The dark cloud over Chiefs Kingdom has a ray of sunshine peaking through thanks to surprise new comments from Patrick Mahomes about Rashee Rice’s knee injury.

According to Matt Derrick of Chiefs Digest, Mahomes held an interview session with local reporters on Wednesday and expressed optimism that Rice would be back before the season’s end.

Coupled with Rice’s cryptic Instagram post and the timeline of his testing, it’s possible that the star second-year wideout could in fact return before the end of the season and be ready for a deep playoff run.

Patrick Mahomes Shares Optimistic Rashee Rice Injury Comments

The last few days have been filled with concern and trade rumors about potential replacements for the 2023 second-round pick. Suddenly, it’s possible Rice’s injury wasn’t as catastrophic as initially reported.

Andy Reid confirmed Rice will miss Week 5 against the Saints, but Mahomes reportedly said “hopefully we’ll have him back soon.” Since Kansas City’s bye is in Week 6, the team will have a couple of weeks to evaluate things before making a decision.

“I think the best thing about coach Reid is he’s done it with a lot of guys before, and so I have the trust that he’s going to be able to get that production back,” Mahomes said. “Then hopefully we get Rashee back as time goes on, and maybe even Hollywood, we can just keep adding to the offense.”

If Rice isn’t out for the season, a trade may not be necessary. The Chiefs have a difficult road matchup against the 49ers in Week 7 before taking on the Raiders, Buccaneers, and Broncos. It’s not an easy schedule, though certainly not as difficult as the gauntlet Kansas City already faced.

This team could hold steady pending on Rice’s theoretical return. They’re the only undefeated team in the AFC. If Rice misses, for example, just two months, is it worth it to forfeit draft capital to acquire a receiver?

There are a lot of questions looming about the injury, especially given the offense is already without Isiah Pacheco and Hollywood Brown. For now, don’t expect the organization to make any rash decisions. We’ll soon have more information but with each passing day, optimism continues to grow.