Experience scores Deltona QB Paxton Lynch another chance with XFL’s Guardians

A week into his new job and Paxton Lynch already is trying to make up for the lost time.

Lynch signed an agreement with the Orlando Guardians on Jan. 30 and, within a few days, the veteran quarterback packed his truck in Denver and was on his way to join his new team in Arlington, Texas.

The Deltona native hopes the XFL will lead back to NFL.

Lynch began his football career at Deltona Trinity Christian Academy, an area where his parents still reside.

“I’m excited to get the opportunity to play professional football for an area where I grew up,” said Lynch. “That means a lot to me and it’s home to me, so I’m excited to get the opportunity to go out there and play for the city.

“I haven’t played in front of my parents, my family and my friends consistently in a long time.”

David and Stacie Lynch live 35 minutes from Camping World Stadium, where the Guardians are set to play their home games. They still live in the same house where Lynch grew up, even after the 28-year-old moved to Denver where he lives with his wife and two children.

“The kids get to see their Mimi and Papa and want to get dropped off and stay a couple of weeks between home games,” he added.

It’s been quite the journey for the 6-foot-7 Lynch, who played college ball at Memphis, where he totaled 9,550 yards of total offense and 76 total touchdowns while leading the Tigers to a 22-16 mark from 2013-15. He skipped his final year of eligibility to enter the 2016 NFL Draft, where he was selected in the first round by the Denver Broncos.

After appearing in five games (4 starts) over the next two seasons, Lynch was released in 2018. He signed with the Seattle Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019 before spending the 2021 season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League.

“It was tough for my wife and kids going back and forth [to Canada], especially with their COVID restrictions,” said Lynch. “It was so hard just to see my family, so I was looking for an opportunity to keep playing but here in the United States.”

There was the re-emergence of the United States Football League. Much like its predecessor, which operated from 1983-85, the USFL was a spring league featuring eight teams playing their games at a central hub in Birmingham, Ala.

“My agent was in communication with some of the people starting the league and that communication continued until training camp,” he said.

Lynch appeared in six games for the Michigan Panthers, passing for 550 yards with 5 touchdowns and 4 interceptions.

“There were a lot of good players there and a lot of talent, a lot of people competing and trying to do whatever it took to get to the next level,” Lynch said.

Following the completion of the 2022 season, Lynch turned his attention to the XFL which was back under new ownership in 2023. Like the USFL, the XFL consists of eight teams playing a spring schedule with a central hub in Arlington, Texas. But the teams would play their games in home cities instead of one stadium.

“I wanted the opportunity to come here if nothing opened up for an NFL opportunity,” he said.

Lynch worked out and was in contact with several teams before the league’s draft in November, but he went undrafted. A former Broncos teammate, Cody Latimer, texted him about his team in Orlando.

Lynch was signed based on experience.

“When things get going and things get tough, you look around and you see guys who haven’t been in that situation. You start to think, ‘We need somebody who understands what it takes,’” Guardians coach Terrell Buckley said.

With teams forced to trim rosters to 51 players by Friday, Buckley hasn’t determined if Orlando will keep three quarterbacks when the season opens against the Houston Roughnecks on Feb. 18.

“It’s a competition until we decide who will be No. 1,” he said. “If it’s deemed necessary to keep three, we will.”

Lynch joins fellow quarterbacks Deondre Francois and Quinten Dormady on the Orlando roster.

“I was always ready, working out and throwing and staying sharp physically,” he said. “So when I arrived, it wasn’t an issue. Learning a new system … There’s similar terminology now, so that’s helped me shorten the [learning] curve and I’ve been able to pick it up pretty quickly.”

Lynch’s limited experience with the XFL is similar to his time with the USFL.

“I’ve only been here for less than a week, but it’s professional. They’re treating us as professionals,” he said.

Meanwhile, the XFL presents Lynch and players like him with another shot at chasing their NFL dreams.

“My goal, ever since I was a little kid was to make it to the NFL and play in the NFL, but my career in NFL didn’t last as long as I hoped for or I’d wanted to,” he said. “It’s why I continue to put myself in these situations, to keep playing and allowing myself to showcase my ability to these NFL teams because I still wanted to get back there.”

This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Matt Murschel at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @osmattmurschel.

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