Xavier Worthy’s professional football journey began on April 25, 2024 — Day 1 of the NFL Draft — with one of the Kansas City Chiefs’ premier rivals, the Buffalo Bills, on the clock at No. 28 overall.
Buffalo opted not to make a selection. Instead, to the surprise of many, the team traded the pick to the Chiefs so it could move up from the fourth round to the third round later in the weekend.
Kansas City general manager Brett Veach called Worthy, who was surrounded by his mother, family and close friends.
Now, nine months later — three days before the Chiefs meet the Bills at Arrowhead Stadium for the AFC Championship — Worthy recalled the circumstances that led him to Kansas City.
“I take it as a blessing,” he said on Friday at the podium. “I feel like it’s a sign that [the Bills] didn’t want me. So, at the end of the day, I’m gonna play with a chip on my shoulder. This game means a little bit more. Obviously, it’s the AFC Championship Game, but this is the team that traded their pick away to get somebody else.”
To Worthy’s point, the Bills indeed went on to take wide receiver Keon Coleman five selections later. Both rookies went on to have productive seasons, but Worthy’s availability enabled him to outgain Coleman in scrimmage yards, 742 to 565.
In Kansas City’s Divisional round game against the Houston Texans, Worthy stood out as the only wide receiver to catch a pass, finishing with five receptions for 45 yards. That speaks volumes, considering quarterback Patrick Mahomes tends to rely on the weapons he trusts the most in the playoffs.
“He’s a guy that works extremely hard [and] practices extremely hard,” said Mahomes of Worthy on Wednesday. “The more and more chances and opportunities I’ve given him, he’s kind of taken them and ran with them.”
Against the Texans, Worthy caught a 21-yard pass down the left sideline. There were two instances earlier in the season in which he was able to snag the football in tough spots but not get his feet in bounds.
But there was no problem on this play, which led to a go-ahead field goal that gave Kansas City a lead it would never relinquish.
“Just putting the ball up there – one-on-one matchup and letting him make a play,” described Mahomes. “I’m excited for how he’s progressed throughout the season, and hopefully we can progress for a few more games then – that will be a taking off point going into next year.”
The night he was drafted, a case could be made that nobody was more excited than special teams coordinator Dave Toub, who often talked about Worthy’s punt-return upside. Things dramatically shifted for the Chiefs when wide receiver Rashee Rice was lost for the season in Week 2.
That meant head coach Andy Reid would need Worthy for a greater offensive role. The longtime head coach is notorious for bringing rookies along gradually, but the situation dictated trusting Worthy much earlier than anticipated.
The wide receiver played between 60 and 75% of offensive snaps until Week 13, when he was on the field for 83% of snaps. It has not dipped below 80% since.
“He’s gotten better every week,” said Reid of Worthy on Wednesday. “He’s more familiar, Pat’s more familiar with him, he’s more familiar with the offense and then what Pat expects from him. (Wide Receivers Coach) Connor [Embree] has done a nice job of spending time with him to make sure that he has all the different types of looks. The main thing is he’s wired the way where he wants to be good, and that’s a big part of it.
“He just wants to know and [not] let his ego get in the way or anything like that. He has good teachers in there. You’re in a room with 8 (DeAndre Hopkins) and 9 (JuJu Smith-Schuster) and 84 (Justin Watson). I mean, those guys have all played a lot of football, and they’re willing to share, and so it’s a heck of a room to be in.”
Hopkins’ midseason arrival via trade is probably the best thing that could have happened to Worthy — who, by all reports, has taken full advantage of retaining anything he can from the five-time All-Pro.
A few times, Worthy has mentioned that his takeoff point was the Week 11 loss in Buffalo, where he finished with four catches for 61 yards and a touchdown.
“I feel like I just kept stacking every game [after that],” said Worthy. “All the vets — like Pat, Trav, D-Hop, JuJu — having guys like that makes it real easy to give you insight on the game, and just learning from them and keep taking tools from them. I can’t preach enough just learning from D-Hop. As D-Hop says, I’m kind of like the little brother, so getting knowledge from them is just going to keep expanding my game.”
Hopkins has been happy to serve as Worthy’s mentor, and by his words, you can tell the veteran treats it as a privilege.
“It’s easy when you got someone like him who’s willing to work, who’s willing to learn and ask questions,” said the 32-year-old Hopkins on January 16. “He definitely reminds me of myself when I was young around Andre Johnson, just asking questions, absorbing not just on the field but off the field, how to get his body prepared for big games and things like that, so it’s been fun.”
The Chiefs have played in many important games in recent seasons, but it’s worth noting that these two individuals — the grizzled vet in Hopkins and the 21-year-old Worthy — are new to the AFC Championship.
Hopkins won’t let Worthy forget that — and it’s something he carries with him.
“He tells me all the time: ‘Cherish this. A lot of people don’t get this opportunity to play for a team that’s always a contender. Just cherish this moment and do everything you can to elevate yourself for this moment.’”
