Chad Kelly - Pro Football Rumors

Colts QB Chad Kelly Suspended Two Games

May 31st, 2019 at 2:26pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Chad Kelly is back in the NFL, but he won’t be eligible to play for a little bit. The recently signed Colts quarterback has been suspended for the first two games of the season, per Joel Erickson of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link).

Kelly signed with the team a couple of weeks ago. We heard right after that he could be facing a suspension, so this isn’t too big of a surprise. As Ian Rapoport of NFL Network points out in a tweet, the suspension is the result of his infamous arrest while he was a member of the Broncos last year.

The Colts obviously weren’t planning on Kelly playing anytime soon anyway, so this suspension likely won’t have too big of an effect on his status with the team. They signed him as a developmental option, to potentially one day take over as Andrew Luck‘s backup. It’s been speculated for a while now that current Colts backup Jacoby Brissett, an impending free agent, could be a candidate for a starting job next offseason, so Indy might be in the market for a new clipboard holder soon.

Kelly has always been talented, but has never been able to keep it together in his personal life. He had numerous off-field incidents in college, which caused him to slip to the last pick in the draft in 2017. He missed his entire rookie season due to injury, but made the Broncos last year as Case Keenum‘s backup.

Things were going well for a while after he impressed in the preseason, and at one point it looked like he was about to be inserted for a slumping Keenum. Then he was arrested in a bizarre incident following Von Miller‘s Halloween party, where he wandered into a random family’s home and plopped down on the couch. It’ll be interesting to see if he ends up making the final 53 with the Colts.

Colts QB Chad Kelly May Face Suspension

May 21st, 2019 at 12:43pm CST by Zachary Links

The Colts gave Chad Kelly another NFL opportunity, but it’s not a given that he’ll be on the roster for Week 1. For starters, Kelly is hardly guaranteed to make the Colts’ 53-man cut. And, even if he does, Kelly could still face suspension from the NFL, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears.

The league office tells Rapoport that Kelly’s situation is still under review. The professional quarterback/amateur rapper has had several off-the-field missteps and his latest incident in 2018 resulted in a guilty plea to misdemeanor second-degree criminal trespassing and his release from the Broncos.

Before being cut by Denver, Kelly had an opportunity to leapfrog the struggling Case Keenum as the club’s starter. Now, Kelly is hoping to stick as a backup behind Andrew Luck and Jacoby Brissett while avoiding a ban to start the season.

Colts Sign QB Chad Kelly

May 20th, 2019 at 9:20am CST by Zachary Links

The Colts have signed quarterback Chad Kelly, according to a team announcement. In a related move, the Colts waived defensive tackle Jordan Thompson to make room.

Kelly attended the team’s rookie minicamp as a tryout player earlier this month and showed enough to get a longer look. Given his history, this could be his last opportunity to make things work in the NFL.

Kelly was once considered one of the top QB prospects in the nation, but he was kicked out of Clemson and his senior season at Ole Miss was cut short by a torn ACL and lateral meniscus. The Broncos made him “Mr. Irrelevant” in 2017 with the final pick in the draft, but he had an opportunity to be very relevant and supplant Case Keenum as the club’s starter in 2018. That never came to fruition thanks to a bizarre October arrest and his subsequent release.

With the Colts, Kelly will try to stick as a backup behind Andrew Luck and Jacoby Brissett. Brissett is likely to pursue a starting job next offseason, so Kelly could conceivably have a path to being the No. 2 QB behind Luck in 2020 if all goes well.

AFC Notes: Kelly, Colts, Titans, Bates, Broncos, Reed

May 4th, 2019 at 9:54pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Chad Kelly could be back on an NFL roster soon. The former Ole Miss standout passer and nephew of legendary Bills quarterback Jim Kelly has had a tumultuous road. He was kicked off the team at Clemson during his college days, and was arrested last season in a bizarre incident following Von Miller‘s Halloween party that caused the Broncos to release him. Last week we heard that he could be nearing a deal with the Colts, and we have a new development there.

