The wait is finally over. After months of leaks and speculation, the National Football League has levied its punishment on Rashee Rice.
The Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver has officially accepted the terms of a six-game suspension from the NFL. The ruling closes the book on a long, drawn-out process that’s been hanging over Rice and the team for more than a year.
Rice’s suspension stems from his guilty plea in July to two third-degree felonies tied to a reckless driving incident that led to a multi-vehicle crash in Dallas in 2024. Rice was sentenced to 30 days in jail, which he can serve during a five-year probationary period, and ordered to pay restitution to the victims.
After endless speculation, Rashee Rice has finally been suspended by the NFL.
Early reports stated that the league wanted a harsher penalty for Rice. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero said its first proposal would’ve kept Rice out for more than half the season, while the NFLPA pushed back against what they saw as overreach.
The NFLPA got Rice a scheduled hearing after Week with a neutral arbitrator to address the matter, but reports leaked early Wednesday saying the league was good with a six-game suspension. In an effort to put the matter to rest, Rice accepted the terms and will now sit out the first six games on the Chiefs calendar.
For those keeping track, Rice is now scheduled to return in Week 7 at home against the Las Vegas Raiders. The games missed will include important contests against the L.A. Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens, and Detroit Lions.
Rice himself has said all the right things and insisted he’d “completely changed” and was focused on controlling what he could. Offensive coordinator Matt Nagy confirmed that Andy Reid's staff had prepared for whatever myriad options, depending on what the league ultimately decided.
From a football standpoint, this is a big hit to the Chiefs' offense. That means more targets (and more pressure) on Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown, and the rest of Kansas City's pass-catchers. However, the Chiefs knew this moment was coming and kept eight wideouts on the active roster. That should give new faces like Tyquan Thornton and Jason Brownlee a chance to reward the team's belief in them.