Paxton Lynch – Syndication Server

Broncos quarterbacks since Peyton Manning: Bo Nix joins the list

Bo Nix is the Denver Broncos’ 14th starting quarterback since Peyton Manning’s retirement. Here’s the full list.

The Denver Broncos have been in football purgatory following Peyton Manning’s retirement from the NFL.

Manning played in Denver from 2012-2015, posting a 45-12 record as the team’s starter. The Broncos won the AFC West in all four of Manning’s seasons and they reached two Super Bowls.

After winning Super Bowl 50, Manning retired during the 2016 offseason. Denver spent the last nine years searching for a replacement. Broncos fans now have hope that Bo Nix will finally break the team’s post-Manning quarterback curse.

Nix, who was picked by Denver in the first round of the NFL draft in April, will become the Broncos’ 14th starting quarterback since Manning’s retirement. Here’s the full list.

Broncos starting quarterbacks since Peyton Manning

1. Trevor Siemian: 13-11
2. Paxton Lynch: 1-3
3. Brock Osweiler: 0-4
4. Case Keenum: 6-10
5. Joe Flacco: 2-6
6. Brandon Allen: 1-2
7. Jeff Driskel: 0-1
8. Brett Rypien: 2-1
9. Drew Lock: 8-13
10. Kendall Hinton/Phillip Lindsay: 0-1
11. Teddy Bridgewater: 7-7
12. Russell Wilson: 11-19
13. Jarrett Stidham: 2-2
14. Bo Nix: 0-0

Siemian was the team’s only full-time starter to post a winning record, but he wasn’t a franchise quarterback. Here’s a quick look back at each QB.

1. Trevor Siemian: 13-11

Denver’s most successful quarterback since Manning’s retirement (in terms of record), Siemian nearly reached the playoffs in his first season under center. After spending last year as a backup with the New York Jets, Siemian is now a free agent.

2. Paxton Lynch: 1-3

One of the biggest busts in franchise history, Lynch went on to have unsuccessful stints in the CFL, USFL and XFL after falling out of the NFL in 2019. He’s currently a free agent.

3. Brock Osweiler: 0-4

Osweiler was an important player for the Broncos during their Super Bowl 50 run as he filled in well for an injured Manning during the 2015 season. Osweiler’s second stint with the team did not go well, though, and he retired from the NFL in 2019.

4. Case Keenum: 6-10

Keenum had an unremarkable one-year run with the Broncos in 2018. He’s now a backup with the Houston Texans.

5. Joe Flacco: 2-6

Flacco joined the Broncos in 2019 and he didn’t last long in Denver. He’s now a backup with the Indianapolis Colts.

6. Brandon Allen: 1-2

Allen started three games in 2019 when Flacco and Drew Lock were recovering from injuries. Allen is now a backup with the San Francisco 49ers.

7. Jeff Driskel: 0-1

Driskel started one game when Lock was injured in 2020 and it didn’t go well. He’s now a backup with the Washington Commanders.

8. Brett Rypien: 2-1

Rypien started one game in the place of an injured Lock and two games in the place of an injured Russell Wilson. He is now a backup with the Chicago Bears.

9. Drew Lock: 8-13

Lock had moments of strong play in Denver, but his turnovers often proved to be costly. He was sent to Seattle as part of the Wilson trade and he spent two years as a backup with the Seahawks. Lock is now a backup with the New York Gitans.

10. Kendall Hinton/Phillip Lindsay: 0-1

When all four of Denver’s quarterbacks were ruled ineligible to play in Week 12 of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 policy, wide receiver Kendall Hinton was called up from the practice squad to play quarterback that week. Technically, the Broncos had Lindsay line up in a Wild Cat formation for the first play, so Hinton was not officially credited with a QB start, but he was Denver’s QB that day.

Hinton and Lindsay are now both out of the NFL.

11. Teddy Bridgewater: 7-7

Bridgewater was one of Denver’s best quarterbacks since the Manning era, but it still wasn’t enough for the Broncos to get back into playoff contention. After backup stints with the Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions, Bridgewater retired from the NFL in February. He now coaches high school football in Miami.

