Another serious injury has derailed Paxton Lynch’s hopes of returning to professional football, possibly marking the end of a once-promising career.
The former first-round draft pick of the Denver Broncos in 2016 was making an effort to revive his NFL dreams while playing for a modest $600 per game with the Colorado Spartans of the National Arena League. Then, things took a turn for the worse.
Lynch, now 32, was stepping back to throw a pass when a defender came at him hard during a game in Salina, Kansas. The impact from the left side broke his right knee, resulting in a torn LCL.
His mother expressed her distress, saying she was “upset” about how quickly this comeback attempt ended. “It’s terrible. I didn’t want this to happen,” she shared.
After being drafted 26th overall by the Broncos, Lynch’s NFL career was relatively brief. He played in only five games across two seasons with the team before being let go heading into his third year.
He got a short chance with the Seahawks as a backup to Russell Wilson but only remained on the practice squad, never seeing game time. A similar fate befell him during his brief stint with the Steelers, where he also couldn’t make it off the practice squad.
Lynch tried to find his footing in the XFL in 2020 and later had a stint in both the USFL and CFL, but he was ultimately released by the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
This latest attempt at a comeback felt different for Lynch. He was hopeful and seemed to find a rhythm in arena football.
Before his injury, Lynch had shared aspirations of playing professionally until he was 45, even drawing a comparison to Tom Brady. He expressed pride in his performance, which included throwing for 413 yards and eight touchdowns over just two games.
“I thought, ‘Okay, if I play arena football this year, I’m going to be completely confident in myself,” he remarked. “It felt good to do it again.”
Although his season is now cut short, Lynch remains optimistic about supporting his teammates as he prepares for whatever comes next in his life.
