The football gods can be cruel, just ask one of the wildest “what ifs” of the 2010s decade: Paxton Lynch, otherwise known as the hand-picked successor to the legendary Peyton Manning. Well, that didn’t remotely work out in his favor. After failing to find a footing in all the professional football leagues in America (USFL, CFL, XFL), the former first-rounder decided it was a bit too soon to let his football dream die and took a leap of faith once again, joining the Colorado Spartans back in December. The “comeback” seemed to be trending in the right direction until he got hit while playing in Salina, Kansas.

During his third National Arena League (NAL) game against the Amarillo Warbirds over the weekend, Lynch suffered a tear when his right leg was planted, and he was hit from the left side by a defender. The hit apparently caused his knee to buckle.

The diagnosis says that he tore his LCL (lateral collateral ligament) in his right knee. However, some outlets initially reported it as an ACL. But then again, it’s a season-ending injury, regardless.

The timing was particularly heartbreaking because he then and there started finding his rhythm after being out for three years. He even threw his first-ever NAL touchdown pass just weeks earlier in Week 2. Lynch sounded more motivated and dialed in than we’ve seen him in years, or you could say even a decade. He didn’t hold back his emotions when talking to The Denver Post, straight-up saying he was “pissed off” and “didn’t want it to be like this.”

 

Some reports indicated he was playing for a maximum of about $600 per game. He was purely doing it for the love of the game and, yes, wanted his kids to see him play. Now, he’s scheduled for surgery in mid-April. Just like that, the injury cut short his “comeback story” just two-plus games into his arena football debut after a three-year hiatus.

Despite the season being cut short so abruptly, Lynch did mention a small silver lining: the brief time he spent on the arena turf actually helped him regain a lot of his personal confidence. Lynch says he still plans to show up to the home games to meet fans and sign autographs because he knows people wanted to see him play. He’s 32 right now. And he has joked about wanting to play until he’s 45, just like Tom Brady.

Now that his 2026 season is officially in the books, his long-term football future is once again a question mark. Rehab for a torn ligament is a year-long process, especially for a veteran quarterback who’s already dealt with the wear and tear of multiple professional leagues (at least six times). It’s too early to say whether he’s got one more “Cinderella story” comeback in him or not. But you simply cannot ignore the Hall-of-Fame talent he showed during his time in Memphis.

The great college career of Paxton Lynch

You don’t see many 6’7” QBs these days in college football, let alone slinging dimes. Paxton was the prototype, first of his generation.

He played three full seasons as their starter and was making all kinds of money throws. He racked up 8,863 passing yards and 59 touchdowns. At that time, it put him right at the top of nearly every major passing category in school history.

However, his junior year was the best football he ever played in his life. The former Broncos gunslinger threw for a school-record 3,778 yards and 28 touchdowns with only four interceptions. His peak performance came against SMU. He tied an FBS record by throwing seven touchdown passes in a single half. That’s pretty much one-fourth of his season touchdowns in just 15 minutes. And it’s worth mentioning he did it to seven different receivers.

But what really made the Denver Broncos take a flyer on him in the first round (26th overall) was his game against the No. 13-ranked Ole Miss Rebels back in 2015. Lynch carried the Tigers on his back by throwing for 363 yards and three scores to pull off an upset of the decade.

Once he made his way into the Denver Broncos locker room, the injury outbreak began. He only started four games for Denver and did his best with them. Apparently, injuries got the best of him twice and led the Broncos to release him in 2018.

After his stint in Denver ended, Lynch became a bit of a football nomad. He spent time with the Seattle Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers but never saw the field in a regular-season game. Looking for a fresh start, he headed north to the CFL with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2021, but he never actually played a snap there either. Eventually, he landed with the Michigan Panthers in the USFL and the Orlando Guardians in the XFL. He ultimately became the first player ever to be benched in four different professional leagues (NFL, CFL, USFL, and XFL).

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