The prominent thought was that Rashee Rice's suspension had been pushed back, but now...?
At some point, the Kansas City Chiefs are going to have to do without Rashee Rice.
The Chiefs know that, at some point, the National Football League will demand a reckoning of sorts when it comes to Rice and his legal troubles from the 2024 offseason—specifically related to a series of felony charges stemming from a night of reckless driving that caused a multi-vehicle accident and injured numerous persons. A suspension is coming. The only questions are "how long?" and "when?"
Shortly after Rice was arrested last spring, Chiefs Kingdom began to prepare for the loss of Rice to start the season. After all, the regular season was still several months away and Rice was already in deep trouble. When a photographer claimed that Rice had called him back to a nightclub only to assault him upon arrival in a separate incident, it felt as if the wheels could come off, professionally speaking, for Rice's career.
Funny how different things look now. First, the photographer proceeded to drop all charges against Rice and that entire story disappeared. Then came the NFL's announcement from Roger Goodell during draft week that the league was going to allow the legal process to play out before serving Rice with any sort of punishment.
Following Goodell's announcement, NFL insiders took things one step further and stated that it's possible the legal process takes a long time to work things out, which could mean any time away from the game could slip to 2025. That's yet another offseason for the Chiefs to plan for his absence, which could be lengthy considering the crime(s). But kicking the can down the road that far was a considerable advantage for K.C.
Now, however, talks of Rice's suspension being a hurdle for a three-peat in 2024 are back. That's because the Chiefs signed JuJu Smith-Schuster to the roster on Monday in a bit of a surprise move that reunites both parties following a year apart.
Smith-Schuster's skill set and injury history are going to keep him from serving as any sort of downfield threat for the Chiefs offense. Instead, he thrives underneath, working in short and intermediate parts of the field alongside tight end Travis Kelce. That's also the same slot area that Rice thrives in, who excels in gaining yards after the catch.
Did the Chiefs bring back Smith-Schuster knowing something was coming down the pike for Rice? Is this just a case of wanting JSS back without any "extra" reasoning? Perhaps the whole thing is about bettering a posititon and nothing more. But all we know at this point is that fans are wondering about the reasoning for the Smith-Schuster signing and Rice's suspension is back in the conversation.