Wikipedia

Chad Kelly

Chad Patrick Kelly (born March 26, 1994) is an American professional football quarterback for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Clemson and Ole Miss. The Denver Broncos selected him in the seventh round with the final pick of the 2017 NFL draft, making him that year's Mr. Irrelevant. He has also been a member of the Indianapolis Colts.

Chad Kelly
refer to caption
Kelly with the Toronto Argonauts in 2023
No. 12 – Toronto Argonauts
Position:Quarterback
Personal information
Born: (1994-03-26) March 26, 1994 (age 30)
Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:216 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school:St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute
(Tonawanda, New York)
College:
NFL draft:2017 / round: 7 / pick: 253
Career history
As a player:
As a coach:
Roster status:Active
CFL status:American
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference
Career CFL statistics
Passing completions:296
Passing attempts:439
Completion percentage:67.4%
Passing yards:4,420
TD–INT:25–15
Stats at CFL.ca

Early life

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Kelly was born to Charlene Cudzylo and Kevin Kelly, a supermarket manager and younger brother of Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly.[1] He spent his early years in Western New York, his mother's home area, not far from where his uncle Jim was playing professional football. Chad Kelly was a consistent strong performer in Punt, Pass, and Kick competitions as a youth,[2] becoming national champion four times. His family moved to Red Lion, Pennsylvania, after Kevin was assigned to a Wegmans in the area, but unexplained disciplinary issues removed Chad from the Red Lion High School football team, and he returned to Western New York.[3]

Regarding Chad's early football career, a football coach once said, "Being Jim Kelly's nephew has been harder for him than it has helped him. A lot is expected of him because he’s Jim's nephew. He was never just 'Chad' or even 'Kevin Kelly’s son.' He was always 'Jim Kelly’s nephew.'"[3]

Jim Kelly said of his nephew, "Athletic ability, Chad has more than I had", with "a freaking rocket for an arm".[3] Kelly attended St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute in Tonawanda, New York.[4] He passed for 2,159 yards and 24 touchdowns and rushed for 1,059 yards and 15 touchdowns as a junior.[5] He passed for 3,050 yards, 27 touchdowns and rushed for 991 yards with 14 touchdowns as a senior.[6] He was rated by Rivals.com as a four-star recruit and was ranked among the top dual-threat quarterbacks in his class.[7] Kelly committed to Clemson University to play college football.[8]

College career

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Clemson

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Kelly was redshirted his first year at Clemson in 2012.[9] As a freshman in 2013, he appeared in five games, passing for 58 yards and rushing for 117 yards with a touchdown.[10] In April 2014, Kelly was dismissed from Clemson's football team due to conduct detrimental to the team.[11]

East Mississippi

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He transferred to East Mississippi Community College, where he spent one year. In his lone season with the Lions, he started 12 games and threw for 3,906 yards with 47 touchdowns and eight interceptions.[12] He led East Mississippi to a 12–0 record and victory in the NJCAA National Football Championship.[13]

Ole Miss

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In December 2014, Kelly committed to the University of Mississippi under head coach Hugh Freeze.[14][15] In his first year at Ole Miss, Kelly was named the starting quarterback.[16][17]

Kelly played in his first game with Mississippi on September 5, 2015, against UT Martin and completed 9 for 15 pass attempts for 211 yards and two touchdowns while adding a 20-yard rushing touchdown.[18] On September 19, 2015, he led Ole Miss to its second victory ever at Tuscaloosa. In the 43–37 victory over No. 2 Alabama, he completed 18 out of 33 passes for 341 passing yards and 3 passing touchdowns.[19] On November 7, 2015, Kelly accounted for 478 total yards and six touchdowns against Arkansas. Although he completed 24-of-34 passes for 368 passing yards and three passing touchdowns, Mississippi lost to Arkansas, 53–52, in overtime.[20] The following week, he threw two touchdown passes and rushed for two touchdowns in a 38–17 victory over No. 15 LSU.[21] On January 1, 2016, he helped lead Ole Miss to a 48–20 victory over No. 16 Oklahoma State in the 2016 All-State Sugar Bowl.[22] He won Sugar Bowl MVP Honors after accounting for 21 completions out of 33 passes for 302 passing yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. Kelly also led the team with 73 rushing yards on 10 carries. His 4 passing touchdowns tied a Sugar Bowl record and were most ever by a Rebels' quarterback in the Sugar Bowl.[23]

