Who is Paxton Lynch? XFL QB who gave Jerry Jones regret over Dak Prescott delivers stinker

Former Denver Broncos first-round quarterback Paxton Lynch stunk it up last night during his XFL debut with the Orlando Guardians.

Lynch was benched in the Guardians' 33-12 debut loss to the Houston Roughnecks in Week 1 of the XFL's 2023 season. He was benched after throwing a second interception of the night in the second half.

Lynch completed 15 out of 21 passes for 136 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions.

The 29-year-old had a brief NFL stint for two seasons with the Broncos. He was drafted in the first round of the 2016 NFL draft and started five career games with the team before his NFL career ended.

During the 2016 NFL draft, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones wanted to trade up for Lynch and was furious the team was unable to land him. At the time, Jones had said:

“I’m not gonna go jump from Dallas’s tallest, so let’s put this in perspective. And I live with second-guessing and disappointments. That’s a part of this business. But if I had to do it all over again? I’d give the three.”

The team wanted Lynch to be their successor to Tony Romo. They instead drafted Dak Prescott in the fourth round of the same draft.

Not trading up for Paxton Lynch paid off for the Dallas Cowboys and Dak Prescott

Dallas Cowboys v San Francisco 49ers

While Jones was very disappointed that the team was unable to trade up for Paxton Lynch, it paid off as Dak Prescott has had and is having the better NFL career.

Lynch only lasted two seasons in the NFL. While he was a first-round pick, he never lived up to the expectations. He has appeared in five games and had a 1-3 starting record, throwing for four touchdowns, four interceptions, and 792 yards, while completing 61.7 percent of passes.

Prescott has been a way more successful quarterback than him. He's been named to two Pro Bowls, has led the Cowboys to multiple playoff appearances, and won the Walter Payton Man of the Year award this past season.

Prescott has been the team's starting quarterback since the 2016 season. He has recorded 24,943 yards, 166 touchdowns, 65 interceptions, 1,642 rushing yards, and 26 touchdowns.

He has a career record of 61-36 and a career passer rating of 97.8. In hindsight, Jones and the Cowboys are glad they never traded up for Paxton Lynch.