Western New York Native Leads Toronto To Grey Cup Championship

The Buffalo Bills weren't the only big winners from Western New York on Sunday.

Former St. Joe's standout and nephew of Bills legend Jim Kelly, Chad Kelly, led a comeback win for the Toronto Argonauts in the 109th Grey Cup on Sunday.

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Kelly who was drafted in the 7th round of the NFL draft in 2017 by the Denver Broncos has bounced around the NFL before he signed with the Argonauts this offseason.

Kelly signed a deal to be the backup to Toronto starter McLeod Bethel-Thompson. Kelly had a chance to start the final regular season game for Toronto before serving as a backup during the playoffs.

Bethel-Thompson injured his hand in the 4th quarter of the Grey Cup yesterday and Kelly came in and led the Argos to a 24–23 win against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

The win gave the Toronto Argonauts their 18th Grey Cup championship. The Argos have the best Grey Cup winning percentage in CFL history winning 75% of the Grey Cups they have played in.

As for Kelly, He signed a two-year deal with the Argonauts this past February. His deal calls for $67,000 in salary, which is $2000 more than the league minimum along with $12,000 in housing money. That means he made $79,000 this season before bonuses.

As for next year, his base salary will jump to $75,000 with the $12,000 housing allowance. Kelly does have a chance to make well over $200,000 if he becomes the starter and hits several bonus marks during the season.