Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy said his injury-plagued 2025 season—and the shoulder surgery that followed—has helped him change how he approaches his body and the mental side of preparation ahead of next season.
Sao Paulo started the way Xavier Worthy’s second NFL season was supposed to begin: fast, physical, and full of promise.
On the third play of the Chiefs’ season opener against the Los Angeles Chargers in Sao Paulo. Brazil. Travis Kelce accidentally ran into Worthy. The collision dislocated Worthy’s shoulder. fully tore his labrum. and derailed what had been expected to be a breakout year after Rashee Rice’s suspension left Worthy with a larger role. While Rice served that suspension, Worthy was supposed to be the No. 1 option for quarterback Patrick Mahomes through the first six weeks.
Worthy, the Chiefs’ first-round draft pick in 2024, did not just lose time—he also had to fight through ankle injuries. Still, he played 14 games. In that stretch, he recorded 42 catches for 532 yards and one touchdown.
By January, Worthy said he had undergone “successful surgery” on his shoulder. At the Chiefs’ mandatory minicamp on Thursday, he returned to the same point: the slowdown didn’t end the learning. It forced it.
“It might have been the best thing for me,” Worthy said of his shoulder surgery forcing him to slow down. “Learning how to be a pro and learning how to approach, obviously, the mental aspect and just getting your body prepared for certain things. I feel like I kind of hit that hard this offseason.”
He also pushed back on any notion that his 2025 production was the full picture of what he can be. Worthy said he was very limited by his torn labrum last season and asserted that his performance that year wasn’t indicative of his capabilities.
“Obviously, I know what kind of player I could be and what things I could do on the field and what I can bring to the team, so I mean, that’s gonna show for itself,” he said of his goals for next season.
That personal push lands against a larger Chiefs backdrop. The organization is motivated to prove last season was an anomaly. After reaching three straight Super Bowls and winning two of them, the Chiefs finished 6-11 and missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2014 season.
Between the collision in Sao Paulo and the surgery that followed. Worthy’s offseason message is clear: the injuries didn’t just take his momentum—they gave him a different job to do before next season begins. He’s trying to make the body preparation and mental tightening part of the answer, not an excuse.
Kansas City Chiefs Xavier Worthy Patrick Mahomes Travis Kelce Rashee Rice NFL injuries shoulder surgery labrum 2025 season Sao Paulo
Shoulder surgery “best thing” lol okay sure.
So it wasn’t just the injury, it was like he got a mental reset?? I mean I hope he can stay healthy bc Mahomes needs him. Also Sao Paulo sounds random for an opener.
Wait he got hurt in Brazil by Kelce, but wasn’t Rashee Rice suspended like the whole year? If Rice was out then why wasn’t Worthy dominating every game? Stats say 42 catches but that seems low for “No. 1 option.”
Chiefs saying it was an “anomaly” after going 6-11 like they didn’t do that to themselves 😂. If his labrum was fully torn then how is he even gonna be reliable next season? They keep saying “mental preparation” but I just want the dude on the field, not talking about it.