credence to some of the pre-draft commentary about him.
Payton and the Broncos essentially played the numbers game, and Johnson came up short.
“I’m sure he was on everyone’s board at some point,” Payton told reporters on April 26. “After [drafting] one receiver, drafting two last year –. But, yeah, [Johnson was considered].
Broncos general manager George Paton said they “definitely” considered Johnson, but they instead drafted Illinois’ Pat Bryant, whom Payton compared to former New Orleans Saints star Michael Thomas.
