The Kansas City Chiefs are in trouble. Top WR Rashee Rice is currently serving a 30-day jail sentence for violating the terms of his parole in Texas after testing positive for THC. This means Rice will miss all of OTAs and mandatory minicamp as a result, and he also recently had a cleanup procedure on his knee that will sideline him for about two months.
This isn’t the first time the Chiefs have been burned by Rice. He was serving parole for his role in a multi-car crash back in 2024, and those 30 days in jail were part of his sentence. The parole violation just moved up the timeline, and he already served an NFL suspension for the to begin the 2025 season. Rice was also involved in a domestic dispute earlier this year and had assault charges against him for punching a photographer.
For their part, Kansas City has continued to stand by Rice and espouses their belief in his ability to be a top receiver in this league. But as they say, the best ability is availability, and Rice’s continual off-field incidents have jeopardized his ability to be on the field for the Chiefs. As a result, one insider posits a potential blockbuster trade for the Chiefs could be in the cards.
Albert Beer on the Kansas City Chiefs Trading for Eagles WR A.J. Brown
GettyLANDOVER, MARYLAND – DECEMBER 20: A.J. Brown #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles runs after the catch against the Washington Commanders in the first quarter at Northwest Stadium on December 20, 2025 in Landover, Maryland. Could the Chiefs trade for him? (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer spoke on his podcast about what the Chiefs can do following the latest Rice news.
“Rashee Rice is someone that [the Chiefs] are relying on,” Breer said on Wednesday. “They didn’t spend a high draft pick on a receiver, they didn’t spend a lot of capital in the offseason on the position. They were relying on Rashee Rice, once again, to be their No. 1 receiver — just like they were last year, when he had the suspension at the beginning of the year.”
“This, clearly, is a player they have not been able to count on since drafting him a few years ago,” Breer continued. “They’ve felt all along like has the potential to be a top 10 receiver in the NFL, and he has not become that, mostly because of the stuff off the field. This is another brick in that wall, and of course, this is going to raise questions about how comfortable you feel going forward with him after this year — those big picture questions.”
“And of course, the smaller picture questions of what do the Chiefs do at receiver now? Do they go back, do they circle back and maybe look at the idea of trading for A.J. Brown? I don’t think that happens. They had that opportunity, they were on A.J. Brown’s list, they said no to the Eagles in the first place. But I think if you’re the Chiefs, you have to look at all of these things going forward because Rashee Rice clearly looks like somebody that you have not been able to rely on.”
What Would a Chiefs Trade for A.J. Brown Look Like?
As Breer said, the Chiefs were one of the early teams connected to Brown. They had an extra first-round pick in the 2026 draft following the Trent McDuffie trade, and one of those picks could have been used to acquire Brown.
Kansas City doesn’t have the draft ammunition they once did, and the Patriots are the presumed leaders in the clubhouse as far as a trade for Brown goes. If the Chiefs are serious about trading for him, they’ll need to outbid the Patriots, which could be difficult.
Insider Links Chiefs to A.J. Brown Trade Following Rashee Rice News