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Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy has been slapped with punishment from the NFL after the team's 31-0 win over the Raiders.

The Kansas City Chiefs need several players to step up on offense in 2026.

The unit has been on the decline over the past couple of seasons, and hit rock bottom in 2025, ranking 25th overall. To their credit, the Chiefs revamped their rushing attack with the additions of Kenneth Walker III, Emari Demercado, and Emmett Johnson.

Kansas City Chiefs WR Xavier Worthy Named Among Players With Most at Stake in 2026

Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus recently named 10 players around the NFL who are entering the 2026 season with the most at stake. He focused heavily on some of the top wide receivers that were selected in the 2024 draft class. Here’s what Locker had to say about Worthy’s disappointing 2025 season.

“The former 28th overall selection turned in a solid rookie year with a 71.6 PFF receiving grade, but he couldn’t match that production as a sophomore. Worthy’s receiving mark dropped to a 66.3, and his yards per route run went from 1.51 to 1.25. Also alarming was worse production after the catch (6.7 to 4.9) and inferior success on deep balls (87.9 to 76.2 receiving grade).”

It is unfair to address Worthy’s dip in production last year without noting the injury issues he battled through. He sustained a torn labrum in his right shoulder right off the bat in Week 1, and had to have surgery to repair it at the conclusion of the season.

Worthy also dealt with a nagging ankle sprain for the majority of 2025. Coach Andy Reid admitted earlier this offseason that he was limited with how he could use Worthy due to his injuries. Despite that, Worthy came up just 106 yards shy of his 2024 receiving yards total.

Staying Healthy Will Be Worthy’s Biggest Hurdle

Locker went on to compare Worthy to his counterpart Rashee Rice.

“The Chiefs have yet to make a splash reinforcement in their receiving room despite the lingering inconsistencies of both Worthy and Rashee Rice. Unlike Rice, Worthy has rarely looked like a dynamic weapon, earning a 75.0-plus receiving grade in only four career games. The speedster will have to turn things up a notch before his fifth-year option is weighed next spring.”

Bringing up Rice is interesting, because I would argue that it’s him who has the most at stake in 2026, not Worthy. Rice is entering the final year of his contract, and problems with injuries and staying out of trouble off the field have plagued him throughout his three-year career.

He missed all of Kansas City’s offseason workouts and practices due to rehabbing knee surgery and serving a 30-day jail sentence. Rice is perhaps one more slip-up off the the field from being out of the NFL entirely.

As for Worthy, he proved during his rookie year that his skillset fits perfectly in Reid’s offensive system. Worthy is not only a deep threat, but has polished his route running and is dangerous with the ball in his hands after the catch. Remaining consistently healthy with his small 5-foot-11, 165 pound frame is his only real concern. No matter how Worthy’s 2026 season unfolds, it’s hard to imagine the Chiefs not picking up his fifth-year option.