The year was 2016, and the NFL Draft had Jerry Jones locked in on one name, and it was not Dak Prescott. The Dallas Cowboys owner was really eager to get a young quarterback from Memphis, even thinking about trading up into the first round to make it happen. But then, Denver Broncos GM John Elway jumped in ahead of him and took that player, closing the door on Dallas before they could make their move.

Because of that twist, the Cowboys pivoted and later picked Dak Prescott, who soon became the face of America’s Team. Paxton Lynch’s journey, on the other hand, took a downturn, as his initial potential faded and his time in the NFL wrapped up by 2020. Just when he was looking to make a comeback, a bad knee injury made things even harder for him.

“Ten years after he was a first-round pick and nine years after his last NFL regular-season appearance, QB Paxton Lynch is still trying to turn it around,” Pro Football Talk shared in X. “He recently suffered a torn ACL while playing arena football for the Colorado Spartans.”

Top Stories

NFL

Cowboys Star, Who Received Three-Year Extension, Faces Felony Charges After Arrest

2 days ago

NFL

Steelers Reject Jerry Jones’ ‘Brutal’ Offer as Cowboys Circle Back on $41M Star

1 day ago

NFL

Three-Judge Panel Rules Against NFLPA in NFL Collusion Case Involving Lamar Jackson & Russell Wilson

1 day ago

NFL

“Rest in Peace”: Chiefs Super Bowl Champion Mourns Tragic Personal Loss

22 hrs ago

NFL

Shedeur Sanders Responds After Body Cam Footage of Cops Pulling Him Over For Speeding Surfaces

23 hrs ago

This year, Lynch signed with the Colorado Spartans in the National Arena League, looking to slowly get his career back on track. Sadly, just after playing a couple of games, he faced a setback that ended his season early, leaving him without the chance to perform for the home fans. He made $600 per game, but he enjoyed the moment and said he could be “authentically myself” after his confidence took a hit during his NFL days.

Where Do the Cowboys Still Lack Elite Talent?

Let Tony do the scouting, you just make the pick.

Pick your positions. Get Tony’s top 5:

QB

RB

FB

WR

TE

C

CB

DE

DT

G

ILB

OLB

P

PK

S

T

View Tony’s Picks

During his time with the Broncos, Lynch played in five games and ended up with a 1-3 record as a starter. He passed for 792 yards, scoring four touchdowns and throwing four interceptions in the 2016 and 2017 seasons. After that, he had short stints on the Seahawks’ practice squad and the Steelers roster in 2019, but he never found a stable spot.

Even then, Lynch was not ready to let go of the dream. Eight years after his Denver stint, he shared his mindset clearly. He hoped to “play until I’m 45,” per The Denver Post’s Luca Evans on April 11. In fact, he wanted to be “like I’m Tom Brady.”

However, now, the injury has thrown those plans into doubt and left his football future uncertain. And because of that, Lynch is “p—-d off.”

Paxton Lynch was ‘p—-d off’ after injury

Paxton Lynch’s latest comeback attempt had some real momentum this spring, but it ended in the worst way, with a torn ACL.

“I was p—-d off,” Lynch told Luca Evans of The Denver Post. “And it s–ks. I didn’t want it to be like this.”

But this feeling isn’t just about the injury. This feeling connects to his entire career journey from when Denver drafted him in the first round in 2016. After his time in the NFL, Lynch kept looking for his groove, playing in the CFL and trying out different spring leagues.

However, after sitting out the 2024 and 2025 seasons, joining the Spartans was his chance to get back into football.

“I was like, ‘OK, if I play this year in arena football,’ ” Lynch said, “‘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.”

Earlier in his career, especially when the Broncos brought in Case Keenum, that belief had started to slip.

“I always knew who I was off the field, but when it became Paxton Lynch, the football player, and all these people had these different opinions about me—that’s when it was hard for me…” he said. “I was like, ‘You believe that you’re good. But you’re not playing well. And then all these people are saying you’re not good. So it’s like, ‘Are these people seeing something I’m not seeing?’ It was the constant battle in that.”

So even with this setback, the hope remains the same. A clean recovery could still give him one more shot to finish football on his own terms.