12. Russell Wilson: 11-19

The Broncos paid a king’s ransom to acquire Wilson from the Seahawks in 2022 and he ended up starting just 30 games in Denver. Wilson went 4-11 in 2022 and 7-8 in 2023. Payton took on the largest dead money cap hit in NFL history to move on from Wilson this spring. He now plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

13. Jarrett Stidham: 1-1

After the Broncos benched Wilson last year, Stidham started the final two games of the season and split the results. He competed with Nix for Denver’s starting job this summer but wasn’t able to fend off the rookie for QB1 duties.

14. Bo Nix: 0-0

On paper, Nix seems to be a perfect fit for Payton’s offense. He will make his regular-season NFL debut when the Broncos go on the road to face the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1 (Sept. 8). After eight seasons of inconsistent quarterback play, Denver now turns to Nix to get the franchise back on track.

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Bo Nix becomes Broncos’ 14th starting QB since Peyton Manning (view the full list)

Bo Nix is the Denver Broncos’ 14th starting quarterback since Peyton Manning’s retirement. Here’s the full list.

The Denver Broncos have been in football purgatory following Peyton Manning’s retirement from the NFL.

Manning played in Denver from 2012-2015, posting a 45-12 record as the team’s starter. The Broncos won the AFC West in all four of Manning’s seasons and they reached two Super Bowls.

Nix, who was picked by Denver in the first round of the NFL draft in April, has been named the team’s starter ahead of the 2024 NFL season. He will become the Broncos’ 14th starting quarterback since Manning’s retirement. Here’s the full list.

Broncos starting quarterbacks since Peyton Manning

1. Trevor Siemian: 13-11
2. Paxton Lynch: 1-3
3. Brock Osweiler: 0-4
4. Case Keenum: 6-10
5. Joe Flacco: 2-6
6. Brandon Allen: 1-2
7. Jeff Driskel: 0-1
8. Brett Rypien: 2-1
9. Drew Lock: 8-13
10. Kendall Hinton/Phillip Lindsay: 0-1
11. Teddy Bridgewater: 7-7
12. Russell Wilson: 11-19
13. Jarrett Stidham: 2-2
14. Bo Nix: 0-0

Siemian was the team’s only full-time starter to post a winning record, but he wasn’t a franchise quarterback. Here’s a quick look back at each QB.

1. Trevor Siemian: 13-11

2. Paxton Lynch: 1-3

One of the biggest busts in franchise history, Lynch went on to have unsuccessful stints in the CFL, USFL and XFL after falling out of the NFL in 2019. He’s currently a free agent.

3. Brock Osweiler: 0-4

4. Case Keenum: 6-10

Keenum had an unremarkable one-year run with the Broncos in 2018. He’s now a backup with the Houston Texans.

5. Joe Flacco: 2-6

Flacco joined the Broncos in 2019 and he didn’t last long in Denver. He’s now a backup with the Indianapolis Colts.

6. Brandon Allen: 1-2

Allen started three games in 2019 when Flacco and Drew Lock were recovering from injuries. Allen is now a backup with the San Francisco 49ers.

7. Jeff Driskel: 0-1

Driskel started one game when Lock was injured in 2020 and it didn’t go well. He’s now a backup with the Washington Commanders.

8. Brett Rypien: 2-1

Rypien started one game in the place of an injured Lock and two games in the place of an injured Russell Wilson. He is now a backup with the Chicago Bears.

9. Drew Lock: 8-13

10. Kendall Hinton/Phillip Lindsay: 0-1

Hinton and Lindsay are now both out of the NFL.

11. Teddy Bridgewater: 7-7

12. Russell Wilson: 11-19

13. Jarrett Stidham: 1-1

14. Bo Nix: 0-0

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John Elway admits passing on Josh Allen was his biggest mistake as GM

“That was probably my biggest mistake,” John Elway said of passing on Josh Allen in 2018. Elway stepped down as GM three years later.

