Before Chad Kelly led a CFL championship-winning touchdown drive, he wasn’t sure if or when he would get another opportunity in professional football.
With the Toronto Argonauts trailing the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 23-17 in the Grey Cup final in November, Toronto starter McLeod Bethel-Thompson suffered a hand injury. Kelly, who is the nephew of Bills legend Jim Kelly, stepped in and picked up a second-and-15 with his feet en route to an eventual Argonauts touchdown. With a few more twists and turns along the way, Toronto finished a 24-23 victory and a league championship.
Coming in the game at such a big moment, Kelly had to maintain balanced emotions.
“Obviously, Mac had been fantastic to me since the first day I signed,” Kelly told The Post. “I’ve learned a ton from him. But, the emotions [outwardly] were as calm as can be to make sure that these guys in the huddle know that I’ve been in this situation. But, I’ve literally never been in that situation.
“I can’t really put into perspective the emotions that I felt. I was just waiting to see if he would be OK. He wasn’t. Coach asked where I was at. I was like, ‘we’re good, we’re good.’ I was even keel. That’s how we always go about our business.”
After starring at Ole Miss, Kelly was the “Mr. Irrelevant” final pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, landing with the Denver Broncos. He was the backup to Case Keenum in Denver for the first half of the 2018 season, but was released midway through the season after a criminal trespass arrest. The arrest was very public with Kelly being chased out of a suburban Denver home after leaving a Halloween party thrown by Broncos teammate Von Miller.
Kelly, 28, alternated between the practice squad and active roster on the Colts in 2019 and 2020 before being released midseason of the latter year.
Chad Kelly came off the bench to lead the Toronto Argonauts to a CFL championship.Getty ImagesIn between getting let go by the Colts and landing with the Argonauts in early 2022, Kelly had a variety of jobs away from being an active football player. He coached offense at East Mississippi Community College — Last Chance U — where he played in college in between Clemson and Ole Miss, seeking to vary up the play-calling scheme.
Kelly also worked physically building weight rooms for a man named Jimmy Wilder, who had been in the business for decades before recently passing away.
“It was getting in a car with all the equipment — all the steel, plates, nuts and bolts,” he said. “You’re putting everything together like a puzzle, and standing it back up — and they [the customers] are gonna be like, ‘Wow, this is beautiful.’ We did the floors. We would build home gyms, college gyms, high school gyms. We’re talking people spending $500K and me and one other guy are putting it together ourselves.”
Chad Kelly hopes to return to the NFL.Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesAll the while, he kept training for his next football chance, but it was unclear if that opportunity would ever come.
“I honestly didn’t know what I was gonna do,” he said. “I was trying out for teams. I was still getting phone calls but no one was pulling the trigger. I just wanted to stay mentally and physically in it and I’m thankful that I stayed ready.”
Now that he’s had a CFL season under his belt, Kelly said with wherever he goes next — if it’s not the NFL — he would like a chance to start whether it be the CFL, XFL or USFL. Kelly’s goal is to make it back to the NFL after completing 26 of 45 passes for 297 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions in 18 games for the Argonauts this season. He also added 137 yards and six scores on the ground.
“I just have to showcase my talents, show what I can do and enjoy the moment. I’m so blessed that I’m still playing football,” he said.
Chad Kelly starred at Ole Miss before playing several years in the NFL in a reserve role.Getty ImagesAsked how he can convince coaches he’s one of the 60-90 best quarterbacks in the world, Kelly said, “They have to bring me in, sit me down and talk. You can think of everything I’ve done in the past. Obviously, we’re not going to get into that. That’s behind me. That’s not who I am, who I want to be or who I want to be known as. I’m a different person.”
He continued on how he hoped the NFL discussions would go.
“Let’s talk about life. Let’s talk about football. Let me share my knowledge of the game that has everlasting ability since I was born,” Kelly said. “I was born to want to play in the NFL. I wanted to see Uncle Jim’s playbooks since I was a kid. As a young kid, I was blessed to be able to throw the ball 71 yards. I could dissect defenses when I was 12 or 13. I’ve been in meeting rooms with [Eagles coach] Nick Sirianni, [ex-Colt coach] Frank Reich, [NFL assistants] Bill Musgrave and Mike McCoy. Those names resonate as very intelligent football coaches.
“I just want that chance to talk to these NFL coaches and say, ‘I know I can bring something to the table. I know I have the ability. You might believe that I did dumb things, but I’m not a dumb person.’ I truly regret a lot of decisions I’ve made and self-sabotage, but I’ve grown from that. Unless they feel my sincerity in my voice and my presence, then they can still write me off as that same kid when I was acting like a fool.”
