Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes speaks Honest about Young WR ‘Going to be a Lot Better This Year’

There has been no rookie receiver during the Patrick Mahomes era that has produced exceptionally like Kansas City Chiefs wideout Rashee Rice did during the 2023 season. The scariest part about that for the rest of the NFL is that Mahomes expects a much-improved version of Rice in year two.

I think he’s going to be a lot better this year, honestly,” Mahomes said during his postgame press conference on August 17. “Just the way he’s able to run routes, it was coming along at the end of last year, but he worked on it this whole offseason and he’s in great shape, he’s coming in, he’s running great routes.

I mean, even one of the plays I looked to the left and it wasn’t covered and he was kind of the back-side, and he won against a guy [in] man-to-man coverage, caught the ball and makes the positive play, and those are the little things that I think he’s going to continue to get better and better at.”

A 1,000-yard wide receiver in 2024, Rashee Rice? According to Pro Football Reference, Rice caught 79 receptions for 938 yards and 7 touchdowns in 16 regular season games during his rookie campaign, despite being targeted 102 times. In four postseason games, he also caught 26 receptions on 33 targets for 262 yards and one touchdown. The box score makes it clear that Mahomes leaned on Rice a lot more in the second half of the 2023 season, which makes fair given that Rice’s QB performance and playbook familiarity both increased during the course of the season. It is therefore not shocking that in Week 2 of the preseason, Mahomes targeted Rice more than any other pass-catcher.

With Mahomes under center, Rice caught four of five targets for 35 yards against Detroit. The connection between Rice and Mahomes has strengthened after spending a complete season and offseason together. This should help the Chiefs offense, which struggled mightily in the previous year, become more consistent.

Mahomes stated, “[Rice] could always work in space, catch the ball, run, and [be] explosive, which is super important,” at his postgame press conference on August 17. “I believe he’s improving steadily in winning one-on-one and using routes, and I think that will help him take his game to the next level.”

It is improbable that the NFL will rule on Rice’s role in an off-season multi-car collision before the start of the regular season. Therefore, Rice should be available when the team plays its NFL regular season opener on Thursday, September 5, against the Baltimore Ravens.