Chad Kelly
Quarterback, Indianapolis Colts
On May 21, 2019, Chad Kelly signed as free agent with the Indianapolis Colts.
Chad Kelly was selected # 253 overall in the 7th Round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. Due to injury, Kelly was on the reserve/non-football injury list for the 2017 season. In his NFL preseason debut against the Minnesota Vikings on 8/11/18 Chad completed 14 of 21 pass attempts for 177 passing yards, 2 passing touchdowns, 104.7 passer rating and rushed for 38 yards. With this performance he was promoted to the # 2 quarterback on the Broncos depth chart. Kelly finished the preseason completing 40 of 60 passes, 466 passing yards, 3 passing touchdowns and a 92.8 passer rating.
Kelly finished his college career at Ole Miss (University of Mississippi) as the SEC's best passer ever statistically with 309.1 passing yards per game. Kelly owns the Ole Miss school record with 22 consecutive games with a passing TD. His 12 career 300-yard passing games are the most in school history. He set 25 school records (game, season, career) over his 22-game Ole Miss career. He started all 22 games as a Rebel and finished his career ranked top 10 in school history in career passing yards (3rd), pass attempts (7th), completions (4th), passing TDs (3rd), total offense (3rd) and TDs responsible for (3rd). Kelly amasses 6,800 passing yards, 40 passing TDs, 832 rushing yards and 15 rushing TDs. Kelly was first Ole Miss player to win Sugar Bowl MVP (2016) honors since Archie Manning in 1970. Kelly threw for 302 passing yards and 4 passing TDs. Kelly was a two-time All-SEC selection. Kelly also excelled off the field in the class room and was named to the SEC Honor Roll in 2015-2016 as well as the Dean's Honor in Spring 2015.
In 2016, Kelly broke Archie Manning's single-game school record with 465 passing yards, completing 36 of a school-record 59 attempts and throwing three TDs with one INT. He added a team-high 40 rushing yards on 11 carries for a total yardage of 505 that ranks second in school history behind Archie's 540 vs. Alabama in 1969 ... vs. Georgia Southern (11/5/16). Kelly was first Ole Miss player to win Sugar Bowl MVP (2016) honors since Archie Manning in 1970. Kelly threw for 302 passing yards and 4 passing TDs. Also, Kelly led the 2015 Ole Miss team with 10 rushing TDs, the most by an Ole Miss QB since Archie Manning had 14 in 1969.
Prior to attending Ole Miss, Kelly led the East Mississippi Community College to a 12-0 record and victory in the NJCAA National Football Championship. At EMCC, Kelly started 12 games and the for 3,906 yards and 47 TDs.
In high school, Kelly was listed as the No. 4 quarterback in the nation and No. 1 prospect in New York by ESPN.com. Kelly led his high school team to the state championships as a junior and senior, winning the state title as a junior. Kelly was a four-time National, Punt, Pass and Kick winner.
Kelly is the nephew of Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, Jim Kelly.