On Monday, a new lawsuit accused Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice of multiple incidents of domestic violence. The complaint came to light on Wednesday. His lawyer has issued a statement regarding the situation.
“On October 9th, 2025, well after the parties’ relationship had ended, Ms. Jones stated under penalty of perjury in a sworn Affidavit for Non-Prosecution that ‘Mr. Rice and I had a verbal argument, but he did not punch me,’” attorney Sean Lindsey said, via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. “We will allow the legal process to run its course and will have no further comment at this time.”
The statement raises several questions. What was the specific context of the creation of the affidavit? The reference to “non-prosecution” indicates that there had been some sort of potential criminal action against Rice that was resolved with Ms. Jones signing the affidavit.
How did the affidavit come to be? Who wrote it? Under what circumstances did Ms. Jones sign it? Was she represented by counsel at the time?
Also, the affidavit speaks to one specific incident: A verbal argument in which Rice did not punch her. It doesn’t seem to be a blanket statement as to any other potential incidents between them, including those contained in the lawsuit, which does not specifically accuse Rice of punching her.
Regardless, the lawsuit says what it says. It will be for Rice’s lawyers to try to use the affidavit to secure a dismissal of the complaint, or perhaps to instigate a perjury prosecution of Ms. Jones.
For now, it’s about P.R. But the quote from Lindsey hardly constitutes full exoneration of Rice for the conduct cited in the complaint.
Unfortunately, that’s the message the statement is attempting to send — aided by the decision to blast Lindsey’s statement without context or explanation on an 11-million follower Twitter firehose.
Chiefs Clips
Earlier this year, domestic violence allegations against Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice surfaced on Instagram. New allegations have emerged against Rice in a lawsuit that was initiated earlier this week.
Via James Newell of The Athletic, the civil complaint filed Monday in Dallas County District Court includes the following contentions: “Defendant Rashee Rice and Plaintiff Dacoda Jones lived together. Following an escalation in violent behavior, in December, 2023, Defendant Rashee Rice strangled Plaintiff Dacoda Joans [sic] at their shared home in Victory Park, Texas. Defendant Rashee Rice continued to repeatedly assault[] Dacoda Jones over the course of their relationship through July, 2025. Defendant Rice has grabbed, choked, strangled, pushed, thrown, scratched, hit, and headbutted Ms. Jones, as well as hit her with inanimate objects. Additionally, he has engaged in other violent and abusive behaviors towards Ms. Jones, including throwing objects, destroying property, punching walls, and breaking furniture, as well as locking her out in the middle of the night. Many of these behaviors occurred while Ms. Jones was pregnant.”
The league previously commenced a review based on the allegations from Instagram. The league undoubtedly will expand the investigation to include the claims made in the new lawsuit.
Rice served a six-game suspension to start the 2025 season, following a guilty plea to a March 2024 street-racing incident. His history could result in enhanced penalties, if the league finds he violated the Personal Conduct Policy again.
The situation also potentially impacts Rice’s probation resulting from the street-racing incident. The agreement was announced in July; if any potential abuse occurred after the five-year period of probation commenced, he could face an argument that he violated the terms of his probation.
The Chiefs have added another coach on the defensive side of the ball.
The team announced the hiring of safeties coach Andre Curtis on Wednesday. Longtime defensive backs coach Dave Merritt remains on the staff as well.
Curtis was the defensive pass game coordinator for the Cowboys in 2025, but is moving on after the Cowboys dismissed defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus after one year on the job. Curtis was the safeties coach on Eberflus’s staffs with the Bears from 2022-2024.
Prior to his time in Chicago, Curtis spent seven seasons with the Seahawks and he’s also had stints with the Saints, Rams, and Giants since entering the NFL ranks in 2006.
It remains to be seen if Patrick Mahomes will be helping the Chiefs as their quarterback in Week 1 of the 2026 season, but a tweak to his contract will help the team’s financial outlook heading into the offseason.
Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com reports that the Chiefs have restructured Mahomes’s contract. They converted $54.45 million of his salary into a signing bonus, which cut his cap number from $78.2 to $34.65 million for the coming season.
Moving the money into future years will add over $10 million to Mahomes’s future cap numbers and he’s now set to have a cap hit of over $85 million for the 2027 season. He’s currently signed through 2031, so the Chiefs could continue to move money into the coming years or they could work on another extension that knocks that number down.
Mahomes tore his ACL in December and said recently that he’s aiming to be back in action for the start of the regular season. That storyline will take on greater importance as Week 1 draws closer.
With the two-week window for applying the franchise tag open, the Jets have a decision to make about running back Breece Hall.
In a comprehensive item detailing the team’s various options, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic concludes that “it feels likely” the Jets will apply the non-exclusive franchise tag or the transition tag to Hall, who finished his rookie deal with his first 1,000-yard season.
The non-exclusive franchise tag for running backs will result in a one-year, $14.1 million contract.
The goal could be to tag and trade Hall, either during the offseason (and, ideally, before the July 15 deadline for doing a long-term deal) or before the trade deadline. At that point, however, Hall’s new team would have him for only a portion of the season, with Hall heading for free agency in 2027 or a second tag, in the amount of $16.92 million.
If the Jets don’t tag Hall before next week’s Scouting Combine (a/k/a Tampering Central), Hall’s representation will undoubtedly develop a clear picture of other teams with interest in Hall, if/when he becomes a free agent.
The Jets didn’t trade Hall during the 2025 season, even though the Chiefs reportedly offered a fourth-round pick.
The Jets also could sign Hall, a second-round pick in 2022, to a long-term deal, like they did with 2022 first-round receiver Garrett Wilson. Alternatively, the Jets could sign Hall to a long-term deal and later trade him, like they did with 2022 first-round cornerback Sauce Gardner.
Buried in this current predicament is the fact that former Jets G.M. Joe Douglas hit on Gardner, Wilson, and Hall during the 2022 draft. Douglas has since been fired, Gardner has since been traded, and Wilson could ultimately be the only one left.
Proving yet again that, yes, dysfunctional teams do dysfunctional things.
As the Chiefs plan to leave Missouri, Missouri continues to try to distance itself from the Chiefs.
Following a legislative effort to supplant the Chiefs with the UFL’s St. Louis Battlehawks as the state’s official football team, another measure has emerged that would continue the effort to detach the Chiefs from their long-time home.
Via Matthew Pilger of MissouriNet.com, Missouri House Speaker Pro‑Tem Chad Perkins has filed a bill that would end Chiefs-branded Missouri license plates.
“If I’ve given you everything you ask and treated you like a little princess and you leave anyway, then maybe I need to take a different tactic,” Perkins said. "[I]f you’re going to leave and go to Kansas, then why are we giving out license plates for a business that’s based in Kansas?”
Under the bill, issuance of Chiefs-branded license plates would end in 2026.
And Perkins would go farther than that, if he could.
“Arrowhead Stadium’s not owned by the Chiefs, it’s owned by the Jackson County Sports Authority,” Perkins said. “If I were the Jackson County Sports Authority, I’d tell him, get out right now. Just get your stuff and get out now. Go play football at a high school field in Overland Park. I don’t care. Get out. And you can sue me and we can go to court, and I think a Missouri jury might just agree with me right now, right?”
A new domed stadium in Kansas is scheduled to open in 2031. Multiple hurdles remain, however, before the project will achieve full funding. And it still remains possible that the project will fall through.
The sudden free agency of receiver Tyreek Hill is complicated by his recovery from a serious knee injury. There’s another caveat to consider.
Hill remains the subject of an active Personal Conduct Policy review. The NFL confirmed on Tuesday via email that the probe is ongoing.
