Report: Rashee Rice Likely Out for 2024 Season Despite 'Optimism' for 'Much Shorter' Timeline to Return

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice is reportedly "unlikely" to play again this season, despite potentially suffering a less-serious injury than originally feared.

Sep 29, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice (4) pounds his fist on the ground after an injury in the first half against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

It took significantly longer to confirm the news than most expected, but the Kansas City Chiefs have reportedly received the update they feared following last Sunday's win over the Los Angeles Chargers. Second-year wide receiver Rashee Rice left KC's victory in the first quarter after quarterback Patrick Mahomes collided with Rice and bent his right leg awkwardly as both players attempted to make a tackle following an interception. On Monday, October 7, two NFL insiders indicated that the Chiefs are officially expecting Rice to be sidelined for the rest of the 2024 campaign. However, amidst some confusing reporting, there is a silver lining for Rice.

At 5:51 p.m. CT, Adam Schefter of ESPN initially reported good news for Rice following tests on his knee on Monday, posting the following on Twitter/X:

"After consulting today with doctors, there’s 'a lot of optimism' that standout WR Rashee Rice didn’t suffer a knee injury as significant as first believed, per source," Schefter wrote. "Rice will be put under anesthesia Tuesday to determine the extent of his injury, but the belief now is it could be a 'much shorter' recovery timeline than originally thought."

At 5:57 p.m. CT, Schefter changed his tone in a quote-tweet:

"It’s unlikely that Chiefs WR Rashee Rice will play again this season, but doctors will not know for sure until they perform surgery Tuesday morning, per source," Schefter wrote.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Media managed to share his information without as much confusion, going with a good-news, bad-news approach:

"Sources: While #Chiefs star WR Rashee Rice’s season is expected to be over, he did receive positive news today from Dr. Dan Cooper," Rapoport wrote. "Rice needs his LCL repaired, but there is a chance that’s the only ligament to be repaired. He’s expected to make a full recovery."

In an appearance on NFL GameDay, Rapoport shared more of what he knows about Rice's injury and recovery process.

"My understanding after talking to several sources informed of the situation is that Rice's 2024 season is expected to be over," Rapoport said. "Met with Dr. Dan Cooper, one of the nation's experts for knees, today. Also the Dallas Cowboys team doctor. The determination was made that Rashee Rice needs his LCL repaired. That's a little different from what everyone thought originally. [They] thought it was an ACL repair, but it is an LCL repair, which can generally be about 3–4 months of recovery, so Rice's season is expected to be over. But there is a little bit of potential good news, though. He's going to have surgery tomorrow, and the expectation is that his ACL will not need to be reconstructed. His PCL also likely OK. That means a much shorter recovery for Rashee Rice. That is good news as it pertains to his long-term prospects, but immediately, what is important for the Kansas City Chiefs is that Rashee Rice has likely played his last down for the Chiefs this season."

From @NFLGameDay Kickoff: #Chiefs standout WR Rashee Rice's season is over after today's tests, but the news was very positive for his long-term outlook. pic.twitter.com/SowbRcIpYU

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 7, 2024

This is a disappointing update for Rice and the team after Schefter of ESPN reported last Monday that the team was "hoping that it's not as bad as they feared."

Without Rice and with ongoing uncertainty regarding a timeline for Marquise "Hollywood" Brown to return, KC's wide receiver room is thin. In a best-case scenario, Brown could have a chance to return late in the season, in time for a playoff run. In the worst-case future, the Chiefs would be forced to continue their three-peat campaign without their presumed No. 1 and No. 2 wide receivers entering the year.

Without Rice and Brown, the Chiefs' active roster wide receivers are Xavier Worthy, Justin Watson, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Skyy Moore and Mecole Hardman. Kansas City also has wide receivers Justyn Ross, Nikko Remigio and Montrell Washington on the practice squad.

Rice's absence could extend beyond his injury recovery timeline, as he is still expected to face a suspension from the NFL stemming from the multi-vehicle crash he admitted to starting while driving recklessly in Dallas, Texas in March.

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