After Andy Reid told CBS’ Tracy Wolfson that Rashee Rice‘s injury did not look good at halftime of the team’s Week 4 Chargers matchup, a report indicating the Chiefs feared a torn ACL emerged. Rice is now on IR, but no confirmation of a tear has surfaced.

Such silence is being categorized as Rice seeking a second opinion on his injured knee, but multiple other motivations could be in play here. The Chiefs could be holding off on Rice needing a season-ending surgery due to potential price increases from trade sellers, as the defending champs are expected to be in the market for help. Another reason for keeping Rice’s injury in-house could pertain to his off-field trouble.

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Rice’s camp and the team may also have an interest in protecting his injury information, as Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio offers that the second-year wide receiver is aiming to resolve his personal conduct matter this year rather than drag out the process. Cynically, this would be an attempt to have Rice serve his punishment in 2024 — while he will be, in all likelihood, physically unable to play.

The wide receiver is facing eight felony charges in connection with a March hit-and-run incident, a six-car accident in Dallas that has drawn at least one civil suit against the SMU alum. Rice also punched a photographer in the face at a nightclub soon after. The photographer labeled it a misunderstanding and did not file charges. However, an NFL investigation into Rice also may include an incident while the receiver was still at SMU. Rice or a member of his party fired gunshots into the empty vehicle belonging to a Mustangs basketball player.

For an investigation covering all this to be completed in time for Rice to serve his entire suspension, one that will likely span four to six games, this season would be ambitious. This renewed effort on the wideout’s part also comes not long after a report indicated he was not expected to be suspended this season. The league reversing course now would probably not go over well with other teams, particularly ones who have seen key players taken off the field due to personal conduct policy suspensions. The Chiefs have developed an earned reputation for taking chances on character risks, with Rice being the AFC powerhouse’s latest major development on this front. But they have reaped rewards from the strategy, as players like Tyreek Hill, Frank Clark and Charles Omenihu accompany Rice in having contributed to Super Bowl-winning teams, doing so after Kareem Hunt won a rushing title.

Rice would obviously benefit from serving a ban this season, and Florio adds a settlement with Dallas prosecutors would be a way to expedite the process. A previous report indicated no Rice trial would occur before December, giving the talented pass catcher a runway to play this season.

The 2023 second-round pick was off to a strong start, operating as Kansas City’s clear-cut top pass catcher — despite the presence of future Hall of Famer Travis Kelce — in his three healthy games. Rice’s rookie deal runs through 2026, but if his expected suspension begins in Week 1 of next year, his second and third NFL seasons will feature extended absences. A smoother path to a big-ticket extension would naturally emerge if Rice is eligible to play the entire 2025 season.

The Chiefs are likely to augment their receiving situation soon, though it will also be interesting to see which teams are willing to deal with a franchise gunning for its third straight Super Bowl title. Clubs who are will probably operate under the assumption Rice is indeed out for the season, factoring that into their asking prices. A course reversal regarding when Rice and the Chiefs want this suspension to occur will have no bearing on how sellers handle trade negotiations.

Rashee Rice made his season debut on Thursday, and he is positioned to remain available for the Chiefs throughout the season. The second-year Chiefs wideout faces eight felony charges stemming from a March street racing incident, but the NFL does not plan to place him on the commissioner’s exempt list.

That move is generally reserved for cases of domestic violence allegations. In Rice’s situation, the league has followed its standard procedure in waiting for the legal process to play out before conducting an investigation and issuing discipline under the personal conduct policy. Criminal charges are pending for Rice and former SMU teammate Teddy Knox, the other driver involved in the crash which caused multiple injuries before they left the scene. As Nate Taylor and Dianna Russini of The Athletic note, though, no criminal trial date has been set (subscription required).

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk adds that the earliest a trial could take place is likely December, meaning Rice is set to play out the season before any further developments take place (video link). A civil suit has also be filed by two of the victims, with $10MM being sought in damages. A date for that trial has been set; it will take place in June 2025. Between now and then, Rice should be expected to play a key role in Kansas City’s passing attack just as he did during his rookie campaign.

