It is looking increasingly likely that Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly will not make his return to the field until 2026.
Speaking to The Canadian Press this week, head coach Ryan Dinwiddie acknowledged that the former Most Outstanding Player’s long-delayed return from injury probably won’t happen this season.
“I think that’s kind of the writing on the wall. We haven’t really made a definite decision on that, but that’s kind of where we’re leaning,” Dinwiddie said.
“We’ll see. You never know, but I think that’s probably the safest bet, and that’s kind of where we’re at.”
Kelly has yet to dress for the Argonauts since he suffered a fractured right tibia and fibula during the East Final last year. The 31-year-old has practiced on and off since the first week of the regular season, spending time on both the one-game and six-game injured lists as the narrative around his readiness has changed dramatically.
Originally, Diniwiddie expressed optimism that Kelly could be ready to start as early as Week 4, then pushed his return until at least Week 7. That date came and went without any change, and though the team claimed the QB hadn’t suffered a setback, he was placed on the six-game injured list for the first time.
Kelly released a social media video during Toronto’s last bye week, stating that he would be making his return in Week 15 against Edmonton. However, the team felt differently and declined to put him on the roster, prompting Kelly to issue an apology and retraction for his video. Even when current starter Nick Arbuckle was forced to miss a game due to his own injury, Kelly remained on the six-game for his second stint.
The Argonauts could be officially eliminated from playoff contention with a loss on Saturday, skewing the potential cost-benefit analysis in favour of sitting Kelly. With nothing to play for, the risk of re-aggravating the injury behind a questionable offensive line could be too great to justify.
In 45 career regular-season CFL games, Kelly has completed 67.6 percent of his passes for 6,871 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 23 interceptions. He has also rushed 113 times for 599 yards and 19 scores.
The native of Buffalo, N.Y., came off the bench to win a Grey Cup with Toronto as a rookie in 2022 and was named the league’s Most Outstanding Player in 2023, but has also been the subject of controversy. He was suspended for the first nine games of the 2024 season after a league investigation corroborated several claims made against him in a lawsuit by a former team trainer alleging workplace sexual harassment. The lawsuit was later settled out of court, and Kelly was reinstated by the CFL on a last-chance agreement.
Nick Arbuckle, who took over for Kelly following his injury in last year’s playoffs and was named the Grey Cup MVP, has performed admirably in the starter’s absence. Through 14 starts, he has completed 72.6 percent of his passes for 4,370 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions, while running for 161 yards and two touchdowns.
The Toronto Argonauts (5-10) will host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (9-6) at BMO Field on Saturday, October 4, with kickoff slated for 3:00 p.m. EDT. Kelly’s famous uncle, Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly, will be in attendance as part of the team’s Future of Football celebration in partnership with the Buffalo Bills
The weather forecast in Toronto calls for a high of 26 degrees and mostly sunny conditions. The game will be broadcast on TSN and CTV in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on the Ticats Audio Network in Hamilton and TSN 1050 in Toronto.