Kansas City Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice is set to return to the practice field Wednesday after completing his six-game suspension to start the 2025 season. The NFL handed down the ban under its personal conduct policy, following Rice’s involvement in a multi-vehicle crash in Dallas in March 2024.
Per league rules, Rice was permitted to return to the facility on September 22 — the halfway point of his penalty. The league allows suspended players to attend meetings, meet with non-football staff and speak individually with coaches.
With the suspension now over, Rice can officially practice.
“I know he’s been working like crazy,” head coach Andy Reid said Monday on a Zoom call with local media. “The rule states that we (couldn’t) work with him as coaches, but I know he’s been working out hard. I think it’s just a matter of getting him back in the swing.”
The Chiefs went 3-3 without Rice, capped by Sunday night’s 30-17 win over the Detroit Lions. He is expected to make his return this weekend against the Las Vegas Raiders, though Reid wants to see him in action before finalizing any snap count.
“I’ve got to see it to work through it, but I know he’s in good shape,” Reid said. “That’s the one thing I do know. I think that will be important, him getting back in there, getting with Patrick (Mahomes) and getting on the same page and that whole deal. We’ll just see how all that works out. We haven’t put the game plan in yet, so we’re working through all that now.”
Kansas City drafted Rice out of SMU in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, and he developed quickly, becoming a key contributor in the team’s Super Bowl LVIII victory.
Recognizing the need for additional firepower in the ensuing offseason, general manager Brett Veach signed veteran receiver Hollywood Brown before drafting Xavier Worthy in the first round in 2024.
On paper, Mahomes finally had the wide receiver arsenal he needed — or so the Chiefs thought.
The trio of Rice, Brown and Worthy shared just one snap together in Kansas City’s first 2024 preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. On that play, Brown suffered a shoulder injury that would cost him most of the season. Rice later sustained a season-ending injury in Week 4, so by the time Brown eventually returned, he was deep into rehab. That makes Sunday’s game against the Raiders a moment literally years in the making.
“I feel like it’s amazing, man,” Brown said after the Sunday win. “Those are my brothers, and we all have been through a lot of stuff individually, so it’s a moment you’re not going to take for granted. We’re going to play hard for each other and looking forward to it.”
After the win against the Lions, receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster said he believes the trio will be a nightmare for opposing defenses.
“That dude’s gotten stronger, faster, smarter, he’s got it all,” Smith-Schuster said of Rice. “The weeks he’s been away from us, he’s been working so hard. He’s been working with great trainers back home. So it’s pretty cool to see him do that and come back in the building. You can see he’s ready to go.”
Typically measured in his excitement, Reid seems eager, too.
“I think they’re looking forward to it — maybe even more than I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “They’re excited to play together. Those three are very close. We’ll see how it all works out. I don’t have a lot of promises for you. It will be great to get them back going in the swing.”
In recent weeks, the Chiefs’ offense has looked closer to its vintage form than it has in years. Now, they’re adding back the player many inside the building consider their best offensive weapon.
Like Brown and Worthy, Rice will be hungry for targets, but Mahomes seems to already know: Everybody’s got to eat.