Insider: Two-Time All Pro ‘Best Equipped’ to Replace Chiefs WR Rashee Rice

After the Kansas City Chiefs‘ 17-10 win over the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 4, Chiefs insider Charles Goldman of A to Z Sports dished out some potential options to replace wideout Rashee Rice, who is feared to have suffered a torn ACL during Sunday’s victory. Among the options named by Goldman was free agent veteran Michael Thomas, who Goldman believes is “best equipped” to fill Rice’s offensive role.

“From a role standpoint, Thomas is probably the player who is best equipped to fill in for Rice,” Goldman wrote on September 29. “He had 39 receptions for 448 yards and a touchdown with the Saints a season ago. His 6-foot-3 and 215-pound size would be welcomed in Rice’s absence.”

What to Know About Michael Thomas

Thomas, 31, was a second-round pick — 47th overall — of the New Orleans Saints in 2016.

Early in his career, Thomas was a dominant force in New Orleans’ passing game with former Saints quarterback Drew Brees under center. Thomas started his NFL career with four straight 1,000-yard seasons and two All-Pro nods.

His best season to date was in 2019 when he set career-highs in targets (185), catches (149), and receiving yards (1,725), according to Pro Football Reference. He was named the Associated Press’s Offensive Player of the Year for his production that season.

Unfortunately, injuries have derailed Thomas’ football career. Since 2020, he has missed 46 regular season games, which includes missing the entirety of the 2021 season.

The 2023 season was the first season that Thomas managed to play in double-digit games since 2019. With Derek Carr as his QB, Thomas managed the 39-448-1 stat line that Goldman referenced in 10 regular season games played.

If the two-time defending Super Bowl champions were able to sign Thomas to a veteran minimum contract, he would be a serviceable option for Kansas City’s offense. But no player the Chiefs bring in will completely replace Rice’s production.

Rashee Rice Suffers Injury Due to Patrick Mahomes Hit

Rice suffered the knee injury late in the first quarter of the Chiefs’ Week 4 game against the division-rival Chargers. The injury occurred when quarterback Patrick Mahomes attempted to tackle Chargers cornerback Kristian Fulton — who intercepted Mahomes’s first-down pass intended for tight end Travis Kelce — and made contact with Rice’s left leg.

Rice was carted to the locker room after being evaluated by the training staff for a couple of minutes. Several minutes after he went to the locker room, Rice was ruled out for the remainder of the game.

“I mean, I feel terrible for Rashee,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said during his postgame press conference. “He’s been having a fantastic year and we’re hoping for the best on the report. But if he is out, then you know. But I thought, I thought Pat [Mahomes] stepped up and just said, ‘Hey, we’re going to roll.’ [Offensive Coordinator Matt] Nags [Nagy] was just constantly, like I was saying, going through there and just saying, ‘Hey, just hang with it and let’s go just do a good job.’ Just being positive with that in the best way they could.”

Mahomes also commented postgame on the play in which Rice got injured.

“I didn’t know exactly what happened because obviously, I was trying to make a tackle, but I know Rashee and how tough he is. So him being down like that, I knew it wasn’t good,” Mahomes explained. “All we do is pray that the X-rays and MRI’s and stuff like that are better than what it looked, but I mean next man up until he’s back.”