Paxton Lynch didn’t hide his disappointment on Monday after it was announced that he had lost the starting quarterback job to Trevor Siemian for a second year in a row. He stated it outright.
“Obviously I was very disappointed,” Lynch said when he met the media after the announcement was made. “I gave everything I had to go out there and win the job, but at the end of the day the coaches made a decision and now I’m at the point where I’m at.”
This is far from the end of the road for the 2016 first-round pick, however.
“I just have to prepare and be ready because a lot of guys in this league are always one play away from getting in, so that’s how I’m going to prepare,” he continued.
Such was the case last year when Siemian exited the Week 4 game against Tampa Bay after taking three sacks in less than one half. Lynch stepped in and helped secure the victory. He lost his first start against Atlanta in Week 5, then led them to victory Week 13 against Jacksonville.
Siemian, meanwhile, isn’t taking his starting job for granted; that’s life in the NFL.
“Honestly, I think you have to compete for your job every day and every week,” he said. “When I was here and I watched Peyton [Manning], that guy wasn’t content – Hall of Fame or whatever it was. But every day and every week, I think you have to earn your job. Quarterback is no different.”
Despite the disappointment, Lynch is happy with how he handled this year’s competition and now focusing on his role behind Siemian.
“I’m very happy with how I handled myself through this whole process and how I’m progressing as a player. I’m making right strides and I’m heading in the right direction. I’m very sad about [not being named the starter], but I’m going to keep working to be the best player I can be and whenever my number is called I’m going to be ready to play.”
For Head Coach Vance Joseph, the number one thing Lynch is missing is experience. He played just 2.5 games last season, and is still learning the dynamics of the NFL game.
“What’s holding him back is probably experience,” the head coach said Monday. “It’s tough to play quarterback in this league. A lot goes into it. It’s not simply about how tall you are, your arm strength or how fast you run. There are different factors that go into being an NFL quarterback. As far as the system, Mike [McCoy] built the system for both guys. It wasn’t built for Paxton; it was built for the quarterback. So what’s holding him back is probably experience.”
It’s not as though it was a runaway decision to name Siemian the starter. Joseph said Lynch made great strides this offseason, but Siemian’s play in the first two preseason games made the choice clear enough.
“It was close, in my opinion, probably mid-camp when Paxton was making huge strides, fast,” Joseph said. “But, I said the games were going to be an important piece and the games were. In my opinion, Trevor played better than Paxton in the actual games.”
Lynch won’t let the decision, or his disappointment negatively effect his relationship with Siemian or what he still believes he can do for this team.
“In this business you are competing against each other for a job, but at the end of the day, we all see each other more than you see anybody else. You spend time with these coaches and you spend time with these players more than you spend time with your own family and your own friends. I think it’s important to have a relationship with them not just on the football field, but outside of it. I just want it to be known that I’m here to help Trevor, help everyone else, and do what we need to do to win ballgames,” Lynch said.
Although he’s down, Lynch is far from out. And he’s going to come to work each day with the same attitude and work ethic that had him close to earning the starting job this year.
“The same way I’ve been doing it,” he said when asked how he’ll approach job moving forward. “Just preparing to play, doing whatever the team needs me to do to win, back up Trevor, give him my full support and support everybody else on the team.”