Throughout the offseason, the Kansas City Chiefs have been linked to multiple veteran receivers, including Stefon Diggs or a possible reunion with Tyreek Hill. And while it is certainly still in the books for general manager Brett Veach to add either one of those guys, there is a clear message being sent out from One Arrowhead Drive that they believe in their current investments.
Patrick Mahomes is coming off a torn ACL and LCL, and all the signs point to his miraculous return to the field even earlier than Week 1. Taking pressure off of him by improving the run game was a clear goal for the Chiefs as they signed Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III to a three-year deal, along with veteran Emari Demercado and rookie Emmett Johnson.
But last season’s offensive struggles were nearly as much on the run game as the passing game. Hollywood Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster departed in free agency, Travis Kelce is a year older, and Xavier Worthy enters year three, in which he still has much to prove. However, perhaps part of why the Chiefs haven’t added to the receiver room is because, for better or for worse, they are betting on Rashee Rice to be the number one, alpha option for Mahomes in 2026.
Chiefs are betting big on Rashee Rice renaissance in a contract year
Aside from his rookie season, when Rice flashed onto the scene quite early, he has endured both injuries and a variety of off-the-field concerns (his fault; nobody is arguing against that), which have long been discussed and are, to this point, dealt with and in the past.
It may seem like not too long ago, but the 26-year-old Rice was drafted in 2023 and enters probably the biggest football year he’ll ever have. If he can stay out of trouble for the duration of the long 18-week-plus season, and on the field, chances are, he’ll be a mainstay for this Chiefs offense and return to being Patrick Mahomes go-to guy in most situations.
And while there are many folks out there in Chiefs Kingdom clamoring to add another receiver, Veach and Andy Reid may not view it as so. Rice has played just 12 games the past two seasons, but the production has been more than enough to make the Chiefs believe.
He totaled 77 catches (43 for first downs) on a nearly 72 percent catch rate for 859 yards and seven touchdowns. Over a 17-game sample size, that equates to 109 grabs for 10 scores and over 1,200 yards. All three of those stats would have ranked Rice in the top 10 among all pass-catchers from this past season. Those are superstar-level numbers that he is more than capable of putting up, especially if, after some roster and scheme tweaks, the Chiefs offense can return to its former glory.
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