Meet the Newest New England Patriot: Monty Rice

The New England Patriots made an offensive line switch on their 53-man roster Tuesday. New England signed Tyrese Robinson and released Zach Thomas. However, it was not their only transaction of the day. The Patriots practice squad welcomed a new addition in the form of Monty Rice.

Rice is a 25-year-old linebacker from Huntsville, Ala. ESPN ranked Monty Rice as a four-star prospect. He held offers from many top college programs, including Michigan, Florida State, Auburn, and Tennessee. Rice committed to LSU before flipping his commitment to Georgia, where he spent his collegiate career.

Monty Rice played as a true freshman for the Bulldogs. He appeared in 14 in a reserve role. His role expanded as a sophomore, and by his junior season in 2019, Rice started every game for Georgia in 2019 and earned second-team All-SEC honors. In Rice’s senior season, he earned a first-team All-SEC selection for Rice.

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Georgia went 44-9 during Rice’s four seasons in Athens, Ga. He played in 47 of those games. Rice recorded 219 career tackles, including 11 tackles for a loss and two sacks. He forced three fumbles and recovered one for a touchdown.

"Playing between the hedges is something special."@RiceMonty shares his favorite play from his time at Georgia.#ATD #GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/twY9D3f7pf

— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) April 7, 2021

NFL Career

Monty Rice measured 6-foot-0, weighed 233 pounds, and ran a 4.57 in the 40-yard dash leading up to the 2021 NFL Draft. He had an impressive resume of playing big-time college football and producing. The Tennessee Titans selected Rice in the third round (No. 92 overall).

Rice played sparingly as a reserve linebacker in his rookie season. He recorded 36 tackles in ten games. An ankle injury in Week 12 landed Rice on injured reserve and ended his first NFL season. The injury forced Rice to begin the 2022 season on the PUP list, keeping him out of action until Week 5. His playing time increased from 27% of defensive snaps as a rookie to 41% in his second season. His production also increased. Rice finished 2022 with 66 tackles, including four tackles for a loss, in 13 games.

The 2023 season saw Rice beat out for a starting job. He continued contributing on special teams and sparingly on defense but was waived by Tennessee on Dec. 5, 2023. New Orleans claimed Rice off waivers and added him to their 53-man roster, though he did not appear in any games for the Saints. He remained with New Orleans through training camp in 2024 but did not make the team. He signed with the Atlanta Falcons practice squad where he remained until being released on Oct. 21, 2024.

Monty Rice now joins Joe Giles-Harris as linebackers on the New England Patriots practice squad. Based on the inconsistent play from the Patriots linebackers this season, due in part to the absence of Ja’Whaun Bentley, As a result, there could be an opportunity for Rice to revamp his career in Foxboro.