The Kansas City Chiefs already suffered a heavy blow last season when the league handed out a six-game suspension for wide receiver Rashee Rice over the high-speed car crash he was involved in the year before. Then injuries piled up around the room last season. Even though they eventually got their squad back, they didn’t look like the usual dynasty. Now, heading into the 2026 season, a big question around the Chiefs was whether Rice would incur another suspension.

Rice violated his probation this offseason and spent 30 days in prison. Many were worried about another suspension derailing the Chiefs’ chances to make a comeback. Rice himself underwent knee surgery before his jail time, and quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ knee has been the talking point throughout this offseason. But when it comes to Rice, per NFL insider Ian Rapoport, there’s good news.

“Well, first of all, I’m going to go to the disciplinary part,” Rapoport said live from the Chiefs’ training camp, in conversation with Brian Baldinger. “Because for Rashee Rice, he was already disciplined, essentially for what he was in jail for. That was a probation violation. He had already been disciplined for that infraction, and already missed time for that. So, I don’t expect, from my understanding, anything new there disciplinary-wise.

“Now, football-wise… here’s what we know. Obviously, missed some time last year, has battled injuries the last couple of years. When he is right, when he is looking like the electric playmaker that the Chiefs know he can be, this is a very, very good offense.”

So, Rice might finally be in the clear now. But Rapoport’s “when he is right” statement is a caveat echoed by other voices around the league as well. Most recently, ESPN’s Chiefs reporter Nate Taylor revealed that following his knee surgery this offseason, Rice hasn’t been at 100%.

“He’s still laboring at times on the field,” Taylor said on KCSN’s Only Weird Games podcast. “There are some reps where that looks like Rashee Rice, and there are some reps like a one-on-one with Jadon Canady where it looks like he’s still laboring in terms of changing directions in and out of breaks with full power, full speed, starting and stopping. All of that is obviously tied to this procedure you had in May.”

Until Rice returns to the playmaker status in Kansas City, the targets meant for him might just get shifted elsewhere. To that end, Rice has said he will try to make plays on every snap this season, even if the designated play call doesn’t give him the target. If nothing works, though, Brian Baldinger believes Mahomes has plenty of other targets to fall back on.

“[Rice has] been a big-time playmaker. But looking at the 10-year history of Patrick Mahomes, he’s thrown touchdowns to 35 different receivers,” Baldinger said. “He’s going to throw it to the open receiver, whoever that might be. So, for right now, Tyquan Thornton out there working. Last year, they drafted Jalen Royals in the fourth round. Maybe he steps up. They still have Xavier Worthy, who can still get over the top of most defenses with his speed. And then you have a group of tight ends. So, he’s going to find the open receiver.

“… Travis Kelce is still out here. And so, the ball is going to go to him on third down. When the play breaks down in the red zone, he’s still going to find him.”

Rashee Rice will have to prove in the coming weeks that he can still be a reliable target for Patrick Mahomes. He has a lot of training camp reps to do that. For now, the biggest upside is that, barring injuries or any other setbacks, the Chiefs won’t have to worry about another suspension.