John Elway lives for challenges, and revels in defying the odds. The Denver Broncos general manager, among other moments of heroism, flipped a backup offensive tackle (Ty Sambrailo) for a fifth-round draft pick and a punter (Riley Dixon) for a seventh-rounder.

But his toughest challenge yet will involve dealing Paxton Lynch, if he so chooses.

In an interview with 104.3 The Fan on Friday, ESPN insider Adam Schefter declared that the lambasted quarterback has nonexistent trade value to NFL teams.

“I don’t think he’s got much value around the league. He doesn’t have until he shows something in Denver, which he hasn’t done,” Schefter said.

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Keep in mind, Schefter's comments came prior to Lynch's disastrous performance in Saturday's preseason opener, when he completed just 6-of-11 passes for 24 yards and an interception across two quarters of action. And after rumblings surfaced of Denver potentially being interested in signing a veteran QB.

“If they saw enough from Paxton Lynch, why would they even be entertaining the idea? Why would we be discussing it?” Schefter said. “And if they indeed are looking for a backup quarterback, why would Paxton Lynch have any value then?”

Any shred of value Lynch had disintegrated in the Mile High altitude against the Vikings. He remains mentally slow on the field, struggling with basic concepts like getting rid of the ball or going through his reads. Instead of progressing or holding neutral, he's regressing. Moreover, his confidence -- what was left of it -- is totally shot.

“We didn’t really put a lot of drives together and move the ball so I’m sad about that," Lynch said after the game. "We didn’t score a lot of points, but I’ll watch the film tomorrow. We’ll move on from that and work on Chicago.”

Things have gotten so dire that Broncos fans are literally pinching together their pennies to expedite Lynch's release. And financial matters might be the biggest factor working in his favor. Denver would suffer a $2.5 million net loss by cutting Lynch, who carries a $4.457 million dead money charge in the third of his four-year rookie contract.

This, on top of no team willing to surrender compensation for a lemon, likely ensures Lynch's spot on the 53-man roster. It'd behoove the Broncos, though, to at least kick the tires on a grizzled vet as insurance behind Case Keenum and Chad Kelly.

A previous report indicated the Broncos would explore such a scenario if Lynch bombs this summer. On a picked-over free agent market, former Bronco Mark Sanchez, Ryan Mallett, Matt Moore, Derek Anderson and Kellen Clemens are the top backup signal-callers currently available.