Kelly finished his first season with Ole Miss with 298 of 458 (65.1%) completions for 31 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He also accounted for 10 rushing touchdowns while appearing in all 13 games.[24] While finishing the season with a 10–3 record, he became the first Ole Miss quarterback to lead the Rebels with victories over Alabama, Auburn, and LSU in the same season.[25][26]

Kelly returned for his senior season in 2016. On November 5, 2016, Kelly suffered an injury during a 37–27 victory over Georgia Southern.[27][28] The following day, it was reported that he would miss the rest of the season due to a torn ACL and a torn lateral meniscus.[29] On February 16, 2017, the NFL rescinded an offer previously made to Kelly to participate in the NFL Scouting Combine.[30]

College statistics

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Season Team Passing Rushing
Cmp Att Pct Yds Y/A TD Int Rtg Att Yds Y/A TD
Clemson Tigers
2013 Clemson 10 17 58.8 58 3.4 0 0 87.5 16 117 7.3 1
East Mississippi Lions
2014 East Mississippi 303 453 66.9 3,906 8.6 47 8 170.0 69 446 6.5 4
Ole Miss Rebels
2015 Ole Miss 298 458 65.1 4,042 8.8 31 13 155.9 106 509 4.8 10
2016 Ole Miss 205 328 62.5 2,758 8.4 19 8 147.4 81 332 4.1 5
Career 513 803 63.9 6,858 8.5 50 21 150.9 203 958 4.7 16

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span
6 ft 1+3⁄4 in
(1.87 m) 		228 lb
(103 kg) 		32 in
(0.81 m) 		9+1⁄8 in
(0.23 m)
All values from Pro Day[31][32]

Denver Broncos

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Kelly with the Denver Broncos in 2018

Kelly was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the seventh round, 253rd overall, the last selection in the 2017 NFL draft (Mr. Irrelevant).[33] He was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list after having offseason wrist surgery.[34]

Going into mini-camps for the 2018 season, he would compete with 2016 first-round draft pick Paxton Lynch for the backup quarterback role behind newly acquired Case Keenum. On August 13, 2018, Kelly was promoted to second-team to act as Keenum's backup.[35][36] In Week 6 of the 2018 season, Kelly appeared in his first NFL game, kneeling for a one-yard loss at the end of the first half.[37]

On October 24, 2018, the Broncos released Kelly following his arrest on suspicion of first-degree criminal trespassing.[38] He allegedly entered a couple's place of residence after leaving teammate Von Miller’s Halloween party.[39] On March 20, 2019, Kelly pleaded guilty to misdemeanor second-degree criminal trespassing for the incident.[40]

Indianapolis Colts

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On May 20, 2019, Kelly signed with the Indianapolis Colts.[41] He was suspended the first two games of the 2019 season for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy.[42] After being reinstated from suspension, he was waived on September 18, 2019.[43] He was re-signed to the team's practice squad the next day.[44] He was promoted to the active roster on November 9, 2019.[45]

On September 5, 2020, Kelly was waived by the Colts and signed to the practice squad the next day.[46][47] He was released on September 30.[48]

After being released from the Colts, Kelly temporarily stepped away from his professional playing career and returned to East Mississippi where he briefly worked as an offensive coach.[49]

