Paxton Lynch was supposed to be something in the NFL. At least, that's what the Denver Broncos were hoping when they took the No. 26 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.
Flash forward seven years later and Lynch's NFL dreams have been long gone. He "played" for the Broncos for two seasons — notching 792 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions in five games — and was subsequently released in September 2018. Lynch didn't stick as a backup with the Seattle Seahawks Pittsburgh Steelers. He eventually found himself playing in the CFL for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, where he was a third-stringer.
Lynch's football journey took him to the USFL in 2022, where he (again) didn't play, and in 2023, he found himself as starting quarterback for the Orlando Guardians of the new-look XFL.
Through one game, Lynch seems to be continuing his downward trajectory. In fact, he was benched in his first XFL game.
Former #Broncos 1st round pick, QB Paxton Lynch, was benched in his XFL debut.
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 19, 2023
Lynch was 15 of 21 for 136 yards but threw a bad INT and was benched for Quinten Dormady.
Back in the 2016 Draft, #Cowboys owner Jerry Jones tried to trade up for Lynch, but Denver beat him to it pic.twitter.com/2JFNkLXFsL
Who is Quinten Dormady? He played at Tennessee, Houston and Central Michigan as a college quarterback, not making a dent anywhere he went.
No offense to Mr. Dormady, but that's how bad Lynch is. The fact that he was taken with a first-round pick in the NFL Draft is simply stunning.
It's worth noting that at the very least, Lynch was an intriguing college quarterback. He threw for 8,863 yards and 59 touchdowns (23 interceptions) in three seasons at Memphis.
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