NFL Insider: Kansas City Chiefs Preparing for Lengthy Rashee Rice Suspension

An NFL insider has shared his expectation for a potential Rashee Rice suspension that would leave the Kansas City Chiefs short-handed for "at least" a very large chunk of the 2024 NFL season.

Nov 26, 2023; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice (4) celebrates. / Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs' biggest remaining question of the 2024 offseason isn't about who they'll add next. It's about how long second-year wide receiver Rashee Rice could be suspended in connection to his role in a multi-vehicle crash in Dallas in late March. Now, multiple NFL insiders have provided their perspective on what the Chiefs are expecting.

In an appearance on Steve Smith Sr.'s Agent 89 Breakdown, James Palmer spoke definitively about Rice being suspended and how serious of a punishment the Chiefs are expecting.

"He's gonna be suspended, let's just put it out there," Palmer said. "They're expecting half a season, at least."

Palmer matter-of-factly says that the Chiefs are expecting to lose Rice for "at least" eight games in 2024. This is a more sizable suspension than had been estimated publicly, with two other NFL insiders previously providing different timelines for Rice and the Chiefs.

On April 22, Adam Schefter of ESPN wrote about his expectations for a Rice suspension. Schefter's estimate was more vague but seemed to fall short of a half-season ban for Rice.

"He is facing one count of aggravated assault, one count of collision involving serious bodily injury and six counts of collision involving injury," Schefter wrote. "He turned himself into police last week at the Regional Jail in DeSoto, Texas, before being released on bond. On top of the legal issues and lawsuit he is facing, Rice is expected to be disciplined by the NFL, resulting in at least a multi-game suspension."

Here, Schefter's "at least" could technically cover anything from a two-game suspension to, realistically, perhaps as many as 12. (If the league wanted to extend beyond something as severe as a 12-game suspension, it seems fair to assume they'd make it a year-long ruling.) At the time, I wrote that Schefter's range seemed to infer a two-to-six-game suspension, since he could have suggested a half-season suspension if he believed it would be closer to the eight-game range that Palmer later landed on.

On the other end of the spectrum, Ian Rapaport of NFL Network inferred that Rice may not see a 2024 suspension at all, depending on how his legal proceedings are handled.

"Really, this depends on how quickly the legal process plays out," Rapaport said. "If his case wraps up, then there is potential the NFL could issue its discipline and he would likely be suspended. If the case is still ongoing, as we’ve seen with several others, then likely he’d be eligible to play this season. Discipline would be handled the following season. So the timing is really an issue, not whether or not he’ll actually be suspended."

When NFL commissioner Roger Goodell made his first public comments regarding Rice, he began by noting that the legal process would likely be the first domino to fall before the league makes decisions about additional discipline.

"Well, first, we allow the legal process to move through," Goodell said. "We obviously are following it closely, and as soon as they’re done with the process, we will be engaged and be prepared to look at that under all of our personal conduct policies."

Read More: Roger Goodell Discusses Potential Rashee Rice Suspension, Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt 'Disappointed with the Situation'