Chiefs WR Rashee Rice Steals the Show at OTAs: ‘Further Along Than Expected’

Media were present at Kansas City Chiefs OTAs again on Wednesday, June 4, and wide receiver Rashee Rice was undoubtedly the star of the show as he officially made his public return from knee surgery.

To be clear, Rice has already practiced with the team, but the media were not in attendance for those sessions. Last week, when the media were invited to OTAs, the star playmaker was out sick with an illness. So, in a way, June 4 was Rice’s 2025 coming-out party.

And he didn’t disappoint.

“Rashee Rice’s first time out there for media,” KSHB 41’s Nick Jacobs relayed on X. Adding: “He is much further along than I expected in terms of cuts and explosiveness.”

Arrowhead Pride beat reporter Pete Sweeney also noted that Rice was “looking as advertised last week,” while sharing a video of the third-year wide receiver running through drills.

Similarly, KCTV 5’s Marleah Campbell shared a two-pronged clip of Rice at Chiefs OTAs, and in the second drill of the video, Rice actually does a full pivot toward the football using his legs and knees. Little details like that are very important as the former second-round pick recovers from knee surgery.

Chiefs Offensive Coordinator Matt Nagy Reiterates That Rashee Rice Already Looks Like 2024 Self

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes made headlines last week when he told reporters that Rice looks like his old self. Of course, at that point, we all had to take Mahomes’ word for it.

“Obviously, having the injury, it sucked, but [with it] happening so early in the season he was back right when the offseason started,” Mahomes relayed on May 29, regarding Rice.

“So, he was up here working hard, extremely hard, and he was back home working extremely hard,” the Chiefs QB continued. Revealing that he threw with Rice a bit in Dallas over the offseason.

“Getting him back out here, there’s no limitations,” Mahomes concluded at the time. “[Rice is] out there playing, he’s making plays on the football field, he’s explosive, he looks fast, and you saw the start of last season, I think he can be one of the best wide receivers in the league.”

Fast forward to Wednesday, June 4, and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy seconded a lot of what Mahomes told the media while speaking with reporters after practice.

“Yeah, he’s looked good,” Nagy said of Rice. “He’s come back strong. He’s been working hard to get to this point.”

Like Mahomes, Nagy then voiced that the current Rice “reminds” him of 2024 Rice “going into this part of the year.”

“When these guys start learning, like even with Xavier [Worthy] right now, you can tell [they] know where they’re going [within the offense],” Nagy explained. “So, yeah, those guys are looking sharp.”

If Rice can immediately step back into his old role as the new linchpin of this KC offense in 2025 — succeeding an aging Travis Kelce — it opens up the entire field for Mahomes. And that’s a scary thought with speedsters like Worthy and Hollywood Brown ready to make teams pay.

Chiefs Had 9 Absences at OTAs on Wednesday, With 2 Returnees From Last Week’s Media Practice

Per Sweeney, there were nine Chiefs players who were not present at OTAs on June 4.

Those players were “running backs Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt, wide receivers Hollywood Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster, tight ends Travis Kelce and Tre Watson, offensive linemen Ethan Driskell and Trey Smith and defensive tackle Chris Jones.”

Although these sessions are voluntary, Smith’s absence has been more notable than most because he’s currently negotiating a contract extension. It’ll be interesting to see if the starting right guard shows up at mandatory minicamp.

On the flip side, Rice and right tackle Jawaan Taylor were reportedly back at practice after missing last week’s media-friendly session.