Kelly hasn’t officially been signed yet, but he is attending the team’s rookie minicamp as a tryout player this week, per Mike Chappell of CBS4 (Twitter link). Kelly has struggled with injuries in addition to his off-field issues, but he managed to open the 2018 season as Case Keenum‘s backup. He played well in the preseason and had a ton of support from the team’s fanbase, and for a while it looked like he might’ve been on the verge of replacing Keenum before he was arrested. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Colts sign him as a developmental option considering current backup Jacoby Brissett is likely to pursue a starting job next offseason.

Here’s more from around the AFC:

Speaking of off-field issues, Titans linebacker Daren Bates was recently charged with marijuana possession, per Terry McCormick of Titansinsider.com. The charge doesn’t sound too serious in McCormick’s recap, but he still could potentially face league discipline. Originally signed by the Rams as an undrafted free agent out of Auburn back in 2013, Bates has been able to stick in the league thanks to his special teams prowess. Bates, who has been with the Titans since the 2017 season, played only 40 defensive snaps last year but he played 83 percent of the team’s special teams snaps. He’s heading into the final year of a three-year, $6MM deal.
Mike Klis of Denver9News “like(s) the chances” of undrafted pass-rusher Malik Reed to make the Broncos’ 53-man roster, he tweets. Klis is very plugged in with John Elway and Denver’s front office, so this is worth noting. The Broncos gave him a $15K signing bonus, so they definitely think highly of him. Reed was very productive in college, and he had 15.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks with Nevada last year. With Miller and Bradley Chubb, the Broncos already have a very solid pass-rushing nucleus.
In case you missed it, the Patriots signed ten undrafted free agents, and we broke down the class here.

Chad Kelly Nearing Deal With Colts?

April 28th, 2019 at 10:21am CST by Rory Parks

Former Mr. Irrelevant and current free agent Chad Kelly could be nearing a deal with the Colts, as Stephen Holder of The Athletic reports (via Twitter). Holder adds that an accord between the two sides has been “percolating” for awhile.

The Broncos selected Kelly with the final pick of the 2017 draft, which seemed like a good value pick on the surface. Kelly was once considered one of the top QB prospects in the nation, but his senior season at Ole Miss was cut short by a torn ACL and lateral meniscus, and he also came with plenty of character concerns. He missed his entire rookie campaign in Denver due to wrist and knee surgeries, but he opened the 2018 season as the backup to Case Keenum. He actually may have been on the verge of displacing the struggling Keenum in the starting lineup, but a bizarre October arrest led to his ouster from the team.

Since then, all we’ve heard about Kelly is that he has pleaded not guilty to the felony trespassing charge that stemmed from his arrest. But Indianapolis is apparently willing to give Kelly a shot at reviving his professional career. Kelly could compete with Jacoby Brissett for the team’s backup QB job, and he could even stick as the No. 3 signal-caller if the club elects to carry three QBs. Brissett is entering his contract year, so the Colts may be planning for the future of its backup quarterback situation.

Tim Graham of The Athletic agrees with Holder’s report, and he says that Central Connecticut State QB Jake Dolegala, who recently talked with the Colts about signing as an undrafted free agent, pulled out because his camp learned that Indy was prepared to sign Kelly (Twitter link).

Extra Points: Thomas, Rams, Collins

March 10th, 2019 at 8:23pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Rams’ decision to sign Eric Weddle last week could have a ripple effect on the rest of the league. The Rams had been interested in signing fellow safety Earl Thomas, but will no longer be pursuing him after signing Weddle, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). Bob Condotta posted in a follow-up tweet that echoed what he had heard about Thomas and the Rams. Condotta also said the Cowboys, Chiefs, 49ers are “all thought now to be potential bidders for Thomas.” The 49ers have both been heavily linked to Thomas, and the Chiefs nearly traded for him last fall.

