Rashee Rice won't be dragging this out. The Kansas City Chiefs receiver has accepted a six-game suspension from the NFL to open the season, per multiple reports, clearing the decks on discipline tied to last year's multi-car crash in Dallas.
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Getty; Credit- Kevin C. Cox
The agreement, per NFL Network, is being finalized between the league and the NFLPA. Rice will miss Kansas City's first six games and return in Week 7 against the Raiders. The ban stems from his role in a March 30, 2024, accident that left multiple people injured.
Prosecutors said Rice was driving 119 mph while weaving through traffic before the crash. He pled guilty to two third-degree felony charges — collision involving serious bodily injury and racing on a highway causing bodily injury — and received a 30-day jail sentence.
Initially, the league wanted a 10-game suspension and even scheduled a Sept. 30 disciplinary hearing. Instead, Rice and the team opted to take the deal now, getting him off the field for a brutal stretch of Kansas City's schedule: the Week 1 opener in Brazil against the Chargers, a Week 2 Super Bowl rematch with the Eagles, a Sunday night game against the Giants, matchups with the Ravens and Jaguars, and a Week 6 showdown with the Lions.
Rice, 25, was limited to four games last season after a knee injury, catching 24 passes for 288 yards and two scores. The 2023 second-round pick has 103 career receptions and nine touchdowns.
In his absence, Patrick Mahomes will lean even heavier on Travis Kelce — fresh off his engagement to Taylor Swift — along with rookie burner Xavier Worthy and veteran Marquise "Hollywood" Brown. That's still plenty of firepower, but losing Rice until mid-October is no small hit.
