The year was 2016 and fresh off a Super Bowl 50 victory over the Carolina Panthers, the Denver Broncos were looking to draft a quarterback to replace the legendary Peyton Manning who had retired a couple months earlier. With the 26th pick in the first round, the Broncos decided to go with Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch.
Denver and general manager John Elway thought they were drafting their quarterback of the future, however, it did not turn out that way as Lynch would only appear in five games for the Broncos in 2016 & 2017. He threw for just four touchdowns and Denver would only win one game in which he started.
Lynch would then bounce around the NFL for the next few seasons, without ever appearing in a game again. He also had brief stints in the Canadian Football League as well as the United States Football League. Fast forward to this weekend, and Lynch would make his XFL debut for the Orlando Guardians against the Houston Roughnecks.
Things started off well as on their opening drive, Lynch hit former NFL receiver Cody Latimer for a 27 yard touchdown pass. However, after that, the offense lost its rhythm and after failing to score on their next several drives, Lynch then threw a costly interception which led to his benching.
Kudos to Paxton Lynch for continuing to chase his dream of playing professional football. Hopefully he can bounce back in week two when his Orlando Guardians host the San Antonio Brahmas.