Thirteen years after winning back-to-back Super Bowls as a quarterback, John Elway returned to the Denver Broncos in 2011 as an executive.

Elway quickly became the team’s general manager and after signing Peyton Manning in 2012, Elway later assembled a dream team of free agents that included DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib, T.J. Ward, Wes Welker and Emmanuel Sanders.

Manning led the team to four straight division titles and the Broncos reached two Super Bowls, winning Super Bowl 50 following the 2015 season. Elway had planned for the post-Manning era by drafting Brock Osweiler in 2012, but the team wasn’t able to re-sign Osweiler when his rookie contract expired.

Elway attempted to draft a quarterback again in 2016, using a first-round pick on Paxton Lynch, who flopped. Two years later, the Broncos held the fifth overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft and Elway picked pass rusher Bradley Chubb over quarterback Josh Allen.

During a recent interview on the “Parton My Take” podcast by Barstool Sports, Elway admitted that passing on Allen was likely the biggest mistake he made during his time building Denver’s roster.

“I loved him,” Elway told PMT. “But it just didn’t work out. He was my type. That was probably my biggest mistake of my GM days, was not taking Josh.”

The Buffalo Bills picked Allen seventh overall and Buffalo has gone 63-30 with Allen under center. Elway tried again in 2019, using a second-round pick on Drew Lock, but Lock was shipped out by new management three years later.

Elway stepped down from day-to-day GM duties following the 2020 season but remained president of football operations. The Broncos hired George Paton as their new GM in 2021 and Elway’s contract expired after that season. Elway served as a consultant in 2022, but that role was not renewed in 2023. Though he won a Super Bowl as a GM, Elway’s legacy as an executive was damaged by his failure to find a Manning replacement.

Denver went 32-48 in Elway’s final five seasons running the team, and the club has started 13 different quarterbacks since Manning’s retirement.

Paton and coach Sean Payton aimed to right the ship by using a first-round pick to select quarterback Bo Nix this spring. Following the failures of Osweiler, Lynch and Lock, Nix will aim to become the team’s first franchise quarterback since Manning. He might never reach the level of Josh Allen, but Nix can help Broncos fans forget the QB struggles of the post-Manning era.

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Ex-Broncos backup QB named starter for UFL’s Houston Roughnecks

Remember Jarrett Guarantano? He had a brief stint with the Broncos in 2022. He’s now set to start in the UFL this spring.

A former Denver Broncos (backup) quarterback has been named a starter in the United Football League (a new spring league formed by the merger of the XFL and USFL).

The Houston Roughnecks will start Jarrett Guarantano in their season opener next weekend, coach Curtis Johnson announced Wednesday.

Guarantano, 26, played college football at Tennessee and Washington State before entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Arizona Cardinals in 2022. After the Cardinals released Guarantano from their practice squad midway through his rookie season, he tried out for Denver. Two weeks later, the Broncos signed Guarantano to their practice squad.

He was elevated to the game-day roster in Week 15 to serve as a backup behind Brett Rypien (Russell Wilson was out with a concussion). Guarantano was fully promoted to the 53-man roster the next week. Denver cut the QB last summer and he signed with the UFL last December.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CmaOL49Oizv/?img_index=1

Guarantano isn’t the only QB who had a cup of coffee with the Broncos set to play in the UFL this spring.

Case Cookus, who lasted three days in Denver during the 2021 offseason, has had quite a journeyman career. After his brief stint with the Broncos, Cookus went on to spend time with three NFL teams, one CFL team and one USFL team. He is now set to play for the Memphis Showboats in 2024.

Two other ex-Denver quarterbacks — Paxton Lynch and Kyle Sloter — were backups in the XFL last spring but are now free agents.

Also of note: former Broncos coach and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips will serve as the head coach of the UFL’s San Antonio Brahmas.

