Patrick Mahomes on Rashee Rice After Impressive Preseason: 'I Think He's Going to Be a Lot Better This Year'

Patrick Mahomes had high praise for wide receiver Rashee Rice after seeing good things from Rice in the Chiefs' second preseason game ahead of the 2024 season.

Aug 17, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice (4) runs the ball as Detroit Lions cornerback Khalil Dorsey (30) defends during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports / Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

In the Kansas City Chiefs' second preseason game ahead of the 2024 NFL season, rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy earned much of the attention paid to the team's pass-catchers. However, it was second-year wide receiver Rashee Rice who led the team in receptions while providing an impact alongside Worthy early in the game.

Following the 24-23 loss, quarterback Patrick Mahomes discussed what he saw from Rice on Saturday and why he's expecting even more in 2024 from last season's No. 1 wide receiver.

"I think he's going to be a lot better this year, honestly," Mahomes began. "Just the way he's able to run routes, it was coming along at the end of last year, but he worked on it this whole offseason and he's in great shape, he's coming in, he's running great routes. I mean, even one of the plays I looked to the left and it wasn't covered and he was kind of the back-side, and he won against a guy [in] man-to-man coverage, caught the ball and makes the positive play, and those are the little things that I think he's going to continue to get better and better at."

Mahomes noted that Rice can continue to build on the skill set that led to him nearly eclipsing 1,000 yards in his rookie season as he expands his game and grows as a wide receiver.

"He could always work in space and catch the ball and run and [be] explosive, which is super important," Mahomes continued. "I think he's getting better and better at winning one-on-one and winning with routes, and I think that's going to help his game go to that next level."

Will Rashee Rice be suspended in 2024?

After a very loud offseason, things have gotten quiet surrounding a potential Rice suspension for the 2024 season. Rice declined to comment when asked if he's spoken to the league since his offseason arrest, and there have been no meaningful updates or reports surrounding the league's plan for Rice. Even the legal timeline is up for debate. While Rice has a court date set for December, that's a civil suit, not set to resolve his criminal charges. It's possible that the league will wait for the legal process to play out, which would seemingly clear Rice of any league discipline in 2024. The NFL could also choose to be proactive, given the fact they have video from the scene of the crash and Rice's admission. The team would presumably like to have a concrete answer as soon as possible, but at least publicly, there hasn't been much urgency from the league or legal side, leaving his status up in the air with the start of the regular season just around the corner.

Read More: Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes React to Xavier Worthy's Big Day vs. Lions