The bad news for the Toronto Argonauts is that their off-season came a little early, but the good news is that their million-dollar man will have plenty of time to recover.
Quarterback Chad Kelly exited the Argonauts' 25-22 East semifinal loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Saturday with an apparent upper-body injury, but the team did not provide additional details as to the severity of the issue at an end-of-season availability on Sunday.
When asked about a potential recovery timeline for Kelly, head coach Mike Miller told reporters, “I have none for you right now.”
Kelly appeared to get hurt on a strip-sack fumble near the end of the third quarter that resulted in a touchdown for Winnipeg. He was hit by defensive tackle Michael Fletcher and looked to favour his throwing arm.
He stayed in the game, took another big hit and was ultimately replaced at the 9:43 mark in the fourth by backup Nick Arbuckle.
"With Chad, I’ve said it before, he’s a really tough guy, and he’s a really tough competitor. It wasn’t anything initially that I thought about, but in seeing him move his arm around a little bit when he was coming off, I thought we’ll just have to see," Miller said Sunday. "I wasn’t alarmed — he never said anything to me initially — but throughout the evaluating process, going back out there, we just determined that it wasn’t right... Whether it got worse, I’m not sure. I just know he reached a point that he said he couldn’t go."
Kelly added that he felt "a little sore, a little rough."
"I tried going back in there; I threw two passes, one to (Kevin Mital), one to (David Ungerer III). I just felt like I couldn’t control the ball anymore. Rehab, get right, make sure I’m ready for the full season. It’s a long, taxing season, but you gotta be available. Not just being out there, but you gotta make sure you play every game. I feel like I let the team down, let my boys down. It sucks.”
The 32-year-old Kelly signed a five-year extension last week, keeping him in Toronto through the 2031 season.
The injury isn't a first for Kelly in the playoffs. In 2024, he suffered a leg injury in the East Final, forcing him to miss the entire 2025 season.
Arbuckle replaced Kelly in Toronto's 30-28 win over Montreal, then guided the Argos to their 41-24 Grey Cup victory over Winnipeg, earning game MVP honours.
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