Tez Johnson weighed in at just 154 pounds at the 2025 NFL Combine, making him the lightest participant that year. Scouts continuously questioned his survivability, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected the Oregon product with the 235th overall pick in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
As a late-round flier, he finished his rookie campaign with 28 receptions for 322 yards and five touchdowns on 44 targets across 16 games. It is way inferior to WR1 stat line, but more than enough to cement a legitimate role in Tampa’s offense.
However, his personal life is now a front-page topic. His ex-fiancée, Laila Thompson-Wainer, accused him of contacting an ex-girlfriend with explicit messages on the same day he proposed to her. As she recalled that experience almost one year later, fans didn’t let it go and gave her a reality check about men’s character traits, who are experts at multitasking.
Tez Johnson Accused of Texting Ex for Hookup on Proposal Day
Thompson-Wainer is a University of Washington communications graduate who has held roles in sports communications with both the Seattle Seahawks and NHL’s Seattle Kraken. Alongside describing the alleged messages, she put screenshots directly on social media to make her case strong.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Tez Johnson (15) poses for a television camera Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Tez Johnson (15) poses for a television camera Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
The proposal took place in Feb. 2025. Johnson had planned an elaborate day: a visit to a reptile zoo, a romantic beach proposal complete with a photoshoot, and a celebratory sushi dinner. Thompson-Wainer described it as a childhood dream come true.
“He gets down on one knee, he puts the ring on my finger. I just remember saying, ‘Oh, my cheeks hurt so much from smiling,'” shesaid. “I remember just looking back and being like, ‘This is gonna be one of the happiest days of my life.'”
Heartbreaking: Bucs star WR Tez Johnson’s ex-fiancée EXPOSES him saying he cheated on her the day that he proposed to her.
She claims that Tez reached out to his ex-girlfriend on the same day he proposed to her.
😳😳😳 pic.twitter.com/tH8Ps7vEHP
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 26, 2026
Hours before the proposal, Johnson allegedly sent sexually explicit messages to an ex-girlfriend. After returning home from their celebratory dinner, he allegedly reached out to the same ex-girlfriend again with raunchier messages, and one text read, “Need your throat.”
Recalling that horrific experience, she added, “This morning, I woke up not sad about him. There’s no reason I’d ever want to be around someone like that, but I’m more overwhelmed by the grief of when I believed people were inherently good.”
She also shared her confusion, saying, “You cheat before and after you propose, the morning of and the night. You know what? That’s something I will never understand.”
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So, one thing we know for sure now. She is still going through that trauma.
NFL Fans Hand Tez Johnson’s Off-Field Game a Flag on the Play
The story has since turned viral online as Johnson enters his second NFL season. While it’s unclear if he will address the claims, the internet has already turned the situation into a meme, with many users joking about his multitasking skills on the day of the proposal.
One fanwrote, “Man proposed, dropped the ring, smiled for the pics… then hit send on ‘Need your throat’ at 1am. That’s not cheating, that’s Olympic level multitasking gone wrong. Tez out here speedrunning worst fiancé ever while still trying to make a roster. Bucs WR room got enough drama already.”
Anotheradded, “Cheating on your white wife during black history month.”
A thirdnoted, “Proposing and cheating on the same day? Bro really trying to get MVP in ‘Worst Timing Ever.'”
The fourth oneclaimed, “Bro proposed and then immediately hit up the group chat like ‘ayy proposal went great, what’s the move tonight?'”
The engagement was announced in March 2025, just two months before the NFL Draft. At the time, Izzy Nix — wife of Johnson’s brother, Bo Nix —posted on Instagram, “God is good. Laila is joining the family.”
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That public support makes the current timeline look much worse. Johnson is fighting for his spot on the roster heading into his second year in Tampa Bay, but right now, he’s stuck dealing with a PR disaster instead of football.