The Orlando Guardians have found themselves a new signal caller to add to the mix. Quarterback Paxton Lynch has made his way around various north american football leagues. Playing his college ball at Memphis, he was a first-round pick in 2016 by the Denver Broncos, expecting to succeed the great Peyton Manning. In his four years with the Tigers, he threw for 8,863 yards and 53 touchdowns, being named the 2014 Miami Beach Bowl MVP.
Unfortunately for Lynch, his NFL career didn’t quite go as expected after being drafted with the 26th overall pick. He started just four games, appearing in five, and looked abysmal. He threw just 128 balls for 792 yards and four touchdowns and four interceptions.
He hopped from team to team for a little bit, joining the Seattle Seahawks in 2019 for a pre-season but was released during the final cuts. Lynch quickly found a home on the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad in 2019 following an injury to Mason Rudolph, but was released the following season.
The former first-round pick made his way north, playing in the Canadian Football League for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Unfortunately, he never made an appearance for them and was released in February of 2022. Though on the same day of his release from the Roughriders, he quickly found a home in the USFL with the Michigan Panthers. Lynch would appear in six games, starting in three, and passed for 550 yards and four touchdowns, going 2-1 as a starter.
He’ll join an Orlando team that’s looking to make noise in the next rendition of the XFL. Entering a quarterback room with Quinten Dormady, Deondre Francois, and Mitch Kidd. Lynch is easily the biggest name on this depth chart, but it’s not about who you are, it’s how you play. We’ll see just what kind of impact Lynch has with this team, and if he finds his way onto the field as he did with the Panthers last year in the USFL.
