Rapoport: Rice not expected to be suspended again

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NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports Rashee Rice is not expected to be suspended for violating his probation. Andy Reid also echoed this sentiment earlier in the offseason. As Rapoport points out, Rice was already suspended for his involvement in a hit-and-run car crash in 2024. He violated his probation this year and spent 30 days in jail, but it doesn’t sound like the league plans to punish him any further. Rice is also recovering from offseason knee surgery and has received mixed reviews over the first two weeks of training camp. For fantasy purposes, as long as Rice can soak up check-downs, the PPR points will flow.

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The Chiefs are doing the same thing with CB L’Jarius Sneed. There is nothing to be worried about here. Chiefs coach Andy Reid said the team is “just building them up,” which will “take a little bit of time.” Rice is still working on conditioning at this point, but once his cardio is good to go, we should see him practicing fully. He was cleared to practice on July 24th after undergoing an offseason clean-up procedure on his knee. Rice is a WR2 with WR1 upside.

It appears as though Rice’s 30-day jail stay did not negatively impact his recovery from the cleanup procedure he underwent in May. The 26-year-old wide receiver is immensely talented, yet off-field concerns have kept the Chiefs’ front office from signing him to an extension this offseason. If he can stay healthy and focused this summer and turn in a highly productive season, he could end up earning a substantial payday in Kansas City or in free agency next offseason.

Chiefs veterans report for training camp on July 28th. Reid gave a meandering response when asked about the team’s discussions with the league regarding Rice’s latest off-field issues.

Rice is currently serving a 30-day jail sentence for violating his probation. Per Reid, the team spoke with the league, and “as far as any further ado to that, there’s been no talk about anything further.” Reid said only, “don’t know,” when reporters tried to clarify whether Rice might be suspended. The Chiefs are evidently “moving forward, just normal as we go here.” Drawing a firm conclusion from this is difficult, but we suppose that the fact that the league did not bring up a possible suspension when speaking with the team is a positive sign.

This doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Despite a productive 156-1,797-14 line in 28 career games, recurring legal issues have caught up to Rice here. The former second-round pick is entering the final year of his rookie contract and would ordinarily be in line for an extension here, but Rice, who was recently sentenced to 30 days in jail for violating his probation, will need to wait on that. Rice will miss OTAs and mandatory minicamp as a result of his prison stint, and will need to impress both on and off the field this upcoming season if he hopes to secure a long-term extension next offseason. He caught 53 passes for 571 yards and five touchdowns in eight games last season and has averaged 64.2 receiving yards per game in his career to go with 7.5 targets per game. Assuming he’s good to go for the start of this season, Rice will profile as a fringe WR1/WR2 with tons of upside. This of course has to do with Rashee Rice failing a drug test and undergoing another knee procedure and missing up to two months.

Rice this week violated his probation by testing positive for THC and will serve 30 days in jail. He’s slated to be out of jail by the middle of June. This is just the latest in a long time of off-the-field issues that have kept Rice away from the team. There’s also the matter of Rice’s health, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports Tuesday that the KC wideout will be sidelined for upwards of two months after undergoing a clean-up procedure on his right knee.

The Chiefs, Breer said, believed Rice can be a top-10 NFL receiver when healthy, but are skeptical as to whether they can trust Rice to stay out of legal trouble and stay healthy. Rice’s legal woes and injury history could force Kansas City to reconsider an offer for Brown, who is widely expected to be dealt by the Eagles after June 1. The Patriots and Jaguars have also been mentioned as potential suitors for Brown. “I don’t believe that happens,” Breer said of Brown landing in Kansas City.

“But I think if you’re the Chiefs you have to take a look at all of these things going forward.”

Rice’s off-the-field issues once again will coincide with a knee issue. Schefter reports Rice underwent a clean-up procedure to remove “loose debris” in his right knee one week prior to being ordered to serve 30 days in jail due to violating probation. The 26-year-old is expected to be sidelined two months due to the procedure. He will miss much of the Chiefs offseason program but would be ready to return for training camp, as long as legal issues do not keep him off the field.

The Chiefs have a sparse receiving room behind Rice and would have Xavier Worthy and Tyquan Thornton as their top two wide receivers without Rice. Pending Rice’s recovery, the Chiefs may look to add a pass-catcher or two for depth heading into training camp. Rice reportedly tested positive for marijuana, released in court documents dated Tuesday, 19 May. The court order states that the defendant (Rice) was placed in custody Tuesday and has been ordered to serve 30 days in jail, to end 16 June. That places Rice in line to miss organized team activities and mandatory minicamp. The presence of a controlled substance in his system was a violation of the probation stemming from third degree felony charges levied last July in connection with highway racing that led to bodily harm.

This comes a month after the league ruled that there would be no further adjudication resultant from the incident. That could change given recent happenings. Stay tuned, sports fans. Xavier Worthy would be the player to benefit most in a fantasy setting should Rice face additional league discipline. Playing in the final season of his rookie deal, Rice’s future hangs in the balance after yet another offseason transgression. Rice is entering the final year of his rookie contract.

Newell notes that the Chiefs “love [Rice] on the field even if he’s been unreliable off of it.” Star players often receive extensions even if off-field concerns are present, but Rice reportedly “needs to prove he can go a calendar year without ending up in negative offseason headlines.” Newell believes that if Rice can stay in headlines, purely due to his on-field performance, “it’s at least possible” that the Chiefs will talk themselves into an extension. Rice is the Chiefs’ clear-cut WR1 and can be treated accordingly in fantasy, as long as he shows up as his best self this summer and season. Doing so could earn him a lucrative, multi-year extension with the team that drafted him in the second round in 2023. In a lawsuit from February, Rice was accused of “violent and abusive behaviors” filed by the mother of two of his children and former girlfriend, Dacoda Jones.

