Arrowhead Report

Will Rashee Rice Bounce Back From Injury?

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice has looked great so far in the offseason. Will he be able to bounce back from injury?
Fernando Alfaro-Donis|
Sep 29, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice (4) pounds his fist on the ground after an injury in the first half against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Sep 29, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice (4) pounds his fist on the ground after an injury in the first half against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

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Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs had a slam-dunk pick in 2023 when they drafted Rashee Rice in the second round. He contributed right away to their passing attack and established himself early to be one of Patrick Mahomes' favorite targets.

In his rookie season, he caught 79 balls on 102 receptions for 938 yards, seven touchdowns, and 44 first downs. His longest catch went for 67 yards, and he fumbled the ball twice, with one of them being recovered and the other one not.

The Chiefs went on to win the Super Bowl in 2023, and getting a championship ring in his first year in the NFL must have been exciting for Rice. He was looking to follow up his rookie year with more success in 2024 and go past 1,000 yards in his sophomore season.

Unfortunately, that wasn't in the plans for Rice as he got injured after just four games last season, an injury that would keep him out for the entire year. In 2024, he caught 24 of the 29 balls headed his way, he had 288 yards and two touchdowns, as well as 15 first downs. Despite playing in very few games, his longest catch went for 44 yards, and he averaged about 12 yards per possession.

Losing him early on in the season was a big blow to the Chiefs' offense and highlighted what was a disappointing year for their pass game, after what looked like one of their most promising seasons yet.

Rice wasn't the only player on the Chiefs who dealt with injury last season, as fellow wide receiver and free agent acquisition Hollywood Brown was barely able to stay on the field as well. Even established players like Isiah Pacheco suffered from injuries last season, which hindered how effective their offense was in 2024.

The silver lining for the Chiefs is that despite their offensive struggles, they still managed to make it back to the Super Bowl, even if they didn't win it. Rice has looked healthy so far in OTAs and the off-season, which is a good sign for the Chiefs' offense in 2025.

If the Chiefs want to avoid a rocky start to their season, their offense will have to be firing on all cylinders. They can't do that if they don't have Rice there to be another reliable target for Mahomes to pass the ball to.

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Fernando Alfaro-Donis
FERNANDO ALFARO-DONIS

Fernando Alfaro-Donis found his passion for sports playing high school football, which led him to pursue journalism as an English major at UCLA. He also covers the UCLA Bruins and the Los Angeles Rams as an On SI team reporter.