{"id":156012,"date":"2025-06-25T00:03:14","date_gmt":"2025-06-25T00:03:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/156012\/"},"modified":"2025-06-25T00:03:14","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T00:03:14","slug":"carolina-panthers-wr-xavier-legette-interview-on-nfl-offseason","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/156012\/","title":{"rendered":"Carolina Panthers WR Xavier Legette Interview on NFL Offseason"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whether he\u2019s powered by exotic or local meats \u2013 barbecued raccoon just might be the sole member of the exotically local protein club \u2013 Carolina Panthers<\/a> wide receiver Xavier Legette<\/a> is doing more this NFL<\/a> offseason than just amending his carnivorous habits.<\/p>\n

Often praised by Carolina\u2019s head coach Dave Canales as being an \u201cover worker,\u201d the name of the game for the former Gamecock ahead of entering his second full-time NFL season is growth. Growing his relationship with quarterback Bryce Young<\/a>. Growing his ability to mentor and positively impact the youth of his home state, South Carolina. Growing confidence in the big moments \u2013 that haunting drop against the Philadelphia Eagles taught him a lot. And, of course, growing his perpetually curious palette.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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While we patiently wait for the return of Sunday Night Football<\/a> on NBC, grab a fork and a knife \u2013 don\u2019t forget the spear gun to catch his stew\u2019s signature ingredient, rattlesnake \u2013 because NBC Insider is digging in with Legette about his offseason pursuits, sophomore season goals, and why the noise about his health is all wrong.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Carolina Panthers’ wide receiver Xavier Legette on playing hard and training harder<\/p>\n

With an aerial explosiveness that resembles that of the legendary Calvin Johnson, Legette\u2019s the type of wide receiver that makes everything look easy. But behind the finesse, his drive to achieve and continue to hone his craft is what makes him a special breed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can learn new things everyday within this [training],\u201d Legette says about why he constantly pushes himself. \u201cI\u2019m just trying to add new things to my game to make me better. My main thing for me this offseason is as long as I can keep my body up under me, I\u2019m good.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the NFL, where violent impacts can change the course of one\u2019s career in a split second, that\u2019s easier said than done. That\u2019s why he takes every precautionary step to keep his body operating at peak performance. What\u2019s that look like?\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cGoing to training room even when I ain\u2019t got to,\u201d he adds. \u201cJust trying to stay in there doing a lot of things and then outside of the building what\u2019s helped me [is] getting IV\u2019s and things in this sense because a lot of this stuff is really soft tissue injuries.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

That\u2019s one reason why Carolina\u2019s wide out is quick to disavow the latest rumors on his injuries.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know they put some stuff out there [in the media] about me having a foot injury the other day,\u201d offers Legette. \u201cBut I\u2019m good. I haven\u2019t missed any practices, any workouts, or anything like that. \u2026My wrist is doing good as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Legette, who continues to earn praise by Panthers head coach Canales and starting QB Young, working through the hardship and enduring the pain as he trains in the offseason is all part of the plan.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like to put myself in an uncomfortable spot,\u201d reveals Legette. \u201cI\u2019m trying to get comfortable with being uncomfortable, know what I\u2019m saying? I try to put myself in situations I\u2019d probably never be in, so when my body\u2019s at a high, tense level, there\u2019ll be nothing to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dynamic Duo? Xavier Legette on working with Panthers’ quarterback Bryce Young<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t spend first-round draft capital on a wide receiver like Xavier Legette if you\u2019re not expecting him to be a legit, number-one option. With his commitment to improve on his rookie year production that included 49 receptions for 497 yards and four touchdowns \u2013 stats that placed him eighth among rookies in both categories \u2013 the 24-year-old sees something special in where his relationship’s at with Young, the former University of Alabama 2021 Heisman winner.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not really what I\u2019m looking forward to the most because it\u2019s already there,\u201d Legette declares confidently. \u201cIt\u2019s just going to continue to grow over time. The more time we spend and put into each other\u2019s game\u2026 him knowing what I like and me giving him what he likes as well, it\u2019s just going to continue to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a link that\u2019s built on mutual trust.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really all falls down to that connection with the quarterback \u2013 when he throws the ball, make them plays,\u201d Legette notes. \u201cIt\u2019s gonna start from just going to the throw-arounds and doing routes from there. And then when you go out there and practice against the defense, when he throw it up, go up and make them plays. That\u2019s the only way the confidence is gonna come.\u201d<\/p>\n