Last year, Hill’s estranged wife, Keeta Vaccaro, made specific allegations of domestic violence against Hill. The full details of her claims came to light in October 2025, after the NFL commenced its investigation in September 2025.
It’s unclear what the league will determine. If a violation is found, other incidents could become aggravating factors when punishment is determined — including the situation from 2014 that resulted in his dismissal from the Oklahoma State football team. In 2015, Hill pleaded guilty to domestic assault and battery by strangulation, in an incident involving his then-pregnant girlfriend.
The team that signs Hill will be assuming multiple risks. First, he may not be the same player following his knee injury. Second, he could be suspended at some point during the 2026 season.
Receiver Tyreek Hill is a free agent for the first time in his career. A former Kansas City teammate wants him to come home.
Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones tweeted his plea to Hill on Monday night, telling Tyreek, basically, “It’s time.”
Before Hill suffered a serious knee injury in September 2025, widespread speculation connected the Chiefs to a potential in-season trade for Hill.
With offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy returning to the Chiefs, there’s a turn-back-the-clock vibe in Kansas City. A reunion with Hill could be the best way to make that happen.
Will he be the same guy he was when he last played for the Chiefs in 2021? No. But he’d be as good if not better than the other available options.
Hill will likely have options. The question becomes whether he wants a fresh start elsewhere or a second chance to do what he once did for the Chiefs, as they try to reestablish themselves following a very disappointing 2025 season.
The Dolphins are in a full blown Two Days After St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.
The latest to go is receiver Tyreek Hill. And it’s the least surprising.
Even without the significant knee injury he suffered on September 29, this was coming. Even without the firing of G.M. Chris Grier and coach Mike McDaniel, this was coming.
Hill was due to make $35 million in 2026, the final year of his contract. He had a $5 million roster bonus that was due on the third day of the new league year.
He was always going to be released. He was always going to be available on the open market.
Now, for the first time, he’ll be free and clear to sign with anyone.
The question is whether Hill will be signed before he’s fully and completely healthy and, if so, whether his contract will include protections based on Hill eventually passing a physical. Sometimes, a player has enough leverage (like receiver Chris Godwin a year ago) to avoid such limitations on his pay.
Hill turns 32 on March 1. The best of his best days are likely behind him. If healthy, however, he’s still pretty damn good.
The most obvious potential destination is Kansas City. Last year at the Super Bowl, Hill expressed some regret for leaving in the first place. With Eric Bieniemy back as the offensive coordinator, the Chiefs could decide to bring Hill back, too. Which may have the added benefit of getting tight end Travis Kelce to return for another season.
The Chargers could become a potential destination, given McDaniel’s arrival there as offensive coordinator. They desperately need effective weapons for quarterback Justin Herbert — and a 32-year-old Hill would instantly be better than anything else they currently have.
Other teams with needs at the position should give Hill a look, including (to name a few) the Bills, Ravens, Steelers, Packers, Jets (who tried to trade for him four years ago), Patriots, and Seahawks (who need a strong, consistent complement to Jaxon Smith-Njigba).
The NFL filed a grievance over the NFL Players Association’s annual report cards in order to keep the NFLPA from publicizing criticisms of teams and owners. The NFL won a ruling preventing the NFLPA from doing so.
Still, the 26-page ruling from arbitrator Scott E. Buchheit, a copy of which PFT has obtained, makes it clear that the next wave of report cards may be disseminated to all players.
The opinion also includes a full list of the criticisms about which the NFL complained from the 2025 report cards.
Here’s the full content of relevant portions of Buchheit’s written decision.
“As to the individual comments contained within the Report Cards that lead to the letter grades, the NFLMC has richly detailed that they do contain numerous criticisms. These include, but are not limited to, the following examples from the 2025 Report Card that are contained in its brief:
“New York Jets: The Union said Players complained that ‘management responded to feedback [from prior Team Report Cards] by making conditions worse,’ including cutting the food budget and not retaining a long-time dietician after poor food grades the prior year. The Union also graded owner Woody Johnson an F — the lowest owner rating in the league, 5.58 out of 10 — which, according to Players, resulted from his perceived unwillingness to invest in facilities. . . . Players cited ‘perceived top leadership issues, with some describing issues as “top-down problems”'—reflecting ownership concerns.
