Jayden Daniels grew up a Donovan McNabb fan and wears No. 5 in the former Eagles’ honor
Daniels’ favorite players growing up included two former Eagles quarterbacks in McNabb and Michael Vick.
Before he wore No. 5 in burgundy and gold for the Washington Commanders, a young Jayden Daniels enjoyed wearing an Eagles green Donovan McNabb jersey.
“My dad [Jay Daniels] played college at Washington and Iowa State,” Daniels told ASUDevils.com writer Hod Rabino in 2019. “He played corner and growing up he always wanted me to play corner because he knew that I could have the height to play that position. But I chose to play quarterback. When I was younger my favorite quarterback was Donovan McNabb, and I had his Philadelphia Eagles jersey. He wore number five and that is why I picked that jersey number.”
In an interview with Boardroom, the former LSU quarterback also credited Reggie Bush as a reason why he chose to wear No. 5 and named another former Eagles quarterback as one of his favorite players growing up.
“I would say my inspiration is one Michael Vick, Donovan McNabb, and then overall Reggie Bush,” Daniels told Boardroom. “He’s a huge kid from Southern California, watching him at USC, [the] reason why I wore No. 5. And I remember playing Madden 2004 with my older cousins, playing on the PlayStation 2, and just going out there running around with Michael Vick. So, that kind of just drew me to liking him even more. To be in the position I’m in today and play quarterback, Michael Vick for sure is an inspiration to me.”
Vick and McNabb have provided the blueprint for Daniels as a dual-threat quarterback. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft has completely transformed the Commanders. He’s thrown for 3,530 yards and 25 touchdowns. Meanwhile, on the ground, he has a rookie record of 864 yards and six scores. His performance will likely make him a lock for offensive rookie of the year.
» READ MORE: Brian Johnson took the blame for last year’s Eagles. Now, he’s a ‘heavy hitter’ with the high-powered Commanders.
After leading the Commanders to a 45-31 win over the No. 1-seeded Detroit Lions, Daniels is one win away from making history and becoming the first rookie quarterback to play in a Super Bowl. The one team standing in his way: the Eagles, the former team of his two favorite quarterbacks.
The Eagles host to the Washington Commanders on Sunday in the NFC championship game. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from Lincoln Financial Field.