'I didn't realize how bad it was until the MRI' – Chiefs WR Rashee Rice opens up about knee injury, rehab, and 2025 comeback
The Kansas City Chiefs' 2024 NFL season ended in a fizzle in Super Bowl LIX against the Philadelphia Eagles. The team clearly felt the absence of emergent second-year wide receiver Rashee Rice in the game. Rice was well on his way to WR1 status in the offense when he suffered a devastating knee injury in Week […]
The Kansas City Chiefs' 2024 NFL season ended in a fizzle in Super Bowl LIX against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The team clearly felt the absence of emergent second-year wide receiver Rashee Rice in the game. Rice was well on his way to WR1 status in the offense when he suffered a devastating knee injury in Week 4 against the Los Angeles Chargers after colliding with quarterback Patrick Mahomes following an interception. He had already recorded two 100-yard receiving games before the injury and was looking to outdo his 2023 performance as a rookie. Yet, his season ended far too soon due to an LCL tear and the accompanying reconstructive surgery.
With the 2025 NFL offseason upon us and a focus on the future, there are big questions surrounding Rice's injury and return. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told reporters ahead of Super Bowl LIX that Rice was "doing well" and "healing up good."
In a recent interview with muscleandfitness.com's Jeff Tomko, Rice discussed his knee injury, recovery, and future goals. This was Rice's first significant knee injury during his career, and when it happened, the severity took him by surprise.
“I didn’t realize how bad it was until the MRI,” Rice said. “I always see myself as tough—just as tough as any wide receiver can be. When it happened, I figured I was just banged up and would sit out for a play or two. But the pain hit me when I started walking. I thought I could shake it off, but this time, I couldn’t get back out there.”
In his sophomore NFL campaign, Rice was tracking for over 1,200 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. He told Tomko that he found himself looking at the leaderboards, wondering about what could have been.
“I admit, I compared myself to them sometimes," Rice said. "But ultimately, all I wanted to do was play football. I didn’t dwell on the injury; I focused on getting better.”
Chiefs WR Rashee Rice provides an update on his knee injury and rehab
Chiefs fans will be happy to hear that Rice's rehab and recovery are going as well as one could have hoped. He echoed Chiefs HC Andy Reid's comments ahead of the Super Bowl.
“The knee is doing great,” Rice said. “I’ve focused on mobility and balancing, incorporating kettlebells and lighter weights for squats. I didn’t even realize that I was enhancing my range of motion.”
A big part of Rice's current rehab is Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) training, which Tomko describes as "an approach that restricts blood flow to muscle groups during exercise." BFR is helping Rice strengthen his knee further and increase his range of motion.
“I’m doing a lot more reps and getting the same amount of work that I would be getting if I was basically lifting heavy, heavy weight,” Rice said. “But instead it’s basically just getting a burn and building that muscle.”
As Rice is in rehab, his motivation remains simple: To get back and win another Super Bowl.
His teammates fell short of that goal in Super Bowl LIX against Philly, but that won't stop them from pursuing those goals again when Rice returns to the field in 2025.
“I have guys around me who constantly remind me that I’m a great player, even if I’m not on the field right now,” Rice said. “The relationships I have with them say a lot about our character on and off the field, and I know I’m doing my job.”