Former Denver Broncos quarterback Chad Kelly — and many others — could really benefit from joining a league like the new AAF.
It’s very difficult not to lust over what could have been if Chad Kelly had simply abstained from the Von Miller Halloween party, or at least from making poor choices before and after.
It’s especially difficult when Kelly posts videos of his workout sessions on Twitter and Instagram, showing off his arm talent.
https://twitter.com/Chadkelly_6/status/1093635166873022464
Kelly wasn’t a top 10 pick and he wasn’t a big money free agent, but it would have been fantastic to get the chance to see what he could do in regular season action after a very strong preseason for the Broncos in 2018.
Kelly, one year removed from his college career and healed up from a few different injuries he had been dealing with, came out and won the hearts of Broncos Country with his preseason play and beat out former first-round pick Paxton Lynch for the team’s backup job.
When he got arrested following a bizarre incident involving him in a random family’s home wearing a cowboy outfit, the Broncos were basically forced to let him go. The decision couldn’t have been easy for John Elway, who is good friends with Kelly’s uncle Jim, but it was one he and the team had to make.
Kelly hasn’t signed with another team since then, and there has been no reported interest out there from another club. After what he showed in last year’s preseason, I will just about guarantee Kelly gets another opportunity in the NFL before the 2019 training camp circuit begins, but what about for the time being?
Is he content to just go to high school facilities and work out with these teenage kids every week?
Maybe he is, but the Alliance of American Football (AAF) is coming off of an outstanding opening weekend and would be a tremendous development option for Kelly.
The AAF features a number of former NFL and college coaches, including Kelly’s former college coach at Ole Miss Hugh Freeze, who is the offensive coordinator for the Arizona Hotshots.
Though this league is comprised of guys who couldn’t quite make it on an NFL practice squad or maybe guys you would recognize if you tune in every year for week four of the NFL preseason, a player like Kelly could really benefit from the live reps.
Though the competition is not quite NFL caliber, the players are still flying around the field at full speed, and there are NFL concepts being implemented on both sides of the ball.
Why would someone like Kelly not do this?
Perhaps he has other arrangements lined up, but the benefits seem to far outweigh the negatives with what can come from this league. Players get the chance to put some good film out there to NFL teams and you can be certain NFL teams are going to evaluate these games, especially when it comes to the quarterback position.
After what Kelly showed in last year’s preseason, this looks like a league he would do very well in.