Elsewhere in the video Rapoport posted, he broke down the whole safety market. Unlike last year, where the safety market took very long to develop and seemingly nobody got paid, Rapoport expects big contracts to be flying left and right for safeties this time around. He also notes that the Redskins are expected to be interested in Landon Collins, who the Giants recently decided to let walk.

Here’s the latest from around the league on the night before free agency opens:

In addition to safeties, it should be a very active market for free agent pass-rushers. Premier defensive linemen like Khalil Mack and Aaron Donald are starting to get more than $20MM per year on deals and we should get used to that, writes former NFL agent and current CBS Sports analyst Joel Corry. “Mack and Donald should soon have company in the $20 million-per-year non-quarterback club”, Corry writes. Corry broke down the market for edge rushers, and has a bunch of interesting tidbits in the article that is well-worth a read. Notably, he thinks Demarcus Lawrence could challenge and surpass the record-setting deals signed by Von Miller and Aaron Donald.
In case you were yearning for a Chad Kelly update, we’ve got one. The former Ole Miss star was released by the Broncos back in November after he was arrested following an incident after Von Miller’s Halloween party. He’s been out of a job ever since, but he appeared in court again last week. The young quarterback pleaded not guilty to the felony criminal trespassing charges he’s facing, according to Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com. He’ll be back in court in April, but it sounds like he’s fighting the case rather than accepting a plea deal. He’ll likely face discipline from the league if a team decides to give him another chance.
In case you missed it, despite rumors to the contrary, Dion Lewis is safe in Tennessee.

Broncos Notes: Gotsis, Kerr, Ray, Kelly

December 23rd, 2018 at 8:54pm CST by Ben Levine

Broncos defensive end Adam Gotsis is setting himself up for a solid payday. The former second-rounder is eligible to sign an extension this offseason, and the new contract has certainly been on the 26-year-old’s mind.

“It’s exciting knowing that (could) come in the future,” Gotsis told Ryan O’Halloran of the Denver Post. “I feel like if I take care of what I have to on the field, the extension is going to be there when the time comes. Saying this or saying that won’t get it done for me. It’s just going out there and making plays.”

Gotsis has been productive this season, compiling 35 tackles and a pair of sacks, and Pro Football Focus currently ranks him 51st among 116 interior defenders. As O’Halloran writes, the defensive end has really turned in on over the past six games, as he’s collected 11.5 “stuffs,” two hits, and both of his sacks.

O’Halloran points to the extension signed by teammate Derek Wolfe as a potential basis for Gotsis’ new deal. Wolfe inked a four-year, $36.7MM back in 2016. O’Halloran also opines that inking Gotsis to a new deal with be a priority for John Elway and Denver’s front office.

Let’s take a look at some more notes out of Denver…

O’Halloran also previewed the Broncos players who are set to hit unrestricted free agency this offseason. The writer doesn’t see a reason why the team wouldn’t bring back defensive lineman Zach Kerr, but he has the opposite sentiment for linebacker Shane Ray. The writer also explores the chances of bringing back cornerbacks Tramaine Brock and Bradley Roby, linebacker Shaquil Barrett, offensive guard Max Garcia, tight end Jeff Heuerman, center Matt Paradis, nose tackle Domata Peko, offensive lineman Billy Turner, and offensive tackle Jared Veldheer.
Former Broncos quarterback Chad Kelly appeared in court last week to be arraigned on a felony charge of first-degree trespassing (via Caitlin Hendee and Katie Wilcox of 9News.com). The charge stems from an Oct. 23 incident when the backup signal-caller allegedly walked into a family’s house after departing Von Miller‘s Halloween party. Denver released the former seventh-rounder following the arrest. The arraignment was continued to January 28th.
We previously heard the Broncos head coach Vance Joseph is expected to be fired at the end of the season, and it sounds like he’ll then become one of the top candidates for the Bengals’ defensive coordinator gig. We also heard today that Denver is still hopeful of interviewing Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, despite Baltimore’s recent announcement that Harbaugh will be back in 2019

Chad Kelly Due In Court On Monday

December 16th, 2018 at 6:49pm CST by Micah Powell

Former Broncos quarterback Chad Kelly is due in court on Monday to be arraigned on a felony charge of first-degree trespassing, the Denver Post’s Sam Tabachnik writes.