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My 7 biggest draft misses as an evaluator and the lessons learned from them

Draft Wire’s Jeff Risdon looks back at the 7 biggest misses in his draft evaluations over the last 20 years and what he learned from them

Recently I reflected upon the top-graded players at each position in my draft evaluations since 2004. That was a fun exercise.

This trip down memory lane is not so pleasant. But it’s an important one nonetheless.

Who were my biggest misses in the draft evaluation process?

Most of these are players who I expected to be very good in the NFL but didn’t pan out. There are a couple of notable prospects where I grossly underestimated their impact at the next level, too.

The point here is to learn from the misses. Why were my evaluations off? What did I think I saw that made me miss? If you’re not trying to get better and learn from your mistakes as an evaluator, you’re destined to keep missing.

Ex-Broncos QB Paxton Lynch signs with XFL’s Orlando Guardians

Paxton Lynch’s comeback attempt continues, this time in the XFL.

Paxton Lynch’s comeback journey continues.

The former Denver Broncos quarterback has signed with the Orlando Guardians to play in the upcoming spring season of the re-launched XFL, according to The Daytona Beach News-Journal‘s Chris Boyle.

Lynch played college football at Memphis and was selected by former Broncos general manager John Elway in the first round of the 2016 NFL draft after Denver won Super Bowl 50. Lynch was a bust with the Broncos, starting in just four games before being released ahead of the 2018 season.

After a year out of football, Lynch had brief stints with the Seattle Seahawks (2019) and Pittsburgh Steelers (2019) before another one-year hiatus. He then went to Canada to play for the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2021.

Lynch was a healthy scratch for the Roughriders and he ended up asking for his release last spring so he could enter the USFL draft. The CFL granted his request, and Lynch was selected by the USFL’s Michigan Panthers.

Lynch went 2-1 as a starter in the USFL, completing 65.1% of his passes for 550 yards and five touchdowns against four interceptions while adding two more scores on the ground. He’ll now hope to build on those USFL totals when he competes in the XFL this spring.

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Paxton Lynch was outplayed by a former Broncos minicamp QB in USFL game

Former Broncos minicamp QB Case Cookus has looked better than former Broncos first-round pick Paxton Lynch in the USFL.

Former Broncos first-round pick Paxton Lynch is being outplayed by former Broncos rookie minicamp quarterback Case Cookus in the USFL on Fox.

— Jon Heath (@ByJonHeath) June 5, 2022

How the mighty have fallen.

Once a first-round pick in the 2016 NFL draft, Paxton Lynch is getting outplayed by another former Broncos quarterback in the USFL. That’s not a typo.

Earlier this week, the 28-year-old Lynch led the Michigan Panthers in battle against the Case Cookus-led Philadelphia Stars. That’s right: Lynch was outdueled against a former Broncos QB you’ve never heard of. Cookus took home a dub, winning 46-24.

Cookus totaled a 145.4 quarterback rating, completing 20-of-26 passes for 247 yards and four (!) touchdowns. Cookus also rushed for more than 100 yards, including an 79-yard score on the ground.

Nobody was happier for @CaptainCookus10 after his 79-yard TD run than his @USFLStars teammates ❤️🌟

Listen in to their reaction during his mic'd up TD run ⬇️ 🔊 pic.twitter.com/QslYuaCD8A

— USFL (@USFL) June 5, 2022

The performance earned Cookus an Offensive Player of the Week nomination (fans can vote on Twitter).

Lynch, meanwhile, totaled an 80.3 quarterback rating. He completed 27-of-40 passes for 251 yards and two touchdowns. Lynch threw two interceptions and lost a fumble as well. Some things never change. Oof.

Lynch’s Panthers (1-7) are scheduled to next face off against the New Jersey Generals (7-1) on Saturday, while Cookus’ Stars (5-3) will take on the Pittsburgh Maulers (1-7) on Sunday.

Lynch appeared in five games (four starts) for the Broncos, going 1-3 as a starter. Lynch is now getting a second chance in the USFL. Perhaps things will turn around for the former first-round pick at some point.

