Donovan McNabb insists he’s a Hall of Famer: ‘My numbers are better than Troy Aikman’

If it were up to Donovan McNabb, his bust would already be on display in Canton, Ohio.

McNabb, the former Eagles quarterback who has drawn heat for comments he’s made recently about Carson Wentz, told TMZ Sports he “absolutely" deserves to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame based on his career passing statistics.

“I’m not hesitating on that. I am a Hall of Famer,” McNabb said. "My numbers are better than Troy Aikman, but he has Super Bowl rings.”

On paper, that’s true. McNabb threw for more yards and more touchdowns (with fewer interceptions) than Aikman in almost the same amount of games played. McNabb has 37,276 passing yards, 234 passing touchdowns, and 117 career interceptions, compared to Aikman’s 32,942 passing yards, 165 passing touchdowns, and 141 career interceptions. McNabb also ended his career with 3,249 rushing yards and 29 rushing touchdowns.

But the two quarterbacks basically played in two different eras, with McNabb benefiting greatly from rule changes that made the NFL more pass-friendly. And While McNabb is high on the list of postseason wins with nine, he doesn’t come close to Aikman’s 11-4 postseason record, which includes three Super Bowl victories.

“I just don’t think he did enough statistically, and he didn’t do enough from a victory standpoint,” said ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio. “And I don’t think it’s a good look for [McNabb]. I don’t know if it’s a good idea to tell the world, ‘I am a Hall of Famer.’ "

Obviously, the lack of Super Bowl rings hurts McNabb’s chances of being elected into the Hall of Fame, but it’s likely not the only thing keeping No. 5 out of Canton. During his 13-year career, McNabb was never selected to an All-Pro team or named the league MVP, though he was selected to appear in six Pro Bowls.

“But, people don’t realize how hard it is to get to the NFC championship and to get there five times, and then make it to a Super Bowl,” McNabb said.

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McNabb has been eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame since 2016, but has never been a finalist. He retired in 2011 after spending his last two seasons with the Washington Redskins and Minnesota Vikings. The Eagles retired his No. 5 jersey in 2013.

The former Eagles quarterback is now a media free agent, and has been making appearances as an NFL analyst over the past few months after losing television jobs at ESPN, the NFL Network, and Fox Sports. On Wednesday, he appeared as a guest on The Rich Eisen Show on DirecTV’s Audience Network and sat for an interview on The Playbook podcast, hosted by David Meltzer.