The 24-year-old’s pre-draft process was affected by character concerns, and an incident during his SMU days was on NFL teams’ radars. The Athletic piece notes that at least three teams took Rice off their draft boards as a result, but that did not hurt his stock. The Chiefs – who have acquired and retained a number of players faced with off-field issues over time – selected Rice 55th overall.

Kansas City’s offseason included multiple moves at the receiver position after production from that position (with the exception of Rice) proved hard to come by. Free agent pickup Marquise Brown was out for Week 1, but first-round rookie Xavier Worthy had an impressive debut with a pair of touchdowns. Those two speedsters are joined by the likes of Skyy Moore, Mecole Hardman, Justin Watson and JuJu Smith-Schuster at the receiver spot. It remains to be seen how that group will fare compared to last season, but Rice will be an important member of the unit for the foreseeable future.

A number of suspensions have been handed down by the NFL recently as the countdown to Week 1 continues. In the case of Chiefs wideout Rashee Rice, though, no league action is expected in the immediate future.

“We continue to closely monitor all developments in the matter which remains under review,” a league statement regarding Rice reads (via Mark Maske of the Washington Post). “We will let the legal process play out before making any decisions.”

The NFL often takes that approach with criminal cases. Rice faces eight felony charges stemming from the hit-and-run incident he was involved in at the end of March. The 24-year-old was later accused of punching a photographer at a Dallas nightclub, but that incident is not expected to lead to charges being filed. The NFL has the option of placing Rice on the commissioner’s exempt list, but that move is generally reserved for cases of domestic violence (as most recently shown in the example of Browns rookie Mike Hall).

“We don’t anticipate that [Rice] would be placed on [the] commissioner’s exempt unless there’s a material change in the case,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy confirmed when speaking to the media (via Maske). That remark further paves the way for Rice to at least begin the 2024 campaign without issue as it pertains to a potential suspension. The league has yet to interview the SMU product as part of its disciplinary process, one which does not required criminal convictions for personal conduct violations to result in suspensions.

Rice had a strong rookie season in 2023, a year in which the Chiefs struggled to find consistent production from the receiver spot. Adding at that position was a key offseason priority for Kansas City, leading to Marquise Brown‘s free agent signing and the decision to select Xavier Worthy in the first round of the draft. Brown is unlikely to be available for Week 1, so Rice could be positioned to handle a large workload in the passing game to kick off the 2024 campaign. How long he will stay eligible to suit up will remain unknown until further developments take place in his criminal case.

With the start of the regular season rapidly approaching, it’s seeming increasingly likely that Rashee Rice will be available for Week 1. A source told Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com that the NFL hasn’t met with nor interviewed the Chiefs wideout about any of his offseason legal issues, a major indication that Rice will be allowed to play at the beginning of the campaign.

[RELATED: Chiefs WR Rashee Rice: “I’ve Learned So Much”]

As Florio notes, there are two possible paths to Rice being unavailable for the start of the 2024 season. The receiver could be suspended without pay under the Personal Conduct Policy. However, the NFL won’t take any action until the legal process is played out. Florio notes that even if Rice’s case was resolved today, there still wouldn’t be enough time for the NFL to complete a disciplinary process that now includes a third party.

The second path would be the Commissioner Exempt list, but Florio believes this is an unlikely outcome. While Rice’s felony charge would fall under that “paid leave” umbrella, Florio notes that the NFL generally reserves the Commissioner Exempt list for domestic violence cases. Further, Florio opines that if the receiver was indeed destined for this list, the move would have already happened. To top it off, the NFL provided a statement to PFT hinting that an eventual unpaid suspension is the likelier outcome:

“We have been monitoring developments in the matter. Following the conclusion of the legal process, the NFL will review the matter under the Personal Conduct Policy.”

