Photo: Toronto Argonauts
Mike Miller has only been the head coach of the Toronto Argonauts for a few days, but he’s already declared that Chad Kelly will be the team’s starting quarterback in 2026.
“Chad’s going to be healthy; we anticipate him being ready. Chad will come back into the season as our number one quarterback, but I always encourage healthy competition, and they all know that. It’s always about what you did and how you perform in your next rep; that’s what’s important,” Miller told 3DownNation on Thursday.
“That’s how we’ll start, and we’re all looking forward to it. There’s always healthy competition within that group.”
The 31-year-old passer has played only nine regular-season games over the last two years, missing the first half of 2024 due to a suspension before suffering a fractured leg in the playoffs, which caused him to miss all of 2025.
Kelly had a career year with the Argonauts in 2023, however, when he threw for 4,123 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions to be named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player. He went 15-1 as a starter while adding 40 carries for 248 yards and eight touchdowns along the ground.
The native of Buffalo, N.Y., had a meltdown in the East Final that year, throwing four interceptions in a one-sided upset loss to the Montreal Alouettes. A few days later, he told 3DownNation he suffered a concussion during the game, though it doesn’t appear he informed the team of the injury until well after the matchup was over, if ever.
An independent investigation also corroborated claims that Kelly engaged in an argument with a team staff member in the days leading up to the contest. The same staff member filed a lawsuit against Kelly, which was eventually settled privately. Kelly denied her allegations, none of which were tested in court, though he was later suspended after the CFL determined he’d violated its gender-based violence and harassment policy.
It’s impossible to know if any of these things would have occurred otherwise, but it seems noteworthy that Miller was away from the team during the playoffs in 2023 to undergo treatment for cancer, from which he’s since made a full recovery.
When Kelly’s been at his best in the CFL, Miller has been close at his side. When Kelly’s been at his worst, Miller has been absent.
On Tuesday, the veteran quarterback told TSN it was “a dream come true” for Miller to become his new head coach, calling him “like a brother” or “another father.”
Miller is aware that Kelly is viewed negatively by many CFL fans, but vouched for the quarterback’s character while also cautioning people against judging someone they’ve never even met.
“Fans have the right to feel and think however they want. We love the passion, we love their investment, and ultimately this game is about the fan, but I’ve always taken the approach that until I know the person, until I’ve had a conversation, until I have a chance to really meet him and understand what this person’s about, I really try to withhold any judgment,” said Miller.
“I can tell you from my standpoint, he’s been fantastic. We have an excellent relationship. I love him, but we know work has to come first, business has to come first, and sometimes we have to have tough conversations. We have had those in the past, and we’ll have them in the future.”
“You won’t ever find a guy that loves this game more, loves his teammates more, and really loves this city. He loves being a part of Toronto, and he loves this league. We’re all about moving forward, but believe me, this is a guy you can get behind. This is a human being that you would enjoy being around and you would love to get to know. It’s my pleasure to be able to work with him.”
Kelly isn’t the only quarterback to flourish under Miller, who helped McLeod Bethel-Thompson and Nick Arbuckle achieve career-best CFL seasons and played a role in Kurt Warner’s late-career resurgence with the Arizona Cardinals.
Given how much success he’s had mentoring quarterbacks, one might suspect Miller played the position at a high level. The truth is that between a torn ACL and what he termed a “gross lack of talent,” Miller never played beyond high school, focusing instead on pursuing a career in media. He eventually transitioned to coaching, however, getting his first job under longtime NFL head coach Joe Walton at Robert Morris University in 1997.
“I’ve been blessed with some good players, guys that have great skill sets and are passionate and have eagerness to want to get better,” said Miller.
“To me, (the quarterback position is) all about decision-making. It’s about taking what the defence is willing to give you and letting those big plays come to you. It’s managing game situations, it’s gathering information. A lot of times, it’s those bad plays that you don’t make. ‘I know the down and distance here, I understand what’s on the scoreboard, I understand where I am at on the field.’ We really like to even push to, ‘Let’s get a sense of what’s going on in the game right now. Do we really need to move the chains right here?’”
Miller signed a three-year deal when he received the promotion to head coach, tying him to Toronto through 2028. He’s still working on assembling his staff of assistants, though he’s already confirmed that he’ll serve as his own offensive coordinator and play-caller.
Though Miller said he’s excited about all of Toronto’s quarterbacks, Kelly will be the first to start when the team hits the field next year.
“Nobody works harder than this guy; he does absolutely everything and above,” said Miller. “Nothing’s more important to him than being our quarterback and being a teammate and a leader for the Toronto Argonauts now and in 2026.”
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The Toronto Argonauts finished third in the East Division standings in 2025 with a 5-13 record, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2019. Franchise quarterback Chad Kelly was unable to play all season due to a fractured leg he suffered in the East Final the previous year, giving way to Nick Arbuckle, who threw for 4,370 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions to be named the team’s candidate for Most Outstanding Player.
The Argonauts ranked seventh in net offence, sixth in net defence, and seventh with a turnover differential of minus-eight. The club’s leading rusher was Spencer Brown with 314 yards, the leading receiver was Dejon Brissett with 907 yards, and the leading tackler was Cameron Judge with 79 tackles. Toronto ranked ninth in attendance with average crowds of 15,109, which was a 0.1 percent decrease from the previous year.