Paxton Lynch says John Elway didn't give him a fair chance in Denver

The Denver Broncos made Paxton Lynch a first-round pick in 2016. They proceeded to give him four starts in two years before releasing him, and he hasn’t played since.

Lynch, now a backup for the Pittsburgh Steelers, made it quite clear Thursday that he believes Broncos president John Elway did not give him a fair shake to prove himself in Denver.

“I’m sure it was [Elway’s] decision at the end of the day,” Lynch said, via Ed Bouchette of The Athletic. “He told me he didn’t think it was really fair the way the media treated me there. I was like, ‘Yeah, you really haven’t given me an opportunity to show them otherwise.'”

It’s a pretty obvious dig at Elway for not backing him or giving him the opportunity to prove himself more. In terms of regular-season play, that may be true — Lynch threw four touchdowns and four interceptions in his four starts, winning just one of them, but it’s hard to make a determination based on that. However, Lynch was terrible during the 2018 preseason and didn’t give Denver any reason to believe he was progressing as a quarterback. That’s what led to his release, and the fact that he hasn’t gotten another chance to play since leaving Denver indicates that Elway’s assessment may have been correct.

It’s hard to blame Lynch, though. Add in the fact that he’s an emotional guy and it’s understandable that his career trajectory leaves him feeling upset.