Chiefs' Rashee Rice pacing to be best rookie receiver of Andy Reid era

Kansas City Chiefs WR Rashee Rice is pacing to be the best rookie receiver that this franchise has seen in a long, long time. His performance against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 12 thrust him into some rare territory. Not only are his season-long stats approaching key milestones, but his Week 12 performance was […]

Charles Goldman — NFL Managing Editor

Nov 27, 2023 1:27 PM EST

Kansas City Chiefs WR Rashee Rice is pacing to be the best rookie receiver that this franchise has seen in a long, long time.

His performance against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 12 thrust him into some rare territory. Not only are his season-long stats approaching key milestones, but his Week 12 performance was the best by a rookie in over 15 years.

Before we know it, we'll be talking about Rice as the best rookie receiver since Andy Reid took over as head coach in 2013. Over the next six weeks, the SMU product will have an opportunity to claim his place as one of the best rookie receivers in franchise history.

First 100-yard rookie receiver since Dwayne Bowe

Rice notched eight receptions for 107 yards and a touchdown against the Raiders in Week 12. He became the first Chiefs rookie to exceed 100 receiving yards since Dwayne Bowe last did in the 2007 NFL season. Bowe had 164 receiving yards in Week 4 and 105 yards in Week 9 of that season.

The rookie second-round draft pick also became the first 100-yard receiver for Kansas City since Week 7 of the 2022 NFL season (not including TE Travis Kelce).

With six weeks to go, another 100-yard receiving performance would make him the first receiver since Bowe to have two 100-yard receiving games as a rookie.

Rashee Rice is on pace for history

Through 11 games in the 2023 NFL season, Rice has amassed 44 receptions for 527 yards and five touchdowns. With six games remaining, Rice is on pace to have the best rookie season by a receiver during Andy Reid's tenure in Kansas City. Here's a reminder of some full-season totals:

Tyreek Hill: 61 receptions for 593 yards and six touchdowns
Mecole Hardman: 28 receptions for 538 yards and six touchdowns
Skyy Moore: 22 receptions for 250 yards

Hill and Hardman did their numbers in one fewer game, but we're only at Week 12 and 11 games played. With a good game against the Green Bay Packers in Week 13, Rice could already see himself ahead of both Hardman and Hill.

Rice even has a chance to set a few franchise records by a rookie receiver if he builds upon his Week 12 performance.

Which records can Rice break?

Dwayne Bowe had 995 yards as a rookie in 2007, the franchise record for the most receiving yards in a single season. Rice needs just 469 total yards (an average of 78.1 yards per game) in order to get the record.

Bowe also holds the franchise record for receptions with 70 catches in 2007. Rice needs to average 4.3 catches per game in order to match Bowe's record. He's averaged four catches per game throughout the 2023 NFL season so far.

Marc Boerigter (2002) holds the rookie record for receiving touchdowns with eight. Rice needs three more touchdowns to match that record and four more to claim the record for his own.