Kansas City would love to see Rashee Rice pick up right where he left off as a rookie - and maybe go beyond that.
After being limited to just 12 games across the past two seasons, Rice is heading into Monday night’s opener against the Denver Broncos determined to look like the player who broke through in 2023. That rookie season still stands as the benchmark: 79 catches, seven touchdowns, and a growing role as Patrick Mahomes’ go-to target.
Rice says the focus now is on feeling fully right after offseason knee surgery. Doctors performed a clean-up procedure to address issues left behind from the torn LCL he suffered in 2024, when he and Mahomes collided while trying to bring down a defender after an interception.
“I’ve pushed myself every day to get to 100 percent,” Rice said. “I even spent extra time in the training room to make sure I was 100 percent.”
Getting back to this point wasn’t simple. Part of Rice’s treatment happened while he was serving a 30-day sentence in Texas for violating terms of his probation. The probation came after Rice tested positive for THC, following his role in a Dallas-area car crash in March 2024 that injured several people.
This summer, he was transported from jail to a nearby hospital for treatment before returning to prison. He was released in mid-June and joined Chiefs training camp when it opened in late July.
Rice said the first part of camp came with some rust.
“Yeah, I would say it just kind of me gradually getting better,” he said Thursday. “It was me getting my burst off the ball, and then the kind of confidence, the mental confidence of being able to make the same cuts I’d been making.”
Kansas City has every reason to want that old version of Rice back. The SMU product earned Mahomes’ trust as a rookie, became the team’s top wide receiver and finished 2023 second on the Chiefs in both receptions and receiving yards behind Travis Kelce. He also delivered in the postseason, catching a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins in the AFC Wild Card game and then adding six receptions in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl win over the San Francisco 49ers.
His 2024 season was cut short before it really got going. Rice had already posted 24 catches for 288 yards and two touchdowns before a season-ending knee injury early in Week 4.
The Chiefs are counting on Rice and 2025 first-round pick Xavier Worthy, who played through a shoulder injury last year, to headline the receiver room this season. Tyquan Thornton showed flashes early last season, and rookie Cyrus Allen, a fifth-round pick, is expected to help round out Mahomes’ main targets.
That group has plenty to prove after an underwhelming year, one that saw Rice lead the Chiefs with 53 receptions in eight games as Kansas City finished 6-11.
“I’m pretty sure everyone in this organization feels we have to prove a point,” Rice said.
In Other News...
Chiefs Fans Going To Arrowhead Need To Know These New Gate Rules
With the 2026 opener against the Broncos set for Sept. 14 at Arrowhead Stadium, Chiefs fans heading to the first home game of the season will want to be ready for more than just kickoff. The team has laid out its standard game-day policies around tailgating, parking pass requirements and what can and cannot come through the gates, all of it aimed at keeping entry lines moving once the season gets underway.
Fans will also need to remember that a game ticket is required to get inside, and the NFLs Clear Bag policy still applies at the stadium. For anyone planning a full day around Arrowhead, the details matter, because a smooth arrival starts well before the first snap and the rules on whats allowed inside can shape the whole trip. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Fans Just Got A Painful Hint About Arrowheads Future
The Chiefs are heading toward one of the biggest transitions in franchise history, with a new stadium set to open in 2031 and move the team across the state line. For fans who have spent decades tying the identity of the franchise to Arrowhead Stadium, the future is already looking different, even if the long goodbye still has a few years left.
Clark Hunt said the new building likely will not carry the Arrowhead name, a reminder that the club is preparing to turn the page on one of the NFLs most recognizable venues. The plan is to preserve pieces of Arrowheads legacy in the design, but after the current stadium hosts its final years and is retired, the emotional shift for Chiefs fans could be as real as the physical one. [Read more 🡒]
Andy Reid Succession Talk Just Got Real For Chiefs Fans
The conversation around Andy Reids long-term future in Kansas City has started to feel less like idle offseason chatter and more like a question fans are going to keep circling back to. On The Ringer Fantasy Football Show, Danny Heifetz and Danny Kelly dug into what the next chapter could look like if the Chiefs ever hit a prolonged rough patch with Patrick Mahomes still in place, a scenario that would put Reids place in the franchise under a very different kind of scrutiny.
Heifetz floated the idea that repeated playoff misses could eventually bring pressure on Reid to step aside, and even pointed to Kyle Shanahan as a possible successor down the line. Nothing about the discussion reflected any official decision or even a timeline, but it did show how naturally the coaching succession topic is creeping into the background whenever Reids name comes up. [Read more 🡒]