The Kansas City Chiefs are just two days away from their AFC Championship game matchup with the Buffalo Bills, and during the final round of player press conferences on January 24, rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy shared a surprising admission.
When asked about the moment on draft night where the Bills traded back with the Chiefs — handing KC the selection they needed to land Worthy before another team could — the youngster first responded that it was a “blessing.”
Before adding: “I feel like it’s a sign that [Buffalo] didn’t want me. So, at the end of the day I’m going to play with a chip on my shoulder — this game means a little bit more. I mean, obviously it’s the AFC Championship game, but this is a team that traded their pick away to get somebody else.”
Clearly, the Bills passing on Worthy stuck with the rookie, at least to some extent. It didn’t help that they went on to draft fellow wide receiver Keon Coleman after trading back — a clear sign that they were targeting Worthy’s position.
The first time Kansas City matched up against Buffalo this year, Worthy led the Chiefs in receiving yardage and tied for the team lead in receptions, putting up 4 catches for 61 yards and a touchdown. Some have referred to that as the rookie’s breakout game, including quarterback Patrick Mahomes, although Worthy did record 3 catches for 73 yards and a touchdown in Week 4 — and who could forget his 2-touchdown debut in Week 1?
“We left a lot out there on the field,” Worthy said of the mid-November loss to the Bills. “We just gotta execute and just continue with our gameplan.”
DeAndre Hopkins’ Message to Xavier Worthy & Chiefs WRs Ahead of AFC Championship Game vs. Bills: ‘Cherish This’
Within the media session on January 24, Worthy made it clear that veteran wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins has been a sort of big brother to him this season.
“Getting knowledge from [the veteran players] is just going to keep expanding my game,” Worthy noted, regarding his relationship with Hopkins and tight end Travis Kelce, among others.
As for Hopkins’ message to Worthy and the rest of the younger wide receivers ahead of the AFC Championship, the rookie relayed that he tells him to “cherish this” all the time.
“A lot of people don’t get this opportunity to play for a team that’s always a contender,” the message continued. “Just cherish this moment and do everything you can to elevate yourself in this moment.”
Wise advice, and also a sign that Hopkins would be willing to re-sign in Kansas City, perhaps?
Chiefs HC Andy Reid Compliments Xavier Worthy for Being Wired the Right Way
Earlier this week on January 22, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid talked about how Worthy has grown as a player throughout his rookie campaign.
“Yeah, he’s gotten better every week,” Reid began. “[Mahomes] is more familiar with him, he’s more familiar with the offense and what [Mahomes] expects from him.”
“The main thing is [Worthy is] wired the way where he wants to be good, and that’s a big part of it,” the Chiefs HC went on. “He just wants to know and [doesn’t] let his ego get in the way or any of that.”
Reid also credited WRs coach Connor Embree for his part in Worthy’s development, as well as some of his veteran teammates like Hopkins, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Justin Watson.
“He’s got good teachers,” Reid concluded. “Those guys have all played a lot of football and they’re willing to share. And so, that’s a heck of a room to be in.”
Similar to 2023 rookie Rashee Rice, Worthy has gotten better and better as the season has gone on. That’s a great sign for the 2025 season and beyond, as the Chiefs appear to be grooming Rice and Worthy to become Kansas City’s top pass-catchers of the next generation.
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Chiefs WR Explains Why Bills Matchup Adds ‘Chip on My Shoulder’