Toronto Argonauts: Chad Kelly's contract extension a well deserved commitment

When a team has a quarterback playing the level Chad Kelly has been performing this season, they do what they can to keep him around for the long haul.

The Toronto Argonauts announced a new three-year contract extension with Kelly that is worth $1.865 million as TSN’s Dave Naylor and Dan Ralph of The Canadian Press report. This deal will make Kelly the highest-paid player in the CFL starting next season putting him past Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros.

There shouldn’t be a doubt as to whether Kelly is worth the extension he signed considering he’s transformed this Argos offence as one of the more formidable units in the league. On top of that, he’s also shown a commitment to the city that hasn’t been easy to get from CFL players.

Is the door closed on the NFL? Kelly didn’t give a definitive answer but considering the sizeable pay bump, there would have to be a can’t-say-no type of offer to make Kelly leave.

“This is my home now and I look forward to a lot (more) great memories to come,” Kelly said after his first practice since signing the new deal. “I just want to show I'm committed to being here.”

It is that commitment that’s important for Toronto considering general manager Michael “Pinball” Clemons has stressed the importance of being a competitive team over the long haul. He said the extension for head coach Ryan Dinwiddie kickstarted it all and Kelly’s deal continues that momentum.

“The team has had success the past couple of years (reaching the East final in 2021, followed by a Grey Cup win in 2022),” Clemons explained. “But the energy is just different this year. The leadership Chad has shown in the locker room, as well as on the field, has been a key. And for us, this was an important step in saying: We’re going to try to be competitive every year, We’re going to compete for and try to win the Grey Cup on a yearly basis.”

What can’t be forgotten with the news of this extension is the commitment from MLSE to making Kelly the highest-paid player in the league but now is when the real work begins.

If you heard Clemons speak about the deal, he did his best sales pitch as only he could.

“When we talk about the importance of this signing it cannot be disguised by any other thing than this guy is just exciting, he's fun to watch,'' Toronto GM Mike (Pinball) Clemons said. ``It's must-watch TV every time he gets out there.”

It’s hard to imagine when the Argos made the trade for Kelly’s rights back in Oct. 2021, it would lead to them securing their franchise quarterback.

The journey for Kelly hasn’t been easy but he realized that if he really wanted to achieve his goal of being a starter, he needed to put in the work.

“You hear about people saying ‘all in,’ right but what does that mean, right? Can you withstand, the outside things that are trying to, you know, throw you off? Can you be dedicated to what you're paid to do? The people that reach a high level in their occupancy are dedicated to trying to be the best that they can be,” Kelly said. “I forced myself this offseason, mentally, to really do some things I'm uncomfortable doing right. I think that all that put together, to this moment, obviously shows that if I keep doing what I was doing the past year, it's really hard to stop someone from achieving success. So, I just look forward to being able to keep working through some things and being mentally strong, but also physically strong each and every day.”

The ultimate goal for the Argos is not done yet and as the team prepares for what should be a competitive Labour Day Classic against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Kelly will look to add this to his candidacy for MOP.