Facing looming suspensions and legal hurdles, Kansas City Chiefs WR Rashee Rice faces a lot of pressure with lots at stake going into next offseason.
The Kansas City Chiefs have kicked off OTAs without young wide receiver Rashee Rice.
Rice is currently serving a 30-day jail sentence after he violated his probation after testing positive for marijuana.
The official documents show that Rice should be released on June 16, so he will miss OTAs in another unfortunate turn of events for Kansas City.
The legal issues also stem from a hit-and-run crash in 2024, so it has been an up-and-down start to Rice's career after he was a star for the SMU Mustangs.
Eric Edholm of NFL.com named several players who have a lot at stake financially entering this season, and Rice was on the list.
On one hand, a big season could land Rice a massive contract. But, another disappointing year might make it difficult for him to get a decent-sized contract in the foreseeable future.
"Even as another possible suspension looms, with a threat of lost millions, this still represents the ultimate opportunity for Rice to rewrite his story. This coming season carries even more weight with the Chiefs coming off their first losing campaign in more than a decade and Patrick Mahomes working his way back from an ACL injury. A trustworthy Rice would fix a lot of Kansas City's problems," Edholm wrote about Rice.
The Chiefs selected Rice in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, but he has played just 28 regular-season games across three seasons.
In his rookie year, Rice caught 79 passes for 938 yards with seven scores, so there were plenty of flashes of potential for the former SMU star.
If Rice can become a reliable option for Kansas City and Patrick Mahomes, it could lead to a big payday next offseason.
Spotrac's current projected market value for Rice is at three years and $52 million, putting him just over $17 million per season.
This offseason, all of Romeo Doubs, Wan'Dale Robinson and Rashid Shaheed inked new contracts worth $17 million or more per season, so that figures to be a realistic number for Rice and the Chiefs.
The big question is whether or not the NFL will further discipline Rice. Then, the questions comes about how new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy uses Rice in the system.
Nonetheless, he has shown what he is capable of, although it has been a while since his monster rookie campaign. In 2025, Rice played eight games, catching 53 passes for 571 yards with five scores, so a full season very well could've put Rice over the 1,000-yard mark.
