Rashee Rice Files for Bankruptcy Citing $3.45M in Debts as Contract Year Continues

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice filed for federal bankruptcy protection this week, saying he owes more than $3.45 million, ESPN reported Thursday, Nov. 5, citing court records. The filing lands in the final year of his rookie deal — the same contract questions that have followed him through a turbulent stretch of injuries, legal trouble and uncertain long-term plans in Kansas City.

Rice filed in the Northern District of Texas. He is seeking Chapter 7 relief, which the filing itself describes as a path for people who cannot pay their debts and are willing to let non-exempt property help repay creditors, ESPN said.

What does the bankruptcy filing say?

According to ESPN’s review of the documents:

• Rice claims more than $3.45 million in debts
• More than $2.1 million of that total is tied to plaintiffs in civil cases stemming from a high-speed multicar crash in Dallas in 2024, plus other litigation
• He lists about $677,054 in personal assets, including $421,825 in “deferred compensation”
• Checking accounts are listed at $13,640; he says he rents and does not own property
• He claimed $39,241 of his personal assets as nonexempt
• His largest listed creditor is still owed $979,837 from a 2025 civil settlement tied to the crash
• He is disputing other potential debts, including a combined $700,000 from crash-related lawsuits and $200,000 tied to an alleged assault suit filed by an ex-girlfriend
• He used his Super Bowl LVIII ring, valued in the filing at $160,000, as collateral with attorney Thomas McMurray

ESPN reported that Rice’s bankruptcy attorney, David Shuster, and the Chiefs had no comment. McMurray did not immediately respond.

NBC Sports’ Mike Florio, citing ESPN, noted that about $2.1 million of the debt is linked to multiple plaintiffs from the early-2024 street-racing crash, and that Rice is still in the final year of a four-year, $6.45 million rookie contract with free agency ahead in March.

Where does that leave his Chiefs contract?

Rice’s on-field future and his paycheck are tightly linked to this story. ESPN said he is expected to make a $1,560,711 base salary in 2026 and, through five games this season, had 20 catches for 243 yards and two touchdowns.

Earlier in the year, Pro Football Rumors reported — citing ESPN’s Adam Schefter — that Kansas City did not have a Rice extension on the horizon after off-field issues and injury downtime complicated his path to a second Chiefs deal. That May reporting framed 2026 as a prove-it season before unrestricted free agency in 2027.

Taken together, the bankruptcy news and the unresolved extension picture explain why “contract” questions surged alongside his name: Rice is playing for his next deal while trying to clear a large pile of civil liabilities on a still-modest rookie salary.

How did we get here?

Rice’s legal troubles have stacked up since the 2024 Dallas crash. ESPN said he has been sued by multiple people over that incident and faced a separate civil allegation of repeated assault from 2023 to 2025. Chapter 7 would, if granted as sought, aim to discharge some debts for cents on the dollar — though Florio noted creditors may argue that a coming free-agent payday should cover what he owes.

None of the reporting reviewed for this post said the bankruptcy itself voids his NFL contract or automatically changes his roster status. Those are separate questions from the court filing.

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