Kansas City is asking a lot from Rashee Rice in 2026. Considering what's riding on this season, I don't think that's unreasonable.
One of the more interesting questions surrounding the Kansas City Chiefs heading into the 2026 season is also one of the simplest:
What exactly are we going to get from Rashee Rice?
An article making the rounds this week asks whether the Chiefs can get Rice back to the production he showed during his rookie season — and perhaps even more.
I think that's exactly the right question.
But I'll take it one step further.
Getting the 2023 version of Rashee Rice back would certainly help the Chiefs.
I'm not sure it's enough.
Remember Just How Good Rice Was as a Rookie
It's easy to forget how promising Rice looked when everything started.
As a rookie in 2023, Rice caught 79 passes for 938 yards and seven touchdowns. Those 79 receptions and seven receiving touchdowns were Chiefs rookie records, and his 938 receiving yards were second-most by a rookie in franchise history.
Then he got even better during Kansas City's championship run.
Rice finished that postseason with 26 receptions for 262 yards, helping the Chiefs win Super Bowl LVIII.
This wasn't some receiver occasionally benefiting because Patrick Mahomes happened to throw the ball his direction.
Rice looked like he might actually become Mahomes' next legitimate No. 1 wide receiver.
And early in 2024, it looked like that transformation was already happening.
Before his season was derailed after four games, Rice had already caught 24 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns.
Over a full season, that pace would have produced some very impressive numbers.
Then everything changed.
Two Lost Years
The problem with evaluating Rashee Rice today is that we haven't really seen a normal Rashee Rice season since his rookie year.
He played only four games in 2024.
He played eight games in 2025, catching 53 passes for 571 yards and five touchdowns.
That's actually pretty good production when you consider the circumstances.
But injuries, suspension and off-field problems have turned what looked like the emergence of Kansas City's next star receiver into two years of wondering what might have been.
And that's why 2026 feels different.
There really aren't any more developmental seasons available.
Rice is 26 years old and entering the final year of his rookie contract.
It's time.
The Chiefs Have Basically Bet Their Passing Game on Him
This might be the biggest part of the story.
Kansas City didn't go out this offseason and acquire some established 1,200-yard receiver to rescue the offense.
Instead, the Chiefs are essentially betting that the receivers already in the building are better than what we saw last season.
That means Rashee Rice.
That means Xavier Worthy.
That means Tyquan Thornton.
And it means younger players like Cyrus Allen and Jalen Royals developing.
The Chiefs' current receiver room includes Rice, Worthy, Thornton, Allen, Royals and Nikko Remigio.
That's not exactly a group overflowing with proven NFL No. 1 receivers.
Rice is the closest thing they have.
And statistically, there's a legitimate reason for Kansas City to believe in him. Pro Football Focus noted that Rice has averaged 2.29 yards per route run for his career, and despite playing only eight games last season, he earned the highest receiving grade among Chiefs wide receivers.
When he's on the football field, Rice can play.
Availability has been the much bigger problem.
Here's Where I Think Rice Can Take the Next Step
There is something I'd like to see change about Rice's game this year.
He's already dangerous with the football in his hands.
Get him the ball quickly. Let him catch it underneath. Let him break tackles. Let him turn a six-yard completion into 18.
That's his bread and butter.
But I want more.
If Rashee Rice is really going to become Patrick Mahomes' No. 1 receiver, I'd like to see him become more than just one of the NFL's best yards-after-catch receivers.
I want to see him consistently beat man coverage.
I want to see him win farther down the field.
I want defenses lining up on third-and-8 knowing Mahomes wants Rice — and still being unable to stop it.
ESPN reported this offseason that Rice struggled at times last season with drops and creating separation against man coverage.
That's the next challenge.
Because if he adds that dimension to what he already does after the catch, we're no longer talking about Rice simply matching his rookie season.
We're talking about a legitimate 1,000-plus-yard No. 1 receiver.
Mahomes Needs That Guy
This is what makes the Rashee Rice story bigger than Rashee Rice.
The Chiefs need somebody to become that guy again.
We've spent years talking about Kansas City winning without an elite wide receiver because Patrick Mahomes can seemingly make almost anything work.
And for a while, he did.
But there comes a point where asking your quarterback to overcome every weakness on the roster stops being a strategy.
The Chiefs' offense wasn't good enough last season.
No Chiefs wide receiver reached 600 receiving yards in 2025.
Now Mahomes is coming back from the serious knee injury that ended his 2025 season, with Andy Reid saying this week that Mahomes is likely to start the opener against Denver barring a setback.
Maybe this isn't the season to ask Mahomes to perform magic every Sunday.
Give him weapons.
And Rashee Rice has the talent to be the biggest one.
My Take
I think Rashee Rice is going to have a big season.
Maybe I'm being overly optimistic, but we've already seen enough flashes to know the talent isn't imaginary.
79 catches. 938 yards. Seven touchdowns.
That was the rookie.
Then came 24 catches in four games in 2024.
Then 53 catches in only eight games last year.
There's a pretty obvious pattern hiding underneath all the chaos:
When Rashee Rice actually plays football, he produces.
The question has never really been whether he belongs in the NFL.
The question has been whether he can stay healthy, stay available and allow his football ability to finally become the main Rashee Rice storyline.
This season, there aren't many excuses left.
He's entering a contract year.
The Chiefs badly need a No. 1 receiver.
Patrick Mahomes needs dependable weapons.
And Rice should finally have the opportunity to play a complete season and prove exactly what he is.
So do the Chiefs need rookie-year Rashee Rice?
Absolutely.
But I'm setting the bar higher.
My prediction: 90+ receptions, 1,100+ yards and 8–10 touchdowns if Rice plays at least 15 games.
If that happens, the conversation at the end of the season won't be about whether Rashee Rice returned to rookie form.
It'll be about how much the Chiefs are willing to pay to keep Patrick Mahomes' No. 1 receiver in Kansas City.
And that's a conversation I'd be perfectly happy to have.
Go Chiefs.
Source: “Chiefs want rookie-year output from Rashee Rice, and then some. Can they get it?” — Wichita Eagle/Kansas City Star via Apple News.
