Kansas City Chiefs News & Rumors

AUGUST 15: The league proposed a suspension spanning double-digit games in this case, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports (video link). The NFLPA and Rice’s representatives took issue with such a ban given the lack of precedent for suspensions of that length in situations such as his. Time still remains for a compromise to be worked out, but in the absence of one the wait for finding out the exact length of Rice’s absence will stretch well into the campaign.

AUGUST 14:Rashee Rice is expected to be suspended for a chunk of the 2025 season. The Chiefs wide receiver’s criminal discipline has been levied, and it had been assumed an NFL suspension would be handed out before the season.

Now, Kansas City could have its top wideout to open the year but be without him for much of the midseason stretch. An NFL disciplinary hearing is set for September 30; the wideout’s suspension length will almost definitely emerge in the wake of that summit. While Rice’s case is certainly different from Deshaun Watson‘s high-profile 2022 suspension saga, the hearing component is similar.

The NFL, NFLPA and Rice’s camp could not agree on discipline in this case, ESPN’s Dan Graziano reports, leading to the hearing. The Sept. 30 date stemmed from disciplinary officer Sue Robinson’s availability. Robinson’s availability potentially determining which games Rice is available for certainly represents an interesting wrinkle here. Based on the lack of agreement here, it can be assumed the NFL is intending to suspend Rice for a significant stretch.

Rice was hit with eight felony charges in connection with a March 2024 hit-and-run incident. His criminal case concluded last month with a sentence of five years probation and a 30-day prison term. Rice received deferred adjudication, so completing the probation process will close the case and allow him to avoid serving time in prison.

However, Rice also was accused of punching a photographer at a nightclub following that freeway street-racing incident. While Rice was at SMU, Rice or a member of his party fired gunshots into an empty vehicle belonging to a Mustangs basketball player. That was believed to have been on the table to be folded into an NFL investigation. Although the accuser in the nightclub assault matter declined to press charges, these two lower-profile incidents may impact his NFL suspension duration.

The Chiefs’ September slate consists of games against the Chargers, Eagles, Giants and Ravens. The six games following the hearing go: Jaguars, Lions, Raiders, Commanders, Bills and Broncos. While Rice stands to be available for the three-time reigning AFC champions’ early slate, his reemergence from an LCL tear would then be paused due to a ban. The sides could preempt a hearing by reaching a settlement beforehand, however. That is how the Watson matter produced an 11-game ban, as the NFL was aiming to have the Browns trade acquisition suspended for all of the 2022 season. A compromise stopped the offseason-overshadowing matter from dragging on even longer than it had. In her role with the NFL, Robinson has only heard the Watson case.

The Chiefs have seen a number of regulars run into off-field trouble during Andy Reid‘s time at the helm; only some produced suspensions. While Tyreek Hill‘s domestic violence arrest occurred while he was in college, a separate scandal led to a 2019 NFL investigation. A lack of cooperation by a Kansas district attorney’s office, however, helped keep the wideout from being suspended. The Chiefs also waived Kareem Hunt — who has since returned to the team — after video surfaced of him shoving and kicking a woman at a Cleveland hotel. Hunt’s eight-game ban came when he was with the Browns in 2019. The Chiefs, however, saw Frank Clark banned two games midway through the 2022 season in connection with two gun-related arrests. One of their post-Clark options, free agent signee Charles Omenihu, was suspended six games for a domestic violence arrest to open the ’23 season. Backup wideout Justyn Ross also landed on the commissioner’s exempt list in 2023 for a domestic battery incident.

If/when Rice is suspended, the Chiefs will — as they did last year during his injury hiatus — lean on Xavier Worthy. Marquise Brown is also positioned to be available this year, after he missed most of last season. Those two will be Kansas City’s primary receiving weapons alongside Travis Kelce. It will be interesting to see if Rice joins these pass-game principals in Week 1 or reaches a resolution to serve his ban to open the season.

The matter of potential league discipline in the case of Rashee Rice is still unresolved at this point. That will continue through the start of the coming season.

The third-year Chiefs wideout has long been viewed as a candidate for a suspension stemming from his involvement in a March 2024 hit-and-run incident. His criminal case was concluded last month with a sentence of five years probation and a 30-day prison term. Rice received deferred adjudication, so completing the probation process will close the case and allow him to avoid serving time in prison. Shortly after that key development, one of the three civil suits associated with the case was settled.

[RELATED: Suspension Length Disagreement Led To Hearing]

Attention will now turn to the NFL’s investigation into the matter and any supplemental discipline which is handed down as a result. On that note, Thursday has seen a notable update in the Rice case. A league hearing is set to take place on September 30, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. It is at that time, presumably, an announcement will be made with respect to any potential suspension. Schefter adds that judge Sue L. Robinson will preside over the hearing (having only previously done so in the Deshaun Watson case).

Today’s news means a firm timeline is now in place for Rice and the Chiefs to learn how long he will be unavailable in the event of a suspension. It also means, however, the 25-year-old will be available for Kansas City during the first four games of the campaign. That stretch covers contests against the Chargers, Eagles, Giants and Ravens.

An LCL tear limited Rice to just four games last season, one in which expectations were high regarding his production and role in Kansas City’s offense. The SMU product flashed as a rookie with 938 yards and seven touchdowns, and he could reprise his role as the Chiefs’ No. 1 receiver when on the field this season. Given today’s news, though, it will remain unclear well into the campaign how many games Rice will miss in 2025.

Kansas City’s WR depth chart also includes Xavier Worthy, who enjoyed a strong run during the playoffs (including the Super Bowl) during his rookie campaign. A step forward in Year 2 would be key for team and player in the former first-rounder’s case. The Chiefs also have the likes of Marquise Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Skyy Moore in place entering the season. A more consistent showing on offense will be targeted as Kansas City looks to top the AFC once again in 2025.

Rice figures to play a role in that effort, at least during the first month of the season. Once his hearing takes place, the length of any suspension handed down will of course be a key storyline for he and the Chiefs.