Chad Kelly heeding advice from Hall of Fame uncle Jim for Toronto Argonauts’ playoff test

Photo courtesy: Bob Butrym/RFB Sport Photography

Chad Kelly may have a little bit more spending money in his pocket after signing a historic five-year, $5.5 million contract earlier this week, but he still gets his quarterbacking advice at a family discount.

The Toronto Argonauts’ franchise pivot revealed that his uncle, NFL legend Jim Kelly, has reached out ahead of his Eastern Semi-Final clash with Winnipeg, providing him with a kernel of wisdom for the playoff matchup.

“I got a text from my uncle Jim this morning. He said, ‘Take what the defence gives you,'” Kelly told the media on Friday. “I’ve got to make sure I do that. And when it calls for what we say ‘bombs over Baghdad,’ we’ve got to execute.”

The elder Kelly knows what he’s talking about when it comes to the quarterback position. A former first-round NFL Draft pick, he was a UFL MVP and spent 11 seasons at the helm of the Buffalo Bills from 1986 to 1996, throwing for 35,467 yards, 237 touchdowns, and 175 interceptions. The five-time Pro Bowler was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002 and is one of three players to have his number retired by the Bills.

Jim has been supportive of his nephew’s CFL career, providing advice on occasion and attending several Argos games in person. When healthy and eligible to play, Chad has flourished in ways not dissimilar to his famed relative, winning Most Outstanding Player in 2023.  The primary difference has been that he has contributed to two Grey Cup victories, albeit never starting in one, while Jim started four consecutive Super Bowls, but never won a ring.

After missing the entirety of the 2025 season with a broken leg, Kelly’s play this season has Toronto in contention yet again. The 32-year-old has completed 70.9 percent of his passes for 5,067 yards and 33 touchdowns in 16 games, though he also led the CFL with 24 interceptions thrown — perhaps prompting his uncle’s pre-game reminder.

A tendency to force the ball into harm’s way could be exacerbated this week because Kelly has gone a considerable time without meaningful live action. His last full game came back on September 25 in a victory against these same Blue Bombers. An injury to his throwing hand kept him out of the lineup the following week before Toronto enjoyed a bye. He returned to start on October 16 against Ottawa but suffered a knee injury on the game’s second offensive series before throwing a single pass and subsequently sat out the Argos’ final game.

Kelly admits he wasn’t sure his season would continue when he exited against the Redblacks, but is grateful to have fully recovered.

“Honestly, I didn’t know what was going through my head really, because you really never know what has happened when you feel certain things. To be able to go out there now and feel comfortable is a blessing, and just got to be ready,” he said, acknowledging that the time on the sideline could impact his performance.

“I think it’s definitely a big deal. I’ve got to make sure I come out managing the situation, knowing when I can take my shots, but just trying to feel the flow of the game and get comfortable out there.”

The sting of a mistake would only be worsened by an “I told you so” from a pro football legend.

The Toronto Argonauts (9-9) will host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (9-9) for the East Semi-Final at BMO Field on Saturday, October 31, with kickoff scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET. The teams met twice during the regular season and split the meetings 1-1.

The game will be broadcast on TSN and RDS in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune in on 680 CJOB in Winnipeg and TSN 1050 in Toronto.