GLENDALE, AZ – OCTOBER 18: Chad Kelly #6 of the Denver Broncos prepares for a game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on October 18, 2018 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
Chad Kelly has signed with the Indianapolis Colts, an organization with connections to his family.
If talent trumps all, Chad Kelly must be talented. The nephew of NFL great Jim Kelly was arrested in 2014 following a fight at a night club. Still, John Elway and the Broncos snagged him with the final pick of the 2017 NFL Draft. They saw Kelly’s big arm and potential to develop into a dominant quarterback at the next level, so they looked past his off-the-field issues.
While on the Broncos, Kelly was arrested again for criminal trespassing in 2018. During a Halloween party at Von Miller’s house, Kelly apparently became intoxicated, after which he entered a woman’s residence uninvited. After his arrest he pled guilty to trespassing, and the Broncos decided to release him after the incident.
Now the Colts have given him yet another chance and have signed him, releasing defensive tackle Jordan Thompson in a corresponding move. The Colts tried Kelly out at their rookie minicamp earlier this month and decided not to sign him, but apparently had a change of heart. Colts head coach Frank Reich spent years backing up Kelly’s uncle, Jim Kelly, in Buffalo, so there’s some connection between Reich and the Kelly family.
Perhaps the Colts simply feel he has great potential and could become an excellent backup to Andrew Luck. Or perhaps Reich thought he could help Chad Kelly develop, both as a player and a person.
Whether he can or not, this figures to be Kelly’s last chance.