While Rashee Rice and the Kansas City Chiefs certainly aren't excited by the news that the wide receiver is likely going to be suspended, it seems that he will at least be able to start the season with the team, given the latest news related to the case.
The National Football League has scheduled a meeting, per NFL reporter Adam Schefter, to serve as his disciplinary hearing. The surprising part of it all is that it's not scheduled until the end of September.
Rice is not going to meet with the powers-that-be until September 30, which means that the NFL won't be suspending him anytime soon.
Why is this timing beneficial for the Chiefs?
What this means is that Rice will be available for the gauntlet known as the Chiefs' first month of the season. They open the year in Sao Paulo, Brazil on September 5 in an international primetime game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
From there, the schedule only gets tougher with home games in the first four weeks against both the Philadelphia Eagles and the Baltimore Ravens. The former is, of course, the highly-anticipated rematch from Super Bowl LIX (and a chance for the Chiefs to at least gain some confidence after such a deflating loss). The latter is a major conference matchup between two of the three best quarterbacks in the game.
After an impressive rookie season in 2023, Rice was emerging as the most trusted target for Patrick Mahomes last season. He had 24 catches for 288 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Chiefs' first three games of the season, but was unfortunately lost to an LCL injury in Week 4 when Mahomes awkwardly fell on Rice's leg.
Why is Rice being suspended in the first place?
Rice was originally charged with 8 felony counts, including aggravated assault, in a reckless driving incident dating back to April 2004, when he and another party were racing at high speeds on a Dallas-area highway. Rice's actions led to a multi-vehicle accident that resulted in injuries.
The legal side of Rice's case was recently settled, with a judge sentencing him to 30 days in jail, to be served over a five-year probationary period.
With the legal side wrapped up, the NFL is expected to finally levy its own punishment against Rice. Early estimates are anywhere from 2 to 8 games, and the Chiefs themselves are reportedly expecting 4-6 games, per Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer. That much remains to be seen.
What does this mean for the offense going forward?
The Chiefs will still have to face the hurdle of not having Rice, but to have him around for this early slate of games is pivotal. Rice might only have 15 real regular-season games under his belt, but there's no doubt that he's the most trusted weapon in Patrick Mahomes' arsenal.
The Chiefs aren't devoid of talent, of course, and they won 15 games with Rice (and several others) sidelined for most of the season. But now Rice will be around while younger options like Jalen Royals grow into the offense for several weeks before potentially being relied upon to take Rice's spot.
Injuiries could change things, but that's true at any point. What this means is that Rice can serve as a reliable presence in an offense that's going to have to grow together, one filled with young, promising components. By the time Rice is out, the Chiefs should be able to lean on others to help lessen the hit.