The NFL’s investigation into the matter “is now closed.” Given the nature of Jones’ accusations, Rice was at risk of being suspended this season. With today’s ruling from the league, that is no longer the case. Rice can be expected to once again operate as the Chiefs’ No.

1 pass catcher. His ADP should begin ticking up from its current high-end WR2 range. Dacoda Jones this week reportedly filed a lawsuit accusing Rice of “choking, strangling, scratching, hitting, and headbutting” Jones over a 19-month period.

The lawsuit also says Rice broke furniture and punched holes in walls during arguments with Jones. Much of the violent behavior occurred while Jones was pregnant, according to the lawsuit. Rice’s alleged violence caused “bleeding, swelling, bruising, and other pain and physical injury to her neck, face, mouth, arms, legs, chest, and shoulder,” according to the lawsuit. Jones had previously accused Rice of abusive behavior in social media posts. This is Rice’s most recent run-in with the law after he fled the scene of a major automobile accident last offseason and was suspended by the NFL for the first six games of the regular season. Rotoworld

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When asked about his future with the Vikings, QB J.J. McCarthy said, “this is the place I want to be.”

With the Vikings naming Kyler Murray as the starter, McCarthy’s future in Minnesota is in question.

The 23-year-old is entering his third season and still has plenty to work on, though losing the Week 1 starting job indicates his chances to start for the Vikings again are dwindling. When asked about his future, McCarthy stated he wants to be in Minnesota and will “continue to just do whatever [he] can for this team and this organization.” The room for error for young quarterbacks is thin in the NFL and though he is saying the right things to the media, McCarthy is a former first-rounder that may want to move on, should he have no future as a starter with the Vikings. He will start the season as the backup while the Vikings evaluate their quarterback room throughout the season; it wouldn’t be a surprise to see McCarthy depart Minnesota between now and this time next year. CLE

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ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports Deshaun Watson will start the Browns’ preseason opener against the Bears. Per Schefter, Todd Monken informed the quarterbacks this afternoon that Watson will get the first preseason start and Shedeur Sanders will draw the second. He will face Buffalo. We don’t want to read too much into the order of the starts, but it’s at least somewhat notable that Watson is first in line.

The next two preseason games will likely determine Cleveland’s Week 1 starter. Neither option will do the Browns’ pass-catchers any favors for fantasy purposes. SF

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49ers signed CB Eli Apple. The 49ers cut Apple a week ago but are bringing him back a day before their preseason opener. He will be a depth option for the team versus the Titans on Thursday. NE

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Patriots signed Hassan Haskins, formerly of the Chargers. Haskins appeared in a dozen games for the Chargers last year.

He only saw 17 carries, which he turned into 45 yards, but did tally over 150 special teams snaps. That could ultimately be his path to a roster spot in New England. SF

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49ers signed Zamir White, formerly of the Raiders.

White only appeared in six games for the Raiders last year. He logged a dozen carries for 32 yards.

With Kaelon Black, Jordan James, Isaac Guerendo, and Christian McCaffrey all banged up, the 49ers desperately need another warm body as they head into their first preseason contest. White could even see some run versus the Titans tomorrow, though he is still a long-shot to make the 53-man roster at the end of camp. ATL

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Michael Penix said his doctor told him he has “an amazing ACL” and he should “never have any more knee problems for the rest of your career.”

This is not parody, somehow. Penix infamously tore his right ACL twice while in college and then suffered a partial tear in his left ACL last year.

The totally real doctor was presumably referring to his left knee. Penix, who hasn’t participated in team drills during training camp, later added that the only thing he can’t do in practice right now is take a hit. Last we checked, that is a major part of the game of football. Meanwhile, Tua Tagovailoa is slated to start the team’s preseason opener versus Denver later this week. Penix doesn’t seem to have much of a shot at being the Week 1 starter given his slow recovery, but the leash on Tua will be short.

Penix remains the favorite to start more games this year, though only by a narrow margin. KC

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NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports Emeka Egbuka suffered a toe injury during Wednesday’s practice that is “considered minor.”

As Garafolo notes, Bucky Irving said after practice that he thought Egbuka was okay, so this news shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Still, it’s good to have that comment confirmed so quickly. For now, expect Egbuka to miss some time in practice while recovering from the issue.

That will free up routes for rookie Tedd Hurst, who has already made a good impression at training camp. Fantasy managers can keep drafting Egbuka as a high-ceiling WR2 until further notice. NYJ

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ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports the Jets are looking for “a sizable jump” from Adonai Mitchell.

Mitchell was a headcase in Indianapolis but got with the program after being traded to New York last year. He closed the season with 301 yards in eight games as a Jet. The team heaped praise on Mitchell throughout the offseason and he has seemingly ridden that momentum into camp. Mitchell’s spike games will be hard to pin down, but he should at least provide Best Ball drafters with some usable weeks. ATL

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Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski said Tua Tagovailoa will start in the Falcons’ preseason opener against the Broncos.

Stefanski said the starters will get a series or about 10 plays, depending on what happens first. He declined to name a Week 1 starter. Michael Penix has not participated in team drills yet and Stefanski confirmed that he would not do so in joint practices with the Colts next week. The lack of practice reps likely means Penix is slated for backup duties to open the year, even if Stefanski isn’t willing to make that call just yet.