The Paxton Lynch comeback injury story took a painful turn after the former Denver Broncos quarterback suffered a serious knee injury while playing in the National Arena League. The setback ended his latest bid to return to professional football and derailed another attempt to work his way back toward the NFL.
Lynch suffered the injury on March 28 in Salina, Kansas, while playing for the Colorado Spartans against Liberty. It came in just his third game for the team. He tore his LCL, which ended his season immediately.
Lynch had joined the National Arena League on a modest $ 600-per-game salary. The report says he chose the opportunity to keep chasing an NFL return rather than focus on money.
In comments quoted from an interview with The Denver Post, Lynch expressed frustration over how the comeback ended. Still, he said, returning to the field had been worth it because he played with confidence again.
The Broncos selected Lynch 26th overall in the 2016 NFL Draft and hoped he would emerge as the team’s long-term answer at quarterback after Peyton Manning’s retirement. Lynch stood 6-foot-7 and weighed 244 pounds, giving Denver reason to believe he could develop into a franchise player.
That promise never fully materialised. Lynch played only five NFL games, and his last appearance came in 2017. He later spent time with the Seahawks and Steelers before leaving the league by 2020.
Since his NFL exit, Lynch has continued to pursue football through other leagues. He tried to revive his career in the CFL, USFL and XFL before turning to arena football for his latest opportunity.
That path showed how determined he remained to keep playing, even after years away from the NFL spotlight. Arena football offered him another chance to compete, but the injury has now added another setback to a comeback that already faced long odds.
Lynch’s latest chapter ended quickly, but it still reflected his desire to keep pursuing football on his own terms. He felt good playing again with full confidence, regardless of what others thought.
That sentiment may ultimately define this comeback attempt more than the injury itself. Even though the season is over, Lynch’s return to the field showed that he had not let earlier disappointments end his love for the game.
