Story by
Former top NFL draft pick’s comeback dream takes hit with catastrophic injury
- Story by
- Former top NFL draft pick’s comeback dream takes hit with catastrophic injury
Paxton Lynch
Another brutal injury has ended Paxton Lynch 's bid to get back on the field, perhaps slamming the door on his once-promising career.
Lynch, a 2016 first-round pick of the Denver Broncos , was working tirelessly on a potential return to the NFL while playing for the Colorado Spartans of the National Arena League for just $600 a game when disaster struck.
Advertisement
Lynch, 32, dropped back to throw a pass while in Salina, Kansas, as a defender barreled down at him, crunching him from the left side. His right knee buckled on contact and it left him with a torn LCL.
Paxton Lynch played for the Orlando Guardians in the XFL. Getty Images
"I was pissed off," Lynch told The Denver Post as he had to deal with the fact that this comeback attempt would only last a few weeks. "And it sucks. I didn't want it to be like this."
Lynch's NFL career was rather short-lived after being selected No. 26 overall by the Broncos in 2016.
He played just five games in two seasons with the Broncos before being released heading into year three.
Advertisement
The Seahawks briefly gave him an opportunity to compete as a backup behind Russell Wilson , but he remained on the practice squad and never got any game action. He also failed get past the practice squad in a stint with the Steelers.
Lynch joined the XFL in 2020, and also had stints in the USFL and the CFL where he was eventually cut by the Saskatchewan Roughriders .
This comeback attempt clearly felt different for him.
Lynch was a first round pick of the Broncos in 2016. Denver Post via Getty Images
"I'm gonna play 'till I'm 45," Lynch told the paper before his most recent injury while playing in the Arena League. "Like I'm Tom Brady ."
Lynch was proud of thre results he was seeing — throwing for 413 yards and eight touchdowns in two-plus games.
Advertisement
"I was like, 'OK, if I play this year in arena football,'" Lynch added, "'I'm going to play as Paxton Lynch . I'm going to have full confidence in myself. I don't really care.' And that's what I did.
"It felt good to do that again."
His season is now over, but he hopes to still attend games for his teammates as he prepares for the next phase of his life.
