Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing successful LCL surgery on Tuesday, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
While his season was over, there was no structural damage or tears to his ACL, MCL or meniscus – which was the best-case scenario for him. Rice is expected to make a full recovery by the start of next season.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, an LCL injury like Rice’s requires a minimum of 8-12 weeks of recovery time. That would likely keep him sidelined until at least the end of the calendar year. Barring any setbacks in his recovery, Rice should be fully healthy for the start of next season based on that timeline.
Rice went down in the Chiefs’ win over the Los Angeles Chargers last month. Rice, after Patrick Mahomes threw an interception, was hit by Mahomes as the quarterback attempted to make a tackle going the other way. Mahomes hit Rice’s leg directly on the play, which bent back awkwardly and pushed him to the ground.
He was helped off the field and the Chiefs immediately knew the injury was significant. Head coach Andy Reid said during the game that “it’s not good”, although no diagnosis was made in the days that followed.
Rice was placed on injured reserve last week, keeping him out for at least four games. But now Rice’s season is over.
Rice finished the year with 288 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 24 catches. The 24-year-old, who was selected by the Chiefs in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of SMU, had 938 receiving yards and seven touchdowns during his rookie campaign last season. He is in the second year of his initial four-year, $6.4 million deal with the Chiefs this fall.
Despite the loss of Rice, the Chiefs are one of two remaining undefeated teams in the league after beating the New Orleans Saints on Monday night. They enter their bye week this week and then take on the San Francisco 49ers on October 20.
