This isn’t how the Kansas City Chiefs planned to kick off their season-not after the heartbreak of Super Bowl LIX. But even before training camp begins, the team is facing two major setbacks: one on the field and one on the schedule. And Travis Kelce may be the one who pays the price for both.
On Thursday, July 17, wide receiver Rashee Rice pleaded guilty to two felony charges related to a March 2020 car collision on a Dallas highway. In addition to five years of probation and a 30-day jail sentence, analysts predict the NFL will suspend him for at least three games.
Regardless of the suspension’s length, Rice will miss the Chiefs’ toughest stretch of the season, with games against the Chargers, Eagles, Ravens, and Lions in the first month. This will be a harsh test for the team-and it’s already unraveling head coach Andy Reid’s plan for Travis Kelce.
The setback for Kelce and Reid
This isn’t the first time the team has had to pivot midseason. Last year, injuries to several receivers forced the front office into emergency signings. While the new additions struggled to learn the system, Patrick Mahomes leaned on his most trusted weapon: Travis Kelce.
Normally, that wouldn’t be a problem-but analysts say Kelce is beginning to show his age. Nearing 36, the star tight end is coming off his worst season yet.
Insiders say Reid intended to gradually ease Kelce’s load, turning him into more of a situational receiver while elevating younger talents like Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and Rice. But Rice’s absence has thrown that plan off course.
Just Mahomes and two others
Brown, too, enters the 2025 NFL season with questions surrounding his prime. Analysts have tempered expectations for the fourth-year receiver. As Ryan Clark said on ESPN’s NFL Live:
“Whether Hollywood Brown is available or unavailable, all of a sudden, this team is still going 15 [Mahomes’ number] and two others.”
He elaborated:
“No matter who’s on the field, it revolves around Travis Kelce. It revolves around Patrick Mahomes. And when they nod to it, the running game.”
So, the plan to take pressure off Kelce will have to wait. The veteran tight end may not complain-but with one of the toughest schedules in the league, the Chiefs can’t afford to stray from the playbook, even when it means riding their aging star yet again.
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