Shortly before reporting to Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph for his second training camp, Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy spoke with Kay Adams on Thursday’s episode of “The Up and Adams Show” on FanDuel Sports Network.

Following a rookie season that saw him lead the NFL in yards of separation per target, Worthy revealed some advice he received from an NFL legend to whom he is often compared: wide receiver DeSean Jackson.

“He was like, ‘You’ve just got to be a mouse,’” Worthy recalled. “You just need to get away from them. Just be a rat [and] get away from them. I’m small. Just get away from them and don’t let them touch you. Your speed is your biggest ability. Use it to your strength.”

Worthy also discussed how his knowledge of the offense evolved in 2024. He finished the season with nine touchdowns from scrimmage before adding three more in the postseason, learning a lot about working with quarterback Patrick Mahomes from tight end Travis Kelce.

“[It was] just understanding coverage and leverage and understanding what Pat likes to do,” said Worthy. “I learned a lot from Trav. Trav is a guy that him an Pat have a great chemistry, and they kind of understand where each other’s going to be on the field. When I understood what coverage it was — and understood the game plan and what I need to do on a route — it kind of made it super easy.”

Eventually, Worthy also found it easy to grasp exactly what Mahomes expects from the team’s offensive weapons.

“He really just wants you to get open,” Worthy said of his quarterback. “But it’s really about understanding the route and what freedom you have in the route. Sometimes, you have a route that you don’t have freedom, and you have to run as is. Or, you have a little bit of freedom, but you have to stay on a little bit of timing.”

Chiefs fans are more than ready to move on from the heartbreaking loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, in which Worthy’s performance was among the few bright spots. He hauled in eight passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns. One score came on a 50-yard throw.

Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images

In 2025, Worthy wants his role to be more like what we saw in that game.

“I feel like they started using me a lot underneath,” he remarked. “and I can get started over the top because me and Pat are building that rapport together. We’re going to build it in training camp. We got it going at the end of the Super Bowl a little bit, so that was a great feeling to be able to connect deep towards the end of the year.”

During the spring’s organized team activities, head coach Andy Reid appeared ready to let Worthy’s speed open up the Chiefs’ playbook.

“Coach Reid told us during OTAs Phase 1, ‘When you come back, get your hamstrings ready,’” recalled Worthy. “So, we kind of knew that we were going to be going a little deep during practice. We kind of got our bodies and our minds ready for what we’re going to be doing in practice.”

Chiefs’ special teams coordinator Dave Toub also covets what Worthy’s speed could offer in the return game. Speaking after a June practice, Toub declared Worthy to be the “best punt returner nobody knows about.”

Worthy didn’t want to reveal whether he is truly in line for the return game, teasing Adams to “stay tuned.” But the second-year pro knows he still has the skills that gave him a 16.9-yard punt return average during his final season at Texas — a figure that led college football.

“I think every time I touch the ball, I’m liable to score,” he said. “If I have that chance to be on punt returns and change the game for my team, I’m going to do it.”

Unlike many of his teammates, Worthy has not won a Super Bowl. He is ready to put February behind him.

“I’m a winner,” he declared. “A loss is general. I hate losing more than I like winning. As a competitor, I feel like that’s how it should be. You really don’t have another chance to redeem yourself. You have to wait until next year.

“So, all that built up tension — all that built up anger — is just carried over until next year. Either you’re going to stack on it, or you’re going to carry over the loss.”