Rice was suspended for six games dueas it adds pressure on Patrick Mahomes after his career worst season in numbers to his involvement in a car accident in March 2024 read more 👇🏻👇🏻

ithout a doubt, the biggest news for the Chiefs this offseason is Travis Kelce proposing to Taylor Swift, which makes me believe this will be Kelce’s final season in the NFL as he enters his 13th year. He has already won three Super Bowls and holds several records in the league, including the most career postseason receptions (174). However, he is also coming off his worst season in yards (823) and touchdowns (3). The same goes for Patrick Mahomes, who had his lowest totals in both categories with 3,928 yards and 26 touchdowns. On top of that, Kelce disappeared in the playoffs with his lowest production in any run that reached the Super Bowl.

Another key development in the Chiefs’ offseason was their first-round pick, Josh Simmons, the tackle from the National Champion Ohio State Buckeyes. He is expected to give Mahomes more time to throw deep passes for years to come, addressing the biggest weakness from their Super Bowl loss where Mahomes was sacked a career-high six times.

The latest news is the six-game suspension of wide receiver Rashee Rice for his role in a high-speed car crash in March 2024, as announced by the league. His suspension will begin in Week 1, when the Chiefs face the Chargers in Brazil on Friday, September 5th. Rice will be eligible to return on October 19th against the Las Vegas Raiders, after the team goes through a tough stretch from Weeks 1 to 6

Rashee Rice’s Absence Tests Chiefs’ Receiving Corps

Rice, a 2023 second-round pick out of SMU, had 24 catches for 288 yards with two touchdowns in four games last season before suffering a season-ending knee injury in a crash with Mahomes. He emerged late in 2023 as the Chiefs’ top receiving threat, finishing with 79 catches for 938 yards and becoming the rookie with the most postseason receptions with 26. His absence for most of last season, along with the injury to Marquise Brown – who played his first game in Week 16 – was part of the reason why Mahomes posted his weakest numbers in years, with 26 touchdown passes, a career-low 6.8 yards per attempt, and an average of 245.5 yards per game.

This season, Brown will be available from the start, along with Xavier Worthy, who last season set a rookie Super Bowl record with 157 receiving yards and tied the NFL rookie mark with two touchdowns. Those two will undoubtedly be the starters, joined by Travis Kelce and a rotation of receivers with fewer snaps, including rookie Jalen Royals, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Tyquan Thornton