Rice joined the Buccaneers as an unrestricted free agent signing in 2001 after five seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, who had made him the third overall pick in the 1996 draft. He quickly proved to be the final piece to the puzzle of what would become one of the most legendary defenses of all time, leading the team in sacks and surpassing double digits in each of his first five seasons in Tampa. That made Rice just the fifth player in league history to surpass 10 sacks in five consecutive seasons for the same team.
That defense peaked in just Rice’s second season with the Buccaneers leading the NFL in a long list of categories, including points allowed (12.3) and yards allowed (252.8) per game. Rice led that defense with 15.5 sacks during the regular season, then had four more in the Buccaneers’ postseason run to their first Super Bowl title, including two in Super Bowl XXXVII.
With his induction, Rice becomes the eighth figure from that Super Bowl team to make it into the team’s Ring of Honor, joining fullback Mike Alstott, cornerback Rondé Barber, linebacker Derrick Brooks, owner/president Malcolm Glazer, head coach Jon Gruden, safety John Lynch and defensive tackle Warren Sapp. The other eight members of the Buccaneers’ Ring of Honor are head coach Bruce Arians, head coach Tony Dungy, tight end Jimmie Giles, tackle Paul Gruber, defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, head coach John McKay, defensive end Lee Roy Selmon and quarterback Doug Williams.
In addition to his five seasons in Arizona (1996-2000) and six in Tampa (2001-06), Rice also saw action with the Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts in 2007. He played in 174 games with 161 starts and, in addition to those 122 sacks, also recorded 472 tackles, five interceptions, 59 passes defensed, 34 forced fumbles, eight fumble recoveries. He played in and started seven postseason games, adding 23 tackles, 7.0 sacks, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and two passes defensed. Rice was selected for Three Pro Bowls and was a three-time Associated Press All-Pro selection, including a first-team choice during the 2002 Super Bowl season. Rice was also the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1996.