Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice needs surgery to repair the LCL in his knee and isn't expected to return this season, sources told NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
There's a chance Rice avoided other ligament damage and won't require his ACL to be repaired, though it won't be known until his surgery Tuesday, Rapoport adds. A procedure to fix only his LCL would potentially involve a recovery timeline of around three months.
Rice, who injured his knee in Week 4, was initially feared to have torn his ACL, but it was never confirmed. Head coach Andy Reid said last week that the club was waiting for swelling on the receiver's knee to decrease before doing more tests.
The Chiefs placed Rice on injured reserve last Thursday.
The second-year wideout suffered the injury when he was on the receiving end of a friendly-fire collision with Patrick Mahomes after the quarterback attempted to make a tackle following an interception in a win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
Rice entered Week 5 as the Chiefs' leader in receptions (24) and receiving yards (288). Kansas City will reportedly explore the trade market to beef up the receiving room after Rice's injury.