Toronto Argonauts

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On February 11, 2022, Kelly signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL).[50] In the Argos first preseason game Kelly completed seven of 12 pass attempts for 78 yards.[51] He completed eight of 15 pass attempts in his second preseason game, throwing for 85 yards with one touchdown and one interception.[52] The Argos released Antonio Pipkin as part of the team's final roster cuts, which promoted Kelly to the role of backup quarterback to veteran McLeod Bethel-Thompson to begin the 2022 season.[53][54] Kelly served as the backup quarterback for the entire season before being named the team's starting quarterback for the Argo's final match of the regular season.[55][56] In the 109th Grey Cup, after Bethel-Thompson injured his throwing hand in the fourth quarter, Kelly came off the bench with the Argos trailing 23–17 and helped lead them to a 24–23 win against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.[57] He completed four of six passes for 43 yards and rushed twice for 21 yards, including a 20-yard run to convert a second and 15 on the team's game-winning touchdown drive.[58]

Kelly started the Argos 2023 campaign as the starting quarterback, with a 32–14 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.[59] On August 31, 2023, Kelly and the Argos agreed to a three-year contract extension worth a total of $1.865 million, making him the highest paid player in the league.[60][61] The team would go 16–2 though lost to the eventual champion Montreal in the East final. Following the season Kelly won the CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award.

On May 7, 2024, the CFL announced that Kelly was suspended for at least nine games after an investigation into allegations made against him and the Argonauts by a former strength and conditioning coach.[62] On August 18, 2024, he was reinstated by the CFL on a "last-chance agreement" that requires him to follow a number of confidential conditions.[63]

Professional statistics

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Kelly under center in 2022
Legend
Bold League career high

NFL

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Year Team Games Passing Rushing
GP GS Cmp Att Pct Yds Y/A TD Int Rtg Att Yds Y/A TD
2017 DEN 0 0 Did not play due to injury
2018 DEN 1 0 0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 1 −1 −1.0 0
2019 IND 0 0 DNP
2020 IND 0 0
Career 1 0 0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 1 −1 −1.0 0

CFL

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Year Team Games Passing Rushing
GP GS Record Cmp Att Pct Yds Y/A TD Int Rtg Att Yds Y/A Lng TD
2022 TOR 18 1 0–1 26 45 57.8 297 6.6 2 3 64.8 25 137 5.5 42 6
2023 TOR 18 16 15–1 270 394 68.5 4,123 10.5 23 12 109.6 40 248 6.2 18 8
2024 TOR 9 8 5–3 175 258 67.8 2,451 9.5 10 8 98.2 48 214 4.5 18 5
Career 45 25 20–5 471 697 67.4 6,848 9.8 35 23 102.3 113 599 5.3 42 19

Personal life

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Kelly's younger brother Casey also played quarterback for St. Joseph's and Mallard Creek High School.[64][65]

In December 2014, Kelly was arrested following an altercation outside of a Buffalo, New York, nightclub in which he fought with bouncers and resisted arrest. Criminal charges were dropped in exchange for his plea of guilty to disorderly conduct, and he was ordered to complete fifty hours of community service.[66]

In early 2024, Kelly was named in a wrongful dismissal lawsuit by a former Toronto Argonaut coach, with allegations that Kelly had made attempts of "unwanted romantic advances and escalating into instances of threatening language" leading to the coaches dismissal upon reporting the incidents. The lawsuit prompted a denial by Kelly and a league investigation.[67]

