As the Kansas City Chiefs prepare to host the Las Vegas Raiders in their Week 7 AFC West matchup on GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, wide receiver Rashee Rice isn’t looking back.
After a knee injury kept him out of nearly all of last season’s games — and an NFL suspension kept him out of the first six of this season — the third-year wideout will make his 2025 debut against his team’s longtime rivals. Sunday’s game will mark his first action in more than a year
And Rice couldn’t be happier for the opportunity.
“This week is really big,” he told reporters on Friday. “It’s been a while since I got to play in a regular-season game with my guys, so I’m very excited to be out there and compete.”
Rice didn’t want to dwell on the suspension that kept him off the field, preferring to speak about how he stayed in shape during the opening weeks of the season: mimicking the grind of the team’s training camp in St. Joseph.
“I went down to Florida — where it’s hot — trying to keep myself in the heat similar to St. Joe,” he revealed. “Just training every day — Monday through Friday — and [doing] some type of workout on Sunday to have my mind ready to get active on game day.”
Before his injury last season, Rice had been poised for a breakout sophomore campaign, opening 2024 with 24 receptions for 288 receiving yards and two touchdowns. But in Week 4 game against the Los Angeles Chargers, he sustained a torn MCL and hamstring that required surgery.
Despite his long absence, Rice was able to easily get himself back in tune with the Kansas City offense.
“The playbook kind of comes naturally,” he observed. “I love learning and being able to be the best at what I do. The playbook isn’t what it was when I was a rookie, but there’s not too much new for me. It took about two days to get back in the flow of things, but it’s all back [to] natural again.”
While he missed playing, he especially regretted being unable to enjoy the camaraderie he’s helped build in the wide receiver room.
“These guys are my brothers,” explained Rice. “Not only am I going [to be] out here rocking the No. 4 — being able to ball out — I get to do it with people that enjoy doing the same thing I do as hard as we can do it against anybody in front of us. It doesn’t really matter [who]. We’ve got the same mindset regardless.”
That sense of unity has fueled the Chiefs’ receiver room this season — a group that’s rallied behind the motto “EGE,” an acronym for “Everybody’s Gotta Eat.” The phrase highlights the receiving corps’ depth and unselfish approach, with everyone capable of making a big play for the team. What started as a lighthearted comment from Rice has evolved into a shared mindset across the offense.
“I was doing a giveaway, giving out food and drinks,” he recalled with a smile, “so I made sure everybody ate that day. It just kind of translated to the field. Everybody’s balling out right now. Everybody’s eating, so everybody gotta eat always.”
Rice’s return adds another layer to a suddenly dynamic Chiefs offense that has quietly been establishing a rhythm behind Travis Kelce, Hollywood Brown and Xavier Worthy. As a team, Kansas City currently ranks eighth with 1,514 receiving yards — and now, after months of waiting, Rice will get his chance to contribute.
“I’ve been looking forward to this for like 380-something days since I played a regular-season game,” he said. “Besides the regular season, we still had a whole offseason before that where we were training super hard to get ready for that.
“It’s been a long time coming — and the time is finally here.”
