I was at the gym when I saw the devastating news. I couldn’t read the close-captioning clearly, as the captioning got lost in the bottom TV graphics, so I was hoping my eyes were deceiving me. Sure enough, unfortunately what I suspected was true:
Longtime star safety John Lynch is leaving the Denver Broncos.
"I’m going to explore all of my opportunities," Lynch said Wednesday night, according to the newspaper. "Is it retirement? Maybe. Is it playing for another team? Maybe. [Coach] Mike [Shanahan] has given me the opportunity to explore that and that’s what I’m going to do. But I won’t be playing for the Broncos."
Surprised? Not really. You could see the writing on the well when Denver signed a slew of young safeties to compete for the starting job. While I was ecstatic that Lynch signed on for another year, I knew that retirement was looming on the horizon, and his chances of starting full-time aren’t what they used to be. It sucks because like the Packers, what’s in the best interest for Lynch and what’s in the best interest for the Broncos don’t coincide.
Depressed? Absolutely. Lynch is still an awesome player, a great character guy (much needed for our team) and has done a lot for the Broncos, and I wish him success wherever he ends up. We’ll definitely be missing him in more ways than one.
Worst of all, I’ll need to get a new jersey. Who do I go with?