This offseason has been one filled with legal issues for the second-year pro. Rice is facing a total of eight felony charges stemming from a hit-and-run incident in Dallas on the evening of March 30. About a month later, Rice was accused of punching a photographer at a Dallas nightclub. That latter incident likely won’t lead to charges, although it could still be grouped into a potential suspension.

So, while Rice will likely eventually face NFL punishment, it probably won’t come until the legal process is completed. Until then, the wideout will be allowed to play for the Chiefs.

MAY 23: A member of Rice’s camp has been informed by Dallas Police the investigation has come to a close, per Josina Anderson of CBS Sports. She adds that the second-year wideout himself was never interviewed as part of the investigation. Rice still faces a potential suspension from the hit-and-run incident, but (barring any future league discipline), this episode appears to now be behind him.

MAY 21: Rashee Rice‘s chances of being available for the Chiefs’ full threepeat bid may be bleak, as three separate incidents are factoring into a potential suspension — one the team expects. The most recent of these events is no longer expected to produce a charge, however.

The Kansas City wide receiver was accused of punching a photographer in the face at a Dallas nightclub earlier this month, but the accuser is not preparing to press charges. “The reporting party has signed an affidavit of non-prosecution,” per the Dallas Police Department (via ESPN.com’s Adam Teicher). The photographer called the incident a misunderstanding, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero adds.

As Roger Goodell-era NFL fans know well by now, players can still be punished by the league regardless of charges emerging. And Rice still has the matter of the March hit-and-run incident to navigate. The 2023 second-rounder’s biggest offseason hurdle remains the eight felony charges from the car accident. Rice, 24, was believed to be street racing; he was traveling at 119mph and fled the scene following the accident.

An incident in which Rice or a member of his party fired gunshots into an empty car belonging to an SMU basketball player, occurring while Rice was still at the Dallas-area school, is also set to factor into an NFL investigation. The incident involving the photographer may end up the lowest-profile matter in a league probe.

The Chiefs have welcomed Rice back. After participating virtually in the first phase of the Chiefs’ offseason program, Rice is working with the team at OTAs. The Chiefs have navigated extensive off-field troubles involving high-profile players in recent years, and suspensions did come down for the likes of Frank Clark, Charles Omenihu and Kareem Hunt. The latter was with the Browns when he served an eight-game ban. Omenihu served a six-game suspension for a domestic violence arrest, and Clark was popped for two games for a gun issue.

Andy Reid‘s team navigated the D-line suspensions en route to Super Bowl titles. Unless the Rice investigation drags into 2025, the two-time reigning champions should be expected to play a chunk of the season without their leading wide receiver from 2023.

Rashee Rice faces a number of legal troubles and the league discipline which could come about as a result. The second-year Chiefs wideout is nevertheless set to take part in the team’s organized team activities without restriction.

Rice will fully participate in Kansas City’s OTAs, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. The 24-year-old is facing eight felony charges stemming from a March hit-and-run incident. Earlier this month, he was accused of punching a photographer in the face. That, in turn, comes after it was learned that an incident dating back to his time in college was known by all teams prior to last year’s draft.

The Chiefs are expecting a suspension to be handed down for Rice as a result of the hit-and-run charges. The NFL will likely wait for the legal process to play out before making a decision, though, leaving the team free to proceed with him how they see fit. Rice participated virtually in the opening phase of Kansas City’s offseason program. OTAs represent the most important stage of that process in terms of on-field work, and he will be available to take part.

The SMU product proved to be a key component of the Chiefs’ passing attack during his rookie season, amassing 938 yards and seven touchdowns during the regular season. Rice added a 26-262-1 statline during the team’s run to a second straight Super Bowl title, and he projects to remain a focal point on offense absent his legal situation(s). To little surprise, the team has invested at the wide receiver spot this offseason.

Kansas City signed Marquise Brown in free agency before trading up to select fellow speedster Xavier Worthy in the first round of the draft. Both wideouts will have a notable role for the Chiefs in 2024, and the same should remain true for Rice whenever he is allowed to re-join the team following a potential suspension. The latter is positioned to resume activities with the team for the time being.