The Kansas City Chiefs were without top wide receiver Rashee Rice for 13 games last season after he suffered a torn LCL in his right knee in a Week 4 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
And while Rice is recovering well from his season-ending knee surgery back in October and expected to be ready for KC’s Week 1 matchup against the Chargers on Sept. 5, there’s a possibility the Chiefs will be without him for a significant amount of time in 2025 once the NFL announces his impending suspension for his involvement from a 2024 hit-and-run incident.
Rice recently pleaded guilty to two third-degree felony charges — one for collision involving serious bodily injury and another for racing on a highway causing bodily injury, according to the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office — stemming from a March 30, 2024, incident in which he and another driver were traveling at a high rate of speed and allegedly caused a multiple-vehicle chain-reaction crash in Dallas.
A judge sentenced Rice, quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ top target, to five years probation plus 30 days of jail time that must be served within those five years. And now that Rice has officially been handed his legal sentence, the NFL is expected to hand him a multi-game suspension before the start of the regular season.
According to CBS Sports insider Jonathan Jones, there are several factors that will weigh into the NFL’s decision as to how long Rice should be penalized.
The NFL will suspend Chiefs WR Rashee Rice after his guilty plea to two felonies this week. What the suspension could look like, and the factors the league is likely to take into account in its decision pic.twitter.com/0Mo6B8LKsK
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) July 18, 2025
“There is no doubt about it, he will be suspended by the NFL. Now, it’s just a matter of games. … The baseline for the NFL personal conduct policy is six games. It’s a first-time offense, so they will consider some mitigating factors — his apology that he put forth, any sort of community work that he will do.
“But there are also aggravating factors as well: the rate of speed—almost 40 miles per hour over the speed limit—leaving the scene of the crash and that being documented on video — that will hurt Rashee Rice when you talk about how many games he could be suspended for.
“So I have set here between five and seven games that Rashee Rice will probably be suspended by the NFL to start the season.
An NFL spokesperson told ESPN’s Adam Schefter last week that the league is currently still looking into Rice’s legal situation as the Chiefs await news on his looming suspension.
“We have been closely monitoring all developments in the matter, which remains under review,” NFL PR spokesperson Brian McCarthy told Schefter on Thursday.