References

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  1. ^ Paulling, Daniel (July 14, 2016). "Ole Miss' Chad Kelly credits father as big influence". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  2. ^ Aschoff, Edward (September 30, 2015). "Aschoff: The risky, lucky and extremely talented Chad Kelly". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c Graham, Tim (December 20, 2015). "Chad Kelly rises from the depths to college football's pinnacle". The Buffalo News. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  4. ^ "Kelly throws five TD passes as St. Joseph's Collegiate of Buffalo tops Monsignor Farrell, 47–32". SILive.com. September 10, 2011. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  5. ^ Wawrow, John (June 16, 2011). "Jim Kelly's nephew, QB Chad Kelly, chooses Clemson". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  6. ^ Watson, Graham (January 26, 2012). "Chad Kelly has fightin' words for Clemson's other backup QB". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  7. ^ "Chad Kelly, 2012 Dual Threat Quarterback". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  8. ^ "Chad Kelly commits to Clemson". ESPN.com. June 16, 2011. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  9. ^ Donohue, Pat (August 10, 2015). "The Chad Kelly story: How the QB came to enroll at Ole Miss". Saturday Down South. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  10. ^ "Chad Kelly 2013 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  11. ^ Adelson, Andrea (April 14, 2014). "Clemson drops Kelly for detrimental conduct". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  12. ^ Stukenborg, Phil (August 5, 2015). "Ole Miss quarterback hopeful Chad Kelly attracts the spotlight". www.commercialappeal.com. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  13. ^ DeSalvo, Reed (December 8, 2014). "East Mississippi CC claims NJCAA national championship". Meridian Star. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  14. ^ Stephenson, Creg (December 10, 2014). "East Mississippi QB Chad Kelly commits to Ole Miss". AL.com. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  15. ^ Blevins, Riley (December 10, 2014). "East Mississippi QB Chad Kelly commits to Ole Miss". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  16. ^ "Freeze names Kelly starter at QB, expects others to play". Meridian Star. Associated Press. September 1, 2015. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  17. ^ Kellenberger, Hugh; Wright, Jeffrey (August 31, 2015). "Chad Kelly is Ole Miss' starter in week 1, at least". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  18. ^ "Chad Kelly shines in Ole Miss debut". WKBW. September 6, 2015. Archived from the original on December 4, 2018. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  19. ^ "Bizarre touchdown helps No. 15 Ole Miss upset No. 2 Alabama, 43–37". NY Daily News. Associated Press. September 20, 2015. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  20. ^ "Arkansas at Ole Miss Box Score, November 7, 2015". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. November 9, 2015. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  21. ^ "No. 25 Ole Miss defeats slumping No. 17 LSU". USA Today. Associated Press. November 21, 2015. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  22. ^ Brandt, David (January 1, 2016). "Ole Miss cruises to 48–20 win over Oklahoma St in Sugar Bowl". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  23. ^ "Chad Kelly Biography". Ole Miss Rebels Athletics. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  24. ^ "Chad Kelly 2015 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  25. ^ "2015 Ole Miss Rebels Schedule and Results". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  26. ^ Sattell, Glenn (March 23, 2016). "Tim Tebow, Cam Newton, Johnny Manziel, Dak Prescott … Chad Kelly?". Saturday Down South. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  27. ^ "Georgia Southern at Ole Miss Box Score, November 5, 2016". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  28. ^ Stephensen, Creg (November 5, 2016). "Ole Miss QB Chad Kelly leaves game vs. Georgia Southern due to injury". The Birmingham News. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  29. ^ Goodbread, Chase (November 6, 2016). "Chad Kelly to undergo season-ending knee surgery". NFL.com. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  30. ^ Rodak, Mike (February 15, 2017). "NFL rescinds combine invite for former Ole Miss QB Chad Kelly". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  31. ^ "2017 Draft Scout Chad Kelly, Mississippi NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
  32. ^ "Chad Kelly 2017 NFL Draft Profile". insider.espn.com. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
  33. ^ Meyer, Max (April 29, 2017). "Broncos tab Chad Kelly as 2017's Mr. Irrelevant". NFL.com. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  34. ^ Mason, Andrew (September 2, 2017). "Broncos trim roster at deadline". DenverBroncos.com. Archived from the original on November 30, 2017.