Overcoming Adversity<\/p>\n

That type of confidence is a crucial ingredient for any athlete\u2019s successful journey, let alone one as innately talented as Xavier Legette. Still, for all the praise he receives, he tied Jaylen Waddle of the Miami Dolphins for the fifth highest drop rate (6.1) among receivers with at least 75 targets. While that\u2019s just a blemish from a macro perspective, his drop in Week 14 against the Philadelphia Eagles is a gut-wrenching reminder that everything can change in an instant.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With less than a minute to play, it was second down and four from the 28 and, while Young threw a superb ball, a lunging Legette couldn\u2019t haul it in. The Birds, led by quarterback Jalen Hurts<\/a> and running back Saquon Barkley, then went on to claim the ultimate prize: the Super Bowl’s Lombardi trophy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As debilitating as it was to drop a potential game-winner, it fuels his determination to never again put himself, his quarterback, or his team in that situation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThat drop, that one gonna hurt for life,\u201d Legette says. \u201cThat\u2019s a lifetime scar there. I\u2019m just trying to prevent those things from happening this year. \u2026I never want to be having that same feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Meat-Eating Mentor<\/p>\n

While Legette continues to grow over his first NFL offseason with the Panthers, the Palmetto State native feels a calling to help others in their daily lives \u2013 most notably, the youth of South Carolina. As to why the Gamecock legend felt compelled to start a football camp in Columbia, Legette views it as part of his responsibility to teach and pass down the wisdom he\u2019s cultivated over his career, both on and off the field.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m trying to teach the younger guys and kids guidance for real,\u201d Legette says. \u201cYou know, just having them around me, maybe they can see some things that I do and use that in their life. Just me being me, anyway I can help the kids is something I\u2019m gonna let them do.\u201d<\/p>\n

One area where youth can always improve in is nutrition. And while Legette\u2019s camps aren\u2019t centered around diet, as an elite NFL athlete, maintaining a healthy diet that\u2019s high in protein is vital to his play on the field. That\u2019s why Legette says he partnered with Lindl US<\/a> on the company\u2019s first-ever, private-label meal line, Butcher\u2019s Specialty.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHigh protein for me is good for me,\u201d he states. \u201cI need that protein, push it to the body, yessir.\u201d<\/p>\n

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When it comes to grillin\u2019 and chillin\u2019, aside from the high-quality burgers, \u201cyou can never go wrong with a good steak,\u201d Legette says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

From tomahawk cuts to perfectly marbled aged rib eyes, Legette can and will talk all day about his favorite cuts of meat and how best to prepare them. Before tucking into whatever the slab du jour is, the only real criteria for the meat connoisseur is, \u201cwhat it looks and smells like.\u201d<\/p>\n

That said, if you think he\u2019s giving up his family\u2019s secret recipe for cooking raccoon, think again, chief.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOh man, we got our own seasoning that we mix up, so I can\u2019t tell everybody that because then everybody gonna be saying they got the best \u2018coon, and they using our stuff,\u201d Legette says with a smile. \u201cWe put it in the oven\u2026 dry it out but not all the way. Keep it a little moist. Or put it in the pressure cooker, let the meat fall off the bone and hash it up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Xavier Legette\u2019s guide to eating like an NFL wide receiver, \u201cyessir.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sunday Night Football<\/a> on NBC\u00a0and Peacock returns September 4, 2025 with the Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Whether he\u2019s powered by exotic or local meats \u2013 barbecued raccoon just might be the sole member of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":156013,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2075],"tags":[235,260,2567,7,35362,1372,6,236,9],"class_list":{"0":"post-156012","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-carolina-panthers","8":"tag-carolina","9":"tag-carolina-panthers","10":"tag-carolinapanthers","11":"tag-football","12":"tag-interview-or-reporting","13":"tag-nbc-sports","14":"tag-nfl","15":"tag-panthers","16":"tag-sports"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/114741078413035449","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156012","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=156012"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156012\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/156013"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=156012"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=156012"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=156012"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}