Ex-NFL first-round pick suffers season-ending knee injury while attempting pro comeback in arena league

The Denver Broncos took a flyer connected backmost Paxton Lynch during the 2016 NFL Draft, selecting him successful the archetypal circular that twelvemonth successful 1 of the event’s biggest shockers.

However, the erstwhile Memphis Tigers standout would lone play 5 NFL games earlier helium would bounce astir the league from signifier squad to signifier squad. He was past seen connected the Pittsburgh Steelers’ roster successful 2020.

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Denver Broncos backmost Paxton Lynch throws a walk against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason crippled astatine University of Phoenix Stadium successful Glendale, Ariz., connected Aug. 30, 2018. (Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports)

Lynch was attempting to find a way backmost into the NFL and landed with the Colorado Spartans of the National Arena League earlier the 2026 season. He was successful his 3rd crippled with the Spartans erstwhile helium suffered a torn LCL.

"I was p---ed off," helium told the Denver Post. "And it sucks. I didn’t privation it to beryllium similar this."

Lynch appeared to instrumentality solace successful being capable to play again – adjacent if it was successful an indoor shot league. He suggested helium was up for the challenge.

Pittsburgh Steelers backmost Paxton Lynch trains astatine Heinz Field during the Steelers 2020 grooming campy connected Aug. 4, 2020, successful Pittsburgh, Pa. (Karl Roser/Pittsburgh Steelers)

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"I was like, ‘OK, if I play this twelvemonth successful arena football, I’m going to play arsenic Paxton Lynch. I’m going to person afloat assurance successful myself. I don’t truly care.’ And that’s what I did," helium told the paper.

"It felt bully to bash that again."

He had 3 touchdown passes successful 3 games with Colorado. Javin Kilgo replaced him astatine quarterback. Through 5 games, Colorado is 2-3.

Orlando Guardians backmost Paxton Lynch drops backmost to walk against the Houston Roughnecks successful the archetypal 4th astatine TDECU Stadium successful Houston, Texas, connected Feb. 18, 2023. (Thomas Shea/USA TODAY Sports)

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Lynch told the Denver Post helium wasn’t definite if helium would play successful 2027, but if the National Arena League is wherever his vocation ended, helium said helium was conscionable good with that.

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