Week 10 in the NFL saw quite a bit of action from former Oregon Ducks.
From New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough finding tight end Juwan Johnson for a unique Ducks touchdown connection, to Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix and wide receiver Troy Franklin continuing to recapture their college magic with offensive lineman Calvin Throckmorton on the interior line, and Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert securing a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Derrick Harmon at home, there’s so much to break down.
On Sunday, yet another Oregon connection brought two former Ducks together at Raymond James Stadium for a post game jersey swap.
After the New England Patriots took a 28-23 road win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Patriot cornerback Christian Gonzalez and Buccaneer wide receiver Tez Johnson met at the logo to exchange their game-worn jerseys. Both players signed the uniforms, with both Johnson and Gonzalez writing “Sco Ducks” within the numbers on the back of the jersey.
Tampa Bay Buccaneer Tez Johnson poses with New England Patriot Christian Gonzalez to exchange jerseys as former Oregon Ducks. / @tezmania15 on Instagram
Johnson reposted the shot of the two showing their swap from the Buccaneers’ Instagram story shortly after the game concluded.
The two former Ducks did not play together, with Gonzalez’s only year at Oregon (2022) just missing Johnson’s tenure with the Ducks (2023-2024). However, the Duck connection in the league tends to transcend playing years in Eugene, with Gonzalez showing excitement to take on Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who the Patriots beat 32-13 during week eight.
“Dillon over there, he’s making plays, he has no turnovers,” Gonzalez said prior to recording three tackles and two pass defenses against the Browns. “We wanna get the ball off of him. They got receivers, they got a lot of good football players over there.”
Johnson also consistently shows love back to his alma mater as well, and wore Oregon’s Mummy Duck cleats while scoring his first touchdown in week six as the Buccaneers won 30-19 against the San Francisco 49ers. Prior to the start of the 2025 season, Johnson also changed his jersey number back to 15, the same number he wore as a Duck.
Oct 12, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Tez Johnson (15) dives for a touchdown during the third quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Image
Though Tampa Bay fell to the Patriots, Johnson recorded his first-ever multi score game in the NFL, punching in two touchdowns and 42 yards off four catches.
“We’ve got to get back to work,” Johnson said postgame. “Kudos to a good team, but we’ve got to get back to work.”
Johnson’s bursts into route runs and ability to change directions with start-stop technique elevated the former Duck to 40 receiving yards per game in a five game streak, holding the longest active streak by a rookie in the pros.
The former Duck and fellow rookie Emeka Egbuka became the first rookie receiver duo to both bring in touchdowns during a game.
Nov 9, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Sean Tucker (44) is tackled by New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez (0) and New England Patriots linebacker Robert Spillane (14) during the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images / Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images
Speaking of Egbuka, he had quite the challenge going man for man against Gonzalez, who had a season high nine total tackles. Gonzalez ended the night with five solo tackles and one pass defended.
“Nah, [Christian] Gonzalez was following me pretty much the whole day,” Egbuka said post game about Gonzalez.
“[I’m] seeing some of the best corners like I saw today in [Christian] Gonzalez following me around [or] double coverage versus Detroit a lot,” Egbuka added, addressing the tests from week to week while lauding some high praise on Gonzalez.
Two Ducks, with bright futures, showing each other some during an important game in both of their careers.
