Last Saturday, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats benched quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell after one series as the Ticats lost to the Montreal Alouettes 33-23. Mitchell completed 3 of 4 passes (75%) for 25 yards, and one interception. The Ticats have clearly moved on from Mitchell.
Earlier on Saturday, the CFL announced they are in the final process of reviewing Toronto quarterback Chad Kelly’s potential reinstatement to the league. The Argonauts have had Cameron Dukes and Nick Arbuckle play during Kelly’s suspension and are currently 5-4 on the season sitting in third place in the East Division behind Montreal and Ottawa.
The earliest that Chad Kelly can return to the CFL is August 22, 2024, against the Saskatchewan Roughriders should he be reinstated. However, if the league decides to kick Kelly out of the league, I think the Argonauts should due their diligence and take a look at Bo Levi Mitchell.
Bo Levi Mitchell is six foot two and weighs 199 pounds. The 34-year-old from Katy, Texas, has completed 214 of 314 passes (68.1%) for 2,522 yards, 18 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and 9 carries for 75 yards in 9 games this season.
You might be reading this and think I’m crazy but hear me out. The Argonauts have a ton of ex-Stampeders players and coaches on the staff and they run a similar offense that Mitchell already knows. It would not take him long to get accustomed to the Argonauts playbook. Toronto needs a quarterback plain and simple.
What has happened in Hamilton is not entirely Mitchell’s fault. Hamilton has bigger issues from the coaching staff to the front office. Hamilton does have players but the team is lacking discipline, chemistry, and the play-calling has not been good this year. Mitchell is part of a team that is imploding right in front of our eyes.
Adding Mitchell to Toronto would give them a quarterback who could lead them to wins and get them back into Grey Cup contention. They have a good offensive line that can protect him and the majority of guys on offense have already played with Bo so the chemistry is already there.
The one question that will be on many people’s minds is if Kelly is kicked out of the league, does the Argonauts not have to pay his salary anymore? If that is the case, Toronto would be free and could take a risk to get Mitchell. They could trade a draft pick, players, or both to acquire Mitchell. Again, this all depends on what the CFL does with Chad Kelly.
Bo Levi Mitchell is on his last ride and I think he would welcome a new home, especially a team that has a shot at winning a Grey Cup. Mitchell does have gas left in the tank and I think Toronto would be a good fit for him.
