Wide receiver troubles defined much of the regular season for the Chiefs in 2023, but it became clear by the time the playoffs started that Patrick Mahomes had zeroed in on one player he could trust: Rookie Rashee Rice.
Rice quickly went from a late second-round pick to be one of the most pivotal offensive pieces of a Super Bowl-winning team, finishing his rookie year with 938 yards and seven touchdowns with a role that only expanded as the season went on.
Then came the offseason.
Rice was engulfed by legal troubles in the spring, leaving his status for the start of the season in question. Will the NFL suspend him? If so, for how long?
Here's a look at Rice's offseason of trouble and what a punishment could look like.
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Rashee Rice offseason timeline
Hit-and-run crash
Rice was involved in a hit-and-run crash in Dallas on Mar. 30 while allegedly racing another driver. The incident injured several people, though fortunately no one was killed.
Multiple occupants of the vehicles, including Rice, left the scene on foot. Rice would meet with Dallas police for the first time on April 3.
"I take full responsibility for my part in this matter," Rice said in his first public comments after the crash, vowing to cooperate with the investigation.
Rice charged with eight felonies
Rice was hit with eight felony charges a week after meeting with police: One count of aggravated assault, one count of collision causing serious bodily injury and six counts of collision involving injuries. He turned himself in the following day, and the case remains open.
Rice accused of assaulting photographer
Rice came under investigation by Dallas police for an alleged assault of a photographer in May. The Chiefs receiver was accused of punching a photographer at a nightclub on May 6.
No charges filed against Rice for photographer incident
The alleged victim declined to press charges against Rice on May 21, calling the incident a "misunderstanding." Still, the investigation added one more negative headline to an offseason that Rice and the Chiefs would like to forget.
Will Rashee Rice be suspended?
Rice could face a suspension under the NFL's personal conduct policy as a result of March's hit-and-run crash
Reports indicate a suspension for Rice will come down at some point, but when exactly it will happen is still a mystery. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported in April that a suspension in 2024 wasn't guaranteed, and Chiefs coach Andy Reid said at the start of training camp that he hadn't heard anything from the league.
As of Aug. 13, Rice had not yet met with the NFL about potential discipline, Pro Football Talk reported .
The NFL often waits for legal situations to resolve themselves before making a ruling, and Rice's case remains open. That doesn't mean a suspension isn't happening in 2024, but it might not be as imminent as some expected.
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The Chiefs have prepared themselves well for a Rice suspension, however. They signed Marquise Brown in March and drafted Texas speedster Xavier Worthy in the first round in April, adding two significant weapons to Mahomes' arsenal.
Kansas City also recently signed WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, who was one of Mahomes' top weapons during the 2022 championship run.
Rice would still be an integral part of Kansas City's offense when on the field. He came on strong late in his rookie season as one of the few pass-catchers Patrick Mahomes seemed to fully trust, and he also has a bit of a different skillset than Brown and Worthy, who both have smaller frames and rely on their speed. Rice has a larger frame and didn't look one-dimensional at all in 2023.
The Chiefs have Mahomes, which puts them in a strong position regardless of who's catching the ball, but there's no doubt they would like to have Rice on the field as much as possible.
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