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Ex-Broncos QBs Paxton Lynch and Kyle Sloter make USFL debuts

Kyle Sloter’s USFL debut went much better than Paxton Lynch’s.

Former Denver Broncos quarterbacks Paxton Lynch and Kyle Sloter made their USFL debuts on Sunday.

Lynch did not start for the Michigan Panthers but he came off the bench after a Shea Patterson fumble led to a fumble-six for the Houston Gamblers. Lynch later lost a fumble himself and he also threw a very poor interception.

After Lynch went 2-of-5 passing for one yard with two turnovers, the Panthers went back to Patterson and Lynch finished the game with a 1.7 quarterback rating. Michigan lost to Houston 17-12.

Sloter had a much better debut, starting for the New Orleans Breakers in their 23-17 win over the Philadelphia Stars. Sloter didn’t have a perfect game (he also threw an interception), but his day went much better than Lynch’s.

Sloter went 17-of-27 passing for 150 yards, good for a 102.2 passer rating. Sloter also rushed four times for 30 yards in the win.

Ex-Denver tight end Bug Howard also scored a touchdown for the Stars in his USFL debut. Lynch, Sloter and Howard among 20 former Broncos playing in the USFL this spring.

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Broncos continue trend of being a nuisance to Jerry Jones

The Broncos have been a nuisance to Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on and off the field since 1998.

The Denver Broncos continue to be a thorn in the side of Dallas Cowboys owner/president/general manager Jerry Jones.

Tuesday marked the latest edition in a continuing saga of the Broncos getting in the way of Jones’ ambitions. Dallas had thought pass rusher Randy Gregory was returning to the team on a five-year contract extension, but after a last-minute snafu, Gregory opted to join Denver instead.

The good news for Jones is, the Broncos snatching a player he coveted has worked out for the Cowboys in the past. In 2016, Dallas tried to trade up in the draft to select Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch, but the Broncos beat the Cowboys to a deal with the Seattle Seahawks.

Jones later said he lost sleep over failing to trade up for Lynch.

Dallas then lucked into Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott in the fourth round, and that has worked out amazingly well for the Cowboys, but Lynch was the QB Jones coveted.

A similar scenario happened in last year’s draft when Denver selected Alabama cornerback Pat Surtain with the ninth overall pick. Surtain was believed to be one of Dallas’ top targets in last year’s class, and he personally met with Jones before the draft.

That also ended up working out for the Cowboys as they selected Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons one pick after the Broncos and he went on to win Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.

Missing out on Lynch and Surtain hurt in the moment, but Dallas ended up with fine players anyway. Time will tell if the Cowboys are able to find a suitable replacement for Gregory.

While the player snafus haven’t been more than temporarily pain for Dallas, their on-field showdowns with Denver have produced continued pain, as DNVR’s Andrew Mason noted on Twitter. The Broncos are 7-0 in their last seven games against the Cowboys, with Dallas’ last win against Denver coming in 1995.

The Broncos have been a nuisance to Jones for the last 27 years.

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3 ex-Broncos QBs selected in USFL draft

Former Broncos quarterbacks Kyle Sloter, Paxton Lynch and Case Cookus were selected in the USFL draft.

When Paxton Lynch was cut by his CFL team, we thought the quarterback’s football career might be over. That speculation proved to be premature.

After selecting former Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson with the first overall pick of the USFL draft on Tuesday evening, the Michigan Panthers later added Lynch in the 12th round (the second round dedicated to QBs).

Lynch, a former Denver Broncos first-round draft pick, now appears poised to serve as Patterson’s backup in the new league this spring.

Another former Broncos quarterback, preseason fan favorite Kyle Sloter, was picked by the New Orleans Breakers in the first round. Kyle seems to be the early favorite in New Orleans to start over 12th-round pick Zach Smith.

A third ex-Denver QB, Case Cookus, was drafted by the Philadelphia Stars in the 12th round after Philly picked Bryan Scott in the first round. Cookus had a cup of coffee with the Broncos last May.

The USFL will wrap up its inaugural draft on Wednesday.

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