The charge stems from an Oct. 23 incident when the backup signal-caller allegedly walked into a family’s house after departing Von Miller‘s Halloween party. According to the arrest affidavit, Kelly sat down next to a woman on her couch and mumbled incoherently. He was then attacked by the man who lived there with an aluminum tube from a vacuum cleaner, forcing the quarterback out of the house. He was later arrested outside the Gothic Theatre, the site of the party. The Broncos later released him.

A highly touted quarterback in college, Kelly saw his draft stock slip for maturity concerns. Obviously, the aforementioned incident hasn’t done much to remove those concerns. Before the incident, however, Kelly was impressing Broncos brass with his play in the preseason, completing 66.7 percent of his passes for 466 yards and three touchdowns in four games, including one start.

He recently announced his attempt at a comeback, tweeting a clip of him throwing to a receiver.

Broncos Release QB Chad Kelly

October 24th, 2018 at 10:17am CST by Zachary Links

Swag Kelly has been booted out of Denver. On Wednesday morning, the Broncos announced the release of the quarterback after a bizarre incident earlier in the week.

“This was a decision that we made as an organization,” President of Football Operations/General Manager John Elway said in a statement. “After reviewing all the information and in talking with Vance (Joseph) and Joe (Ellis), we agreed that releasing Chad was the right thing to do. “Even though Chad’s no longer part of our team, we’ve offered to help him however we can and are supportive of him in every possible way.”

On Monday night, Kelly attended a Halloween party hosted by Broncos star Von Miller. At the event, Kelly began acting in an aggressive manner, prompting security to pull him aside in an effort to get him to calm down (via Mike Klis of 9News). The QB called an audible and ran off the property instead, which is where the trouble began.

Just after 1am, Kelly traipsed into the home of a family he did not know, and sat down next to a woman who was holding her young child. The woman called for a man in the house, who came out and struck Kelly with an aluminum vacuum tube. Kelly returned to the party as it was dissipating and police arrived soon after to apprehend him.

Kelly’s history of bizarre off-the-field behavior undoubtedly played a role in the Broncos’ decision. Just a couple of weeks ago, Kelly had a shot at overtaking Case Keenum as the Broncos’ starter. Now, he hopes that another team will give him a chance at redemption.

Police Arrest Broncos QB Chad Kelly

October 23rd, 2018 at 11:41am CST by Zachary Links

Broncos backup quarterback Chad Kelly was charged with first-degree criminal trespassing by police in Englewood, Colorado (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). The incident took place at 1:17am on Tuesday morning, and may result in serious legal consequences for the Ole Miss product.

Kelly was once considered to be one of the top QB prospects in the nation, but fell to the Broncos with the final pick in the 2017 draft due to character concerns. Naturally, the torn ACL and lateral meniscus that prematurely ended his senior season also played a role in his slide, but teams that would have still considered Kelly took him off of the board because of multiple red flags.

In 2014, Kelly was bounced from Clemson’s football program due to “conduct detrimental to the team.” Eight months later, he was arrested for allegedly punching a bouncer at a bar, threatening to open gun fire in said bar, and getting into fisticuffs with police upon his arrest. Kelly went from Clemson to Eastern Mississippi Community College to Ole Miss, and got into a brawl at a high school football game during his time with the Rebels.

There was a groundswell of fan support for Kelly to take the starting job from Case Keenum prior to the Broncos’ blowout of the Cardinals, but that seems extra unlikely to happen now. Depending on the specifics of the arrest, this could mark the end of Kelly’s time in Denver.