It’s been a wild ride around professional football for quarterback Paxton Lynch.
Lynch came out of Memphis with a ton of hype and was drafted in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. However, he was soon seen as a bust and only played two seasons for the team before being released in 2018. Despite some tryouts with the Seattle Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers, he wasn’t able to make a season roster after that. He finished his NFL career, at least for now, with 792 passing yards, four touchdowns, four interceptions, four fumbles, and 18 sacks.
Lynch tried to reinvigorate his career when he signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL in 2021, saying at the time that his goal was to eventually return to the NFL. However, the 28-year-old was cut by the team on Monday.
That doesn’t mean Lynch’s pro football career chances are done, however. He was selected by the Michigan Panthers of the newest incarnation of the USFL on Tuesday night in the 12th round, which happened to be the final round in which any team could select a quarterback.
Lynch has his work cut out for him if he wants the chance to start in the nascent league as the Panthers selected former Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, making him the presumptive starter.
We’ll see if this newest opportunity gives Lynch the chance to shine in the pros or if it’s just the latest stop on the former first-rounders saga. In the meantime, the pick made for a lot of interesting reactions amongst football fans on social media.
1st round in the NFL to 12th round in the USFL is a crazy career arc https://t.co/VzbtFW6A1S
— The Monday Morning QuarterBLACK (@TheMMQBL) February 23, 2022
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.