For most NFL veterans, the offseason is about recovery, but not for Xavier Woods.
Now entering his ninth NFL season and preparing for another year with the Tennessee Titans, Woods has built a reputation as one of the league’s most dependable safeties. Off the field, he’s applying that same reliability to his finances.
Woods spent two weeks of his offseason in 2025 working inside a Smoothie King location in Georgia — not as a brand ambassador, but as a trainee. After purchasing a franchise, Woods completed the company’s required onboarding, which meant working real shifts and performing the same duties as hourly staff.
“I had to go in two weeks and be a worker,” Woods said in an interview with Entrepreneur.com. “Make smoothies, learn the daily operations, then learn the managerial stuff, and then learn the ownership side. I was just a team member at Smoothie King. Cleaning up, cleaning bathrooms. I had a great time.”
He also talked about this in 2025 on “Athletes and Assets” with host Noah Lack.
According to Woods, he worked during the “End of February. Right after the Super Bowl.”
“The training is actually four weeks. They kind of made a special plan for me because they knew my career, so I got to do two weeks,” he said, before adding he worked from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. or 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“I had some true hours. Those are real — like, not clock. I was actually working. I was an actual employee. Not getting paid. I wasn’t getting paid — nothing,” he said.
He also worked under a boss named Mel, who he said taught him everything he knew.
Woods said he wanted operational fluency before scaling. “I wanted to know everything — not just the numbers,” he says.
That methodical approach is especially notable given Woods’ earnings.
According to Spotrac, in 2025, he signed a two-year, $8 million contract with Tennessee that includes a $2 million signing bonus and $3.49 million guaranteed. His average annual salary sits at $4 million, with a $5 million cap hit in 2026.
His first investment came in real estate, through a family property in Atlanta. Instead of selling during a favorable market, Woods and his wife chose to hold it long-term for steady income.
From there, Woods moved into trucking, a business with high risk but strong scalability. He values bringing in experienced operators rather than trying to manage everything himself.
Franchising offered a different balance of risk and control. Smoothie King provided established systems, national brand recognition, and predictable demand—all elements Woods looks for when evaluating investments. He prefers acquisition over building from scratch, prioritizing immediate cash flow.
Now his guidance to other rookie athletes is simple: save aggressively and wait before investing.
“The first couple years, just save your money,” Woods says. “Don’t jump into anything unless it’s a home run.”
He also takes a personal approach to giving back. Woods names his businesses after his children, hosts youth football camps, organizes food drives, and supports organizations serving children with special needs.
Looking ahead, Woods plans to expand his Smoothie King holdings deliberately, adding new ventures only when they fit his framework. Football contracts may expire, but systems don’t.
And whether he’s lining up at safety or wiping down a counter, the mindset remains the same.
“Just be humble,” Woods says. “No matter where you’re at.”
