The Kansas City Chiefs were handed some bad news on Thursday when Rashee Rice entered a plea deal surrounding a hit-and-run incident in Dallas in March 2024. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Rice will serve five years’ probation and 30 days of jail time as punishment, but the NFL can also expedite its investigation into disciplinary action.
ESPN sources: A Dallas County judge just sentenced Chiefs WR Rashee Rice to five years probation and 30 days of jail time that can be served during those five years stemming for his role in a multi-car crash in Dallas during the 2024 offseason.
Now that the judge has ruled, the… pic.twitter.com/MKGytL6Lzk
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 17, 2025
This makes a multi-game suspension likely, and many have thrown out timelines regarding how long Rice could be suspended. One of the latest rumors coming from inside the organization has one theory on what the punishment could be, and it could alter Kansas City’s plans at receiver over the first stage of the 2025 season.
Chiefs May Not Need Another WR After Rashee Rice Suspension
According to Matt Derrick of Chiefs Digest, sources in the organization believe that Rice could be suspended for two to four games. While this is good news considering Underdog’s Hayden Winks noted the NFL has a baseline of six games for the charge of aggravated assault, it also gives Kansas City a wide variety of action plans for the upcoming season.
I’ve been told by sources in the organization the Chiefs believe Rashee Rice may get a suspension of 2-4 games. Whether that is optimistic I can’t tell you for sure. https://t.co/OYlZiMuGBM
— Matt Derrick (@mattderrick) July 17, 2025
Rice became a top target in the Chiefs’ passing game with 79 catches for 938 yards and seven touchdowns in his rookie season in 2023. He was on his way to take another step with 24 catches for 288 yards and a pair of touchdowns before he tore his ACL in a collision with Patrick Mahomes last October.
The Chiefs tried to patch the receiving group together in the wake of Rice’s injury but had varying success. While Xavier Worthy had a strong rookie year, injuries to Skyy Moore and Marquise “Hollywood” Brown left Kansas City shorthanded on the outside, and the acquisition of DeAndre Hopkins in a trade with the Tennessee Titans had a modest effect.
After posting the lowest passing yardage total since Patrick Mahomes took over as the starting quarterback in 2018, Kansas City ran a large chunk of the group back, assuming Rice would be available for the start of the season. But with a suspension now imminent, it leaves them to reconsider their plans.
If Rice is suspended somewhere between four to six games, it could be a major problem for the Chiefs. While Worthy and Brown could start in the short term, one injury during training camp could thrust Moore, JuJu Smith-Schuster, or rookie Jalen Royals into the starting lineup and leave Mahomes re-living 2024 all over again.
In this scenario, it may be wise to add an available receiver on the market, such as Keenan Allen or Amari Cooper. But it could change if Rice is suspended on the lower end of the spectrum.
A two-game suspension would be the best case for the Chiefs as they open the year against the Los Angeles Chargers in Brazil and host a Super Bowl rematch with the Philadelphia Eagles. While Kansas City would love to have Rice out there for those games, it would be the same as a minor injury, allowing the Chiefs to roll with what they have and welcome Rice back in Week 3.
They are all things to consider as the Chiefs wait for the NFL to hand down their decision, and it will be a key storyline as Kansas City prepares for the 2025 season.
