What do we do with Rashee Rice this time next year?
 

Assumptions:

-The Chiefs pay Trey, McDuffie and Karlaftis big contracts as Veach has noted

-Rice continues where he left off and has a great season that is 1,200 yards and 10 TD’s as a baseline. Also factoring in a small suspension just to be conservative with the projection.

-He’s clearly a top 10 WR like he was becoming last year. He’s now eligible to get paid and wants an extension of at least $30 million APY which would make him a top 5 WR. He thinks this bc his numbers reflect that of a top 5 WR.

-Worthy continues being awesome. Royals, while not Rashee, looks promising. Not a WR1, but a solid WR2 or WR3.

-Chiefs draft a WR prospect every year in the first 4 rds regardless of what they with Rice

What are you doing if you are Veach? The way I see it we have 4 options:

1. Trade him, either this time next year or after year 4 when you place the franchise tag on him. Value would likely be a mid 2nd rd pick value IMO. Maybe a 2nd + a day 3 pick.
2. Let him finish his 4 years and let him walk for a 3rd rd comp pick the following year
3. Let him finish his 4 year deal, franchise tag him for a year, then let him walk for a 3rd rd comp pick the following year
4. Pay him his contract and trade him after 2 years into the contract in 2028 for a day 3 pick (like we just did with Joe Thuney) and we save money on the cap.

What are you doing if you’re Brett Veach?

Play 4 years, tag and trade.

We'd still have 1 more year under contract and then the tag. Why do you guys worry about this stuff so soon? Lol

If he puts 1200/10 on the board, He is gonna want a lot of cake
Probably too much

So much could change between then and now. Hard to say.

I hope we’re in a position to trade him, feel good about what’s left, and have him command a massive return.

#4

Need more information.

What are we getting from Worthy? What are we getting from Royals? Who is playing TE and how much are they contributing?

If one year from now we have Rice and nothing else then you probably have to pay him. If Worthy is also putting up 1200/ 10 and Royals is a big contributor and Wiley (or some other TE) is putting up big numbers then you probably trade Rice.

With his character history, no way I'd attach the team to a 30+ AAV contract for him unless it's low on guarantees. If Worthy ascends, that's the guy I'd rather end up giving a second contract. If Royals shows a lot of promise, I'd probably move Rice next off-season; otherwise, maybe hold off for a tag and trade the following year.

What’s the franchise tag gonna cost in a year? And how many games is he going to miss with his suspension? The franchise tag might cost to much considering the suspension. Maybe transition tag him? Or just let him walk? That’s a lot of money to tie up with the franchise tag for a player that’s going to miss some games.

Two seasons of control is an eternity, I'd just be expecting him to play out his rookie deal for now and then see what the situation is in 2 years time.

You've got 2 cheap years and a tag. So essentially what....3 years for 35 million max?

Do that, then tag and trade the next year?

Yeah -- this doesn't seem that hard.

If he plays the the level he WAS playing at last season, it could complicate things a little bit as it really would put him at an 'elite WR' tier in terms of expected pay but I still see him as a very good WR rather than an elite one.

But man, at some point we're gonna wanna pay SOMEBODY in the WR room as a throughput. And at that point he'll have a pretty solid baseline established. Probably best to just find an extension for him.

If not...aight. Play him out on the 4th year then tag/trade him.

He'd have pretty strong value.

He's a lot like Karlaftis in that he plays a valuable position at a really high level but doesn't have a broad set of explosive tools. That's gonna make him a guy who WILL get paid near the top of the market but perhaps shouldn't. So you see what you can manage, what he's willing to accept and if it's not enough, you move along.

Wait....$35 million TOTAL?

He'd have to have a CATASTROPHIC season to consider that. He'd play out his walk year before he took that deal.

That's in that range that says either A) There's no chance he'd accept it or B) There's no good reason for us to offer it.

I just can't see a world where a guy who's demonstrated the kind of growth curve he has would end up accepting a deal in that range.

Start with a 2 for your AAV. If you extend him, that's what it's going to cost. And that would be coming off a good, but not outstanding 2025.

WRs are ludicrously expensive these days.

I mean, with these next 2 years and a tag, we have him for 3 years and about 35 million.

Before we get into contract extensions.

I'm not tagging a WR these days.

Franchise figure when he's a FA is likely to be in excess of $25 million. Could be nearer $27 at the rate the market is headed.

I'd rather deal him off the tag than play him on it.