While the 2024 season didn’t end the way the Kansas City Chiefs hoped, they still had a lot to be proud of this year. Something fans have going for them is that as long as Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes are co-piloting things in Kansas City, the Chiefs have a shot at winning a Super Bowl every year.
Some really good news from the 2024 season is that, even while it didn’t end the way it was supposed to, Xavier Worthy really came into his own in the second half of the season. Worthy, who the Chiefs spent their first-round pick on (thanks to Buffalo), got off to a slow start and struggled to finish on certain plays. He picked things up as the year went along, however, and finished his rookie campaign with 59 catches for 638 yards and six trips into the end zone.
Worthy’s efforts for the 2024 season earned him the well-deserved Mack Lee Hill Rookie of the Year Award. This award is self-explanatory, going to the best rookie from the Chiefs each year. Recent recipients include Rashee Rice, Isiah Pacheco, and Nick Bolton. Some other key names who have been crowned the Mack Lee Hil Rookie of the Year include Kareem Hunt, Tyreek Hill, Justin Houston, and Eric Berry.
Xavier Worthy crowned Chiefs Rookie of the Year for 2024 season
The Chiefs needed Worthy to step up in the ways he did this season considering Rashee Rice ended up missing all but four games due to injury and Hollywood Brown didn’t come back until the end of the regular season. Yes, the Chiefs traded for DeAndre Hopkins (and that’s when Worthy started putting it all together) but can you imagine what this offense looks like this past year without Worthy balling out? Yikes.
There wasn’t another viable candidate for this award. Kingsley Suamataia struggled to find his footing at left tackle during his rookie season and while Jaden Hicks and Hunter Nourzad also played in all 17 regular season games, neither had close to the impact on the team that Worthy did.
Wide receivers have won the last two Rookie of the Year titles for Kansas City so that hopefully means the offense will take a massive leap forward in 2025. At least we can hope that’s the case.