  35. ^ Heath, Jon (April 28, 2018). "Paxton Lynch and Chad Kelly will compete for Broncos' No. 2 QB job". Broncos Wire. USA Today. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  36. ^ Wesseling, Chris (May 1, 2018). "John Elway: Broncos not giving up on Paxton Lynch". NFL.com. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  37. ^ "Los Angeles Rams at Denver Broncos – October 14th, 2018". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  38. ^ Patra, Kevin (October 24, 2018). "Chad Kelly released by Broncos day after arrest". NFL.com. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  39. ^ Phillips, Noelle (October 23, 2019). "Broncos backup QB Chad Kelly arrested after allegedly entering strangers' home, sitting on couch and mumbling incoherently". DenverPost.com. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  40. ^ "Ex-Broncos QB Kelly pleads guilty to trespassing". ESPN. Associated Press. March 20, 2019. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  41. ^ Walker, Andrew (May 20, 2019). "Colts Sign Quarterback Chad Kelly". Colts.com. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  42. ^ Smith, Michael David (May 31, 2019). "NFL suspends Colts' Chad Kelly two games". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  43. ^ "Colts Waive QB Chad Kelly". Colts.com. September 18, 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  44. ^ "Colts Sign QB Chad Kelly To Practice Squad". Colts.com. September 19, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  45. ^ Walker, Andrew (November 9, 2019). "Colts Bring Up WR Marcus Johnson, QB Chad Kelly To Active Roster". Colts.com. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  46. ^ Walker, Andrew (September 5, 2020). "Colts Announce Final 2020 Roster Cuts". Colts.com. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  47. ^ "Roster Moves: T Chaz Green Brought Back To Active Roster, DT Sheldon Day To IR, 14 Signed To Practice Squad". Colts.com. September 6, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  48. ^ "Practice Squad Moves: Colts Bring Back WR Krishawn Hogan; Release QB Chad Kelly". Colts.com. September 30, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  49. ^ Wojton, Nick (February 5, 2023). "Chad Kelly wants another chance in the NFL". Bills Wire. USA Today. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  50. ^ "Toronto Argonauts sign American quarterback Chad Kelly". thestar.com. February 11, 2022. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  51. ^ "2022-05-27 Game Tracker – Toronto Argonauts vs. Ottawa Redblacks (6203)". CFL.ca. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  52. ^ "2022-06-03 Game Tracker – Hamilton Tiger-Cats vs. Toronto Argonauts (6208)". CFL.ca. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  53. ^ Zicarelli, Frank (May 29, 2022). "Chad Kelly moves up Argos' QB depth chart to No. 2 with release of veteran Pipkin". Toronto Sun. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  54. ^ Seifert, Kevin (June 9, 2022). "As CFL kicks off season, Toronto QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson is keeping his dream alive". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  55. ^ TSN ca Staff (October 28, 2022). "QB Kelly to start final regular season game for Argonauts - TSN.ca". TSN. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  56. ^ "2022-10-29 Game Tracker - Montreal Alouettes vs. Toronto Argonauts (6289)". CFL.ca. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  57. ^ "Toronto Argonauts win 109th Grey Cup Winnipeg Blue Bombers". TSN. November 20, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  58. ^ "Game Tracker - Toronto Argonauts vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers". Canadian Football League. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  59. ^ The Canadian Press. "Kelly directs Argos to season-opening win over Tiger-Cats". TSN. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
  60. ^ TSN ca Staff (August 31, 2023). "Toronto Argonauts QB Chad Kelly to be CFL's highest-paid player, agent says". TSN. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
  61. ^ 3Down Staff (August 31, 2023). "More swag: QB Chad Kelly signs three-year contract extension with Toronto Argos". 3DownNation. Retrieved August 31, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  62. ^ "CFL's Chad Kelly suspended at least 9 games after investigation into ex-coach's lawsuit". AP News. May 7, 2024. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  63. ^ "CFL reinstates Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly with conditions". sportsnet.ca. August 18, 2024. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
  64. ^ Fornelli, Tom (October 7, 2016). "WATCH: Ole Miss' Chad Kelly storms field during brawl at brother's high school game". CBS Sports. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
  65. ^ Rodriguez, Miguel (July 26, 2018). "Casey Kelly leaving St. Joe's for North Carolina power". The Buffalo News. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  66. ^ Hinnen, Jerry (January 5, 2015). "Ole Miss QB signee Chad Kelly reaches plea deal following arrest". CBSSports.com. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  67. ^ "Argos quarterback Chad Kelly denies allegations by former colleague". CTV News. The Canadian Press. March 1, 2024. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
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