Veteran Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes arrived at OTAs with a new look. And he doesn’t think Travis Kelce is almost finished in the NFL. Furthermore, Mahomes named a wide receiver who can be among the NFL’s best.

Mahomes tabbed Rashee Rice as a star in the making, according to nbcsports.com.

“He’s out there playing, he’s making plays on the football field,” Mahomes said. “He’s explosive; he looks fast. You saw the start of last season. I think he can be one of the best receivers in the league.”

Chiefs WR Rashee Rice trying to overcome adversity

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice (4) leaves the field following the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Rice not only had his 2024 season cut short from a season-ending knee injury, but he also still has off-field woes hanging over his head, according to draftsharks.com.

“Defense Attorney and FootballGuys writer Drew Davenport believes there's a ‘better than even chance' that Chiefs WR Rashee Rice will not be suspended in 2025 for his role in a street-racing crash a little over a year ago,” Jared Smola wrote. “Davenport points out that Rice's case has not been indicted yet, so the legal process might not be wrapped up until after the coming season.”

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Davenport said there is “no evidence that a case has even been indicted yet.” He added, “Even if the case were to get indicted tomorrow, it's a complicated case that will take time to unravel. (This is) particularly (true) if the case proceeds to trial. Multiple high-level felonies could mean we are talking 2026 offseason before this case gets anywhere.”

Mahomes focused on what his receivers can bring to offense

So that leaves Mahomes to talk about what Rice can do on the field. Overall, Mahomes said he’s excited about what the Chiefs have in 2025, according to the Kansas City Chiefs YouTube page via Sports Illustrated.

“Getting the guys back healthy as far as Rashee (Rice) and Hollywood (Brown) fully healthy,” Mahomes said. “Xavier (Worthy) in year two. I think the offense has a chance to be really, really good. I’m excited to have these guys again. We've had a lot of turnovers in the receiving room, and it seems like the core group will be back in its entirety.

“Expectations are high (for Rice). I mean, he looks really good, he's running routes, he's catching the football. When we get back into the actual OTA's (we'll see) how much he'll be able to do. But he's been able to do everything here as far as running routes and everything like that.”