Former Denver Broncos quarterback Chad Kelly is still dreaming of a potential return from the NFL.
Kelly, who spent time with the Indianapolis Colts on their practice squad from 2019-2020, suggested in December that he could be the answer the Broncos have been seeking at quarterback.
Denver seems very unlikely to bring Kelly back, but he might get an opportunity elsewhere. The journeyman quarterback played in the Canadian Football League in 2022, coming off the bench in the CFL’s championship game to lead the Toronto Argonauts to a comeback victory.
Before signing with the CFL, Kelly spent time as an offensive coach at East Mississippi Community College and built weight rooms for Wilder Fitness.
Kelly indicated in a recent interview with Ryan Glasspiegel of the New York Post that he wants to start, and if that can’t happen in the NFL, he’s open to staying in Canada or switching to the XFL or USFL. Still, his ultimate goal is to get back into the NFL.
“I was born to want to play in the NFL,” Kelly told Glasspiegel. “I wanted to see Uncle Jim’s playbooks since I was a kid. As a young kid, I was blessed to be able to throw the ball 71 yards. I could dissect defenses when I was 12 or 13.”
Kelly was selected by Denver with the final pick in the 2017 NFL draft, giving him the nickname “Mr. Irrelevant.”
During his second season, Kelly was arrested on suspension of criminal trespassing in October 2018 and he was promptly cut by the Broncos. He wants a chance to prove to coaches that the incidents of his past are behind him.
“I just want that chance to talk to these NFL coaches and say, ‘I know I can bring something to the table. I know I have the ability. You might believe that I did dumb things, but I’m not a dumb person.’
“I truly regret a lot of decisions I’ve made and self-sabotage, but I’ve grown from that. Unless they feel my sincerity in my voice and my presence, then they can still write me off as that same kid when I was acting like a fool.”
Kelly, 28, has played in just one regular-season game in the NFL, coming in for a kneel-down as a backup for Denver in 2018.
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