The Kansas City Chiefs' continual mismanagement of the 2025 season was given yet another update this week. On Wednesday, it was revealed that wide receiver Xavier Worthy had undergone surgery (h/t @ChiefsBlitz) to address a shoulder issue that dates back to Worthy's Week 1 injury, when he collided with Travis Kelce. This set up what was an incredibly underwhelming statistical year, as Worthy finished with only 532 receiving yards and a lone touchdown on the year.
It doesn't make any logical sense that the Chiefs opted to continue to put Worthy in harm's way when the season no longer mattered. This is a sentiment pointed out by Chiefs fans, pointing to Patrick Mahomes' season-ending injury as the flashpoint of when this decision should've been made. This makes even more sense given that this game officially eliminated Kansas City from playoff contention as well.
The Chiefs had zero reason to continue to put Worthy on the field and delay a surgery whose recovery timeline has now been pushed deeper into the offseason. Even though he'll likely be good to go before the 2026 season begins, one has to wonder if Kansas City will learn from its obvious blunder.
Chiefs' Poor Decision-Making on Display with Latest Xavier Worthy Update
If it were just this one mistake, Chiefs fans would be less concerned with the direction the franchise appears to be going. However, there has been a continual sense of contentment and a lack of urgency, no matter the situation or decision the Chiefs are facing. Whether it was the lack of backfield adjustments or ignoring the obvious pass-rushing needs, the front office seemed happy with the status quo this season.
Worthy's 2025 season was an undeniable frustration, as Chiefs fans wondered why he looked so different from his 2024 self. His target share fell from 5.8 per game to 5.2 while his touchdown total dropped by six. Sophomore slumps are a known concern, but few people expected Worthy to take this much of a step back.
Now that he's undergone surgery, his drop-off makes sense.
With that in mind, competent organization would've taken Worthy's decline as a sign to shut down an important building block the moment the season no longer mattered. Instead, the Chiefs had Worthy playing as recently as Christmas Day and didn't have the needed surgery until after the season. There simply isn't defending this decision.
Continuing to lean on the past and not learn from the past year of frustrations is only going to set up another season of failure. When it comes to coaching changes and making offseason decisions, the Chiefs must wake up and realize the severity of the past year's failure. How they handled Worthy's injury was a microcosm of the 2025 season, and if they don't learn from those mistakes, their outlook won't improve.