Toronto Argonauts rule out Chad Kelly for Week 21

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Toronto Argonauts head coach Mike Miller has ruled franchise quarterback Chad Kelly out for this week’s game against the Montreal Alouettes, as per Sportsnet reporter David Morassutti.

The 32-year-old went down in the first quarter of last week’s game against the Ottawa Redblacks after being chased outside the pocket by Luiji Vilain. He committed intentional grounding to avoid a sack, but hit the ground hard with his knees as he was tackled.

Kelly had a noticeable limp after getting up and knelt down to stretch his right leg before being attended to by trainers and retreating to the medical tent. He didn’t return to the game.

According to Toronto’s official injury report on Tuesday, Kelly is dealing with a knee injury.

The native of Buffalo, N.Y. was making his return to the lineup after missing Toronto’s previous game with an injury to his throwing hand.

Kelly has gone 9-7 as a starter this season, helping his team clinch a home playoff game. He has completed 70.9 percent of his passes for 5,067 yards, 33 touchdowns, and 24 interceptions over 15 starts. He remains the CFL’s leader in passing yards and interceptions.

The three other quarterbacks currently under contract in Toronto include Nick Arbuckle, Tucker Horn, and Luis Perez.

Arbuckle took over the controls from Kelly this past week, and completed 77.1 percent of his passes for 315 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in a 40-39 loss. He also started the club’s previous game in place of Kelly, completing 81.8 percent of his throws for 292 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions in a 24-17 loss.

Horn has been with the Boatmen since the start of the 2025 season, though he hasn’t attempted a pass so far this year. Perez signed with the club in September after playing extensively in the Alliance of American Football, Xtreme Football League, United States Football League, and United Football League, earning the nickname ‘The Spring King.’

It seems the two depth passers could get a chance to play this week, considering the game means nothing in the standings.

“I’ve always believed if a guy’s been working and has earned that time and we are able to do that, because these guys work really hard, they prepare, they push, and they’re pros,” Miller told Morassutti. “Where there’s an opportunity to do that, I like to do that.”

The Toronto Argonauts (9-8) will host the Montreal Alouettes (13-4) at BMO Field on Friday, October 23 with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET. Montreal is coming off a tight loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in which their top offensive players didn’t play, while the Boatmen lost a tight game to the previously winless Ottawa Redblacks.

The game will be broadcast on TSN and RDS2 in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on TSN 690 (English) or 99.5 Montreal (French) in Montreal and TSN 1050 in Toronto.