Toronto Argonauts rule out Chad Kelly against B.C. due to neck injury

Photo courtesy: Jeff Vinnick/B.C. Lions

The Toronto Argonauts lost franchise quarterback Chad Kelly during Saturday’s Week 8 game against the B.C. Lions due to a neck injury and he did not return. The team confirmed the nature of the injury to 3DownNation. TSN was first to report.

The 32-year-old left the matchup shortly before halftime. The injury occurred when Kelly slid on a five-yard run on first down and was struck by linebackers Darnell Sankey and Parker McKenna.

Upon replay, it appeared as though Sankey’s shoulder made contact with the side of Kelly’s head, bending his neck awkwardly. Kelly clutched his helmet after the play before receiving attention from athletic trainers.

Sankey was penalized for roughing the passer. Argonauts’ offensive lineman Peter Nicastro and Lions’ defensive back Ronald Kent Jr. were also assessed unnecessary roughness penalties for the skirmish that occurred after the play.

Video of the play in question can be found at the bottom of this article.

“We felt bad for Chad, another great competitor, was making some great plays for us. You definitely hate losing any one of our players to injury, but this is the nature of the business. It’s all about how you respond and move forward, and those are opportunities for the next guy,” said head coach Mike Miller post-game.

“I am told from our medical staff, that goes through an evaluation with doctors and that’s one that we adhere to, really it’s that simple, they tell me if a guy is coming back or if he’s not. Then we have to move on to the next down. We certainly feel bad and I hate to lose any of our players to an injury, but in that situation, this is a pro ball, we got to move forward. That all comes from the medical staff.”

The bench boss did not have an update on Kelly’s status.

When asked if he felt the hit was dirty, Miller indicated he didn’t get a clear view of the blow.

“There were a lot of bodies around in that moment from where my vantage point was. I’d like to think that that’s not the case, but until I really take a look at the film, I would just be guessing, he said.

“It’s hard for me to comment. I know the league doesn’t care for us to comment, so I’ll need to take a look at the film. I had an impression watching it live, but I’ll need to watch the film to really get a better assessment.”

Kelly completed 15-of-18 pass attempts for 197 yards and two touchdowns prior to suffering the injury. The native of Buffalo, N.Y. has gone 2-4 as a starter this season, throwing for 2,323 yards, 17 touchdowns, and nine interceptions.

Veteran Nick Arbuckle took over the controls in Kelly’s place under centre and completed 13-of-20 pass attempts for 134 yards.

“He was in the locker room, seemed like he’s doing pretty good, but didn’t talk too much about his injury,” Arbuckle said about Kelly post-game. “He seemed like he was in it, so I’m not really sure what the extent of anything is, but he seemed like he was in good spirits and happy for the team to win.”

The Argonauts won 26-12 and improved to 3-4.

Kelly slides and gets hit late.#CFL pic.twitter.com/Uys3PNSEUR

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) July 26, 2026