Chad Kelly has had quite the career trajectory. Once the hottest name in college football and a quarterback who was supposed to be a top NFL draft pick, “Swag” Kelly is finally making a name for himself. And while it’s not in the NFL, it’s happening just north of the border in Canada.
Recently, the Toronto Argonauts agreed to make Kelly the highest-paid player in the Canadian Football League for the next three seasons. According to Justin Dunk of 3downnation.com, the 29-year-old Kelly has signed a three-year, $1.865 million deal.
Dunk writes that “Kelly’s agreement is worth $615,000 in 2024 and $625,000 in hard money for each of the last two years. There are no performance incentives in his pact.”
Kelly is due a $250,000 signing bonus in 2024, but can’t collect it if he signs an NFL contract during the December-to-February window.
This season, Kelly has completed 70% of his passes for 2,402 yards with 16 touchdowns against seven interceptions. He’s also rushed for 135 yards and six touchdowns on 25 carries. Under Kelly, Tornonto’s offense is averaging 29.2 points per game and 380.9 yards per game, both of which rank second in the CFL.
Kelly was originally selected with the final pick of the 2017 NFL Draft. He spent four seasons in the NFL with the Broncos and Indianapolis Colts and last surfaced in the league in Sept. 2020. Maybe this is all geared towards an NFL comeback, but Kelly has certainly made a name for himself in Canada.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.