Mike Miller has only been head coach of the Toronto Argonauts for a few days, but he has already announced that Chad Kelly will be the team's starting quarterback in 2026.
“Chad will be healthy; we expect him to be ready. Chad will be back for the season as our number one quarterback, but I always encourage healthy competition and everyone knows that. It's always about what you did and how you perform in your next rep; that's what's important,” Miller said. 3DownNation on Thursday.
“That's how we start and we're all looking forward to it. There's always healthy competition within this group.”
The 31-year-old passer has played just nine regular-season games over the last two years, missing the first half of 2024 with a suspension before suffering a broken leg in the playoffs that forced him to miss all of 2025.
However, Kelly had a career year with the Argonauts in 2023, when he threw for 4,123 yards, 23 touchdowns and 12 interceptions and was named the CFL's Most Outstanding Player. He went 15-1 as a starter, adding 40 carries for 248 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground.
The Buffalo, New York native struggled in the Eastern final that year, throwing four interceptions in a lopsided upset loss to the Montreal Alouettes. A few days later He said 3DownNation he got a concussion during the game, although he does not appear to have informed the team of the injury until after the match had ended, if ever.
An independent investigation also confirmed the allegations. that Kelly had an argument with a team employee a few days before the competition. The same employee filed a lawsuit against Kelly, which was eventually settled privately. Kelly denied his allegations, none of which were tested in court, although he was later suspended after the CFL found that he had violated its policies on violence and gender-based harassment.
It's impossible to know whether any of this would have happened otherwise, but it seems notable that Miller was absent from the team during the 2023 playoffs to undergo treatment for cancer, from which he has since fully recovered.
When Kelly was at his best in the CFL, Miller was by his side. When Kelly was at his worst, Miller was away.
On Tuesday, the veteran defender told TSN It was a “dream come true” for Miller to become his new head coach, calling him “like a brother” or “another father.”
Miller knows many CFL fans have a negative view of Kelly, but he vouched for the quarterback's character and also cautioned people against judging someone they've never even met.
“Fans have the right to feel and think however they want. We love the passion, we love their investment, and ultimately this game is about the fans, but I've always taken the approach that until I get to know the person, until I have the conversation, until I have a chance to really meet them and understand what the person is about, I really try to withhold any judgment,” Miller said.
“I can tell you from my perspective, he's been fantastic. We have a great relationship. I love him, but we know that work has to come first, business has to come first, and sometimes we have to have difficult conversations. We've had those in the past and we'll have them in the future.”
“DYou'll never find a guy who loves this game more, loves his teammates more,I really love this city. He loves being a part of Toronto and he loves this league. We're all trying to move forward, but trust me, this guy can be left behind. This is a person you would enjoy being around and would like to get to know. I'm really excited about the opportunity to work with him.”
Kelly isn't the only defenseman to thrive under Miller, who helped lead McLeod Bethel-Thompson and Nick Arbuckle to career-best CFL seasons and played a role in Kurt Warner's late-career resurgence with the Arizona Cardinals.
Given the success he has had as a defensive coach, one would suspect that Miller has played the position at a high level. The truth is that due to a torn ACL and what he called a “complete lack of talent,” Miller never played beyond high school, instead focusing on a career in the media. However, he eventually transitioned into coaching, landing his first job under longtime NFL head coach Joe Walton at Robert Morris University in 1997.
“I've been fortunate to have some good players, guys with great skill sets, passion and a desire to get better,” Miller said.
“For me (the quarterback position), it's all about decision making. It's about taking what the defense is willing to give you and letting those big plays come to you. It's managing game situations, gathering information. A lot of times it's those bad plays that you Not do. “I know the spacing and distance, I understand what’s on the scoreboard, I understand where I am on the field.” We really like to even suggest, “Let's understand what's happening in the game right now.” Do we really need to move the chains right here?”
Miller signed a three-year contract when he was promoted to head coach, tying him to Toronto until 2028. He is still working on recruiting his staff of assistants, although he has already confirmed that he will serve as interim head coach. his own offensive coordinator and running game coordinator.
While Miller said he's excited about all of Toronto's defensemen, Kelly will be the first starter when the team takes the field next year.
“Nobody works harder than this guy; he goes above and beyond,” Miller said. “Nothing is more important to him than being our defender, teammate and leader for the Toronto Argonauts now and in 2026.”
To listen to 3DownNation's full interview with Miller, subscribe to our podcast or click on the player below.
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In 2025, the Toronto Argonauts finished third in the East Division standings with a 5–13 record, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2019. Franchise quarterback Chad Kelly was unable to play the entire season due to a broken leg he suffered in the Eastern final last year, giving way to Nick Arbuckle, who threw for 4,370 yards, 26 touchdowns and 15 interceptions to be named by the team. Most Outstanding Player candidate.
The Argonauts ranked seventh in net offense, sixth in net defense and seventh with a minus-eight turnover margin. The club's leading rusher was Spencer Brown with 314 yards, the leading receiver was Dejon Brissett with 907 yards, and the leading tackler was Cameron Judge with 79 tackles. Toronto ranked ninth in attendance with an average attendance of 15,109, down 0.1 percent from the previous year.
