Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice was sentenced to five years of probation and 30 days of jail time on Thursday for his involvement in a high-speed crash on a Dallas freeway during the 2024 offseason. Rice can serve the jail time at any point during the five years of probation, meaning he won't have to miss any time in the NFL season due to that. However, the sentencing, as noted by ESPN insider Adam Schefter, now means that the league can move quicker to hand out a "multi-game suspension".
ESPN sources: A Dallas County judge just sentenced Chiefs WR Rashee Rice to five years probation and 30 days of jail time that can be served during those five years stemming for his role in a multi-car crash in Dallas during the 2024 offseason.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 17, 2025
Now that the judge has ruled, the… pic.twitter.com/MKGytL6Lzk
Andy Reid and the Chiefs, as well as fans, have known that a suspension was likely coming at some point, but a long delay in the sentencing has put the team and Rice in limbo for quite a while. Now that there's clarity, there's a good chance that we see Rice suspended for some portion of the 2025 season, though when that punishment comes down is yet to be determined.
But one thing that's for sure as training camp is just days away is that the Chiefs will now have to prepare the likes of rookie Jalen Royals and second-year speedster Xavier Worthy for the time without Rice.
Chiefs training camp plans shaken up by Rashee Rice sentencing
Royals, who was the Chiefs' fourth-round selection in this year's draft, was already entering the season with some level of expectations to at least be the fourth wide receiver in the mix behind Rice, Worthy and Marquise Brown. While we don't know when the Rice suspension will take place, though, we do know it's going to happen, which should alter Kansas City's upcoming training camp plans, specifically for Royals and similarly with Worthy as well.
For the rookie pass-catcher, despite being a Day 3 pick, I've been of the belief that he can contribute sooner rather than later. More importantly, he's also been compared favorably to Rice in his ability to craftily create space with route-running, even if he's not a physical or athletic freak. If there was still uncertainty or it looked as if Rice wouldn't be suspended this year, Royals could've eased into taking that type of role on. Now, however, the Chiefs will certainly have to work on more intensive packages wherein Royals plays a much bigger role in the offense that initially expected, ostensibly working him into the Rice role with Patrick Mahomes' offense.
As for Worthy, his role can't be forgotten now either, but will also require more work in camp. While he was impressive in his rookie campaign for the Chiefs, the concerns about his slight frame and working in the middle of the field coming into the 2024 draft turned out to be somewhat warranted. He could help ease the burden on Royals whenever Rice is suspended by becoming a more well-rounded receiver with more versatility in his route tree and the areas of the field where he's a threat.
It's going to be a tricky balance for the Chiefs. Rice isn't going to miss the entire season, or at least that's the likely outcome. That means Kansas City will have to work in training camp on the offense with their No. 1 target. Yet, for a team with perennial Super Bowl aspirations (and with Reid at the helm), the need to plan for Rice's suspension is also paramount. That means giving Royals and Worthy more type of work in camp than they might've otherwise been getting.