Former head coach Jerry Glanville summarized it best, saying that the NFL stands for “not for long”.
Careers can end in an instant due to a devastating hit or underperformance.
While football is still a brutal sport, the chances of witnessing career-ending tackles have dwindled because of safety rules and medical advancements.
However, there’s no shortage of college prospects that didn’t pan out in the NFL for various reasons.
Paxton Lynch is one of them and he never lived up to the hype of being a first-round draft pick.
In three seasons with the Memphis Tigers, Lynch finished with 8,863 yards and 59 touchdowns.
Unfortunately, he lasted only two seasons with the Denver Broncos and served mainly as a backup to Trevor Siemian and Brock Osweiler.
He last played in the NFL for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019.
Two years later, he signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League but never suited up for a game as the third-string quarterback.
At 28 years old, Lynch is still hoping that his football career will eventually take off.
The USFL could be the opportunity he has waited for, but even the way he joined the league was disappointing in nature.
Paxton Lynch was the last of 16 QBs selected in the USFL draft.
Six years ago he was the 3rd QB selected (behind Goff and Wentz) in the NFL draft when the Broncos traded up to get him at 26th overall.https://t.co/ygzZH1Hc4T
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) February 23, 2022
The tweet above by Washington Post NFL reporter Nicki Jhabvala announced that Lynch was the last of the 16 quarterbacks selected in the USFL Draft.
What a steep downfall from being a bright NFL prospect at one point.
One Last Push For Lynch
While the USFL is a minor league, Lynch can use the platform to prove that he can play quarterback professionally.
He can use his draft position as a chip on his shoulder and lead the Michigan Panthers to the title.
Unfortunately, he might not even step on the field either given the low regard to his game.
Sadly, he’s there for the paycheck and nothing else.
As he plays for less, the team that drafted him is set to get billions of dollars after its sale to a new ownership group.
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