“Cincinnati Bengals: The Union again criticized treatment of families, stating that Players called it a ‘major concern’ and saying there is ‘little to no effort’ to support families. ‘One player describes the treatment of families as “‘almost disrespectful,”’ resulting in a grade of F-minus.
“Buffalo Bills: The Union dropped the Club in the overall rankings from prior years because ‘issues . . . previously raised [by Players] . . . have not been addressed and thus have become greater concerns[.]’ The Union claimed Players were concerned that ‘current [training] staffing is inadequate to help them recover,’ and ‘travel continues to be the worst part of their experience’ because they ‘do not have a comfortable amount of space when traveling and the travel schedule itself is a source of significant dissatisfaction.’
“Arizona Cardinals: The Union ranked the Club last overall based on Player feedback, criticizing the treatment of families (lack of family events, limits on pregame sideline access, poor in-game family accommodations), and a so-called deficient locker room, training facilities, and weight room. The Union stated that Players also faulted owner Michael Bidwill, saying he ‘slightly contributes to a positive team culture’ and is only ‘somewhat committed to building a competitive team[.]’
“Philadelphia Eagles: The Union highlighted that Players ‘are frustrated that mealtimes overlap with the organization’s business staff, leading to crowding and limited seats,’ and ‘feel they should get first class seats on team flights instead of the coaching staff.’
“Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Union published that Players criticized the locker room, lodging ‘several complaints about cleanliness, including poor ventilation and a persistent bad smell.’
“Jacksonville Jaguars: The Union gave the Club an F for treatment of families; ‘Players believe that many changes need to be made,’ including more access to sideline passes, a family room during the game, and upgrades to the post-game family area.
“Kansas City Chiefs: The Union said Players ‘continue to express the need for renovation and upgrades to the locker room’ and criticized the home game hotel as the ‘lowest in the league,’ remarking that it is ‘outdated,’ the beds are ‘uncomfortable,’ and the floors are ‘dirty and sticky.’
“Carolina Panthers: The Union continued to cite Player criticisms of owner David Tepper for using ‘turf instead of grass, perhaps because it is cheaper to maintain,’ and complained about travel due to the ‘new coaching staff moving players from first class last season and placing them in smaller, coach seats.’
“New England Patriots: The Union gave the Club a failing travel grade and singled out the ‘team plane’ —'Players specifically responded that “our plane is the worst thing – size, space, [and] safety,”’ and ‘it is not conducive to preparedness for athletic performance,’ because, among other things, ‘it lacks Wi-Fi and still has ashtrays in the seats.’ One player also referred to the carpeting in the locker room as ‘dingy with pieces missing.’
“Indianapolis Colts: The Union stated that Players complained of travel arrangements, noting that they ‘don’t feel like they have enough personal space on flights. They want more access to first-class seating.’
Those are the full complaints from the 2025 report cards that were included in Buchheit’s decision. Eleven teams in all were mentioned, with three owners identified by name — Woody Johnson, Michael Bidwill, and David Tepper.
The complaints listed in the 26-page ruling come from not from the to-be-released report cards but from the report cards prepared and published in 2025. It’s inevitable, however, that one of the many NFLPA members who’ll receive the 2026 report card will disclose them, to someone. Once they’re leaked (to PFT or to another outlet), we’ll post them here in full.
UPDATE 11:46 p.m. ET: An earlier version of this article mistakenly characterized the complaints listed above as coming from the survey conducted in 2025, not from the report cards released in 2025. The 2025 surveys were not included in Buccheit’s opinion. They’ll eventually be released to the players but not published by the NFLPA. In past years, the report cards were released during the Scouting Combine.
