What Has Eagles QB Donovan McNabb Been Up To?

As the Philadelphia Eagles prepare to face off against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII, all eyes are on the warring quarterbacks, Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts. Mahomes has been a staple at Chiefs Kingdom since he was drafted by the franchise in 2017, but Hurts is more of a newcomer, having been drafted in 2020. Per Sporting News, Hurts wasn't exactly a top choice, but he's certainly set the league on fire since starting for Philly. In the 2022-2023 regular season alone, he threw for 3,701 yards and 22 touchdowns to headline the Eagles' 14-3 record. Then, he turned things up in the postseason, beating the San Francisco 49ers 31-7 to advance to the Super Bowl.

Hurts isn't the only elite player from the Eagles to guide his team to the Super Bowl in recent memory. Quarterback Donovan McNabb did so in Super Bowl XXIX, though he ultimately fell to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. Unsurprisingly, McNabb's all in on Hurts, and he and former Atlanta Falcons QB Michael Vick sat down with Hurts in November 2022 to talk about being a Black quarterback in America, per ESPN. "What you're doing right now is glorifying the ability to play inside, outside, read the game, see the game," McNabb praised his young successor. Hurts returned the favor, telling McNabb that he looks up to him and his style of play.

Speaking of McNabb, what has he been up to since leaving the NFL?

Donovan McNabb holds a reputation for being one of the league's most successful signal-callers, per Bleacher Report. Throughout his storied career, he sent the Philadelphia Eagles to the NFC Championship five times, and made one Super Bowl appearance. Like many other NFL alums, the ex-quarterback joined the NFL Network after retiring, switching over to ESPN in 2016, according to Bleacher Report. But his time with the network was marred by reports of sexual harassment. In 2017, TMZ Sports published news of a lawsuit filed by wardrobe stylist Jami Cantor, who alleged that she was "subjected to ongoing and continuing sexual harassment" by McNabb and others. McNabb, in particular, was accused of sending Cantor graphic text messages, and was subsequently fired from ESPN (via CBS News).

Since parting ways with the company, the Eagles alum has appeared as a guest on various TV and radio shows to talk football. This includes "The Rich Eisen Show," "Tiki + Tierney," "The Playbook," and more — so he's clearly not doing too badly for himself!

As of 2019, McNabb has been vocal about the fact that he belongs in the Hall of Fame, though he's yet to be named as a finalist. "My numbers are better than Troy Aikman," the star player told TMZ Sports, adding, "I'm not hesitating on that. I am a Hall of Famer." For what it's worth, McNabb's former coach (and current Kansas City Chiefs head coach) Andy Reid is backing McNabb's claims (via NBC Sports).

If it seems like Donovan McNabb's exile from ESPN is a big fall from grace, it likely is. But the truth is that his troubles began brewing prior to Jami Cantor's lawsuit. Shortly after retiring, USA Today reported that McNabb served a day in jail after he was arrested for a DUI in 2013. Apparently, he didn't learn his lesson, as he was arrested in Arizona for a DUI a second time in 2015, according to ESPN. Police noted that the ex-quarterback's blood alcohol level registered as 0.17, which qualifies as an "extreme DUI." However, McNabb, who rear-ended another car in the incident, insisted that he hadn't been drinking. "First of all, I got a cold. So I've been on cough medicine," he explained, according to the arrest report. The whole thing was enough to get him "suspended indefinitely" from his gigs at Fox Sports and NBC Sports, where McNabb served as a football analyst before his time with ESPN.

Let's look on the bright side, though. Clearly, McNabb continues to be out there inspiring the next generation of quarterbacks, like Jalen Hurts. "As a kid, I looked up to [McNabb]," Hurts said, per ESPN. "And I feel like now it's surreal when you hear the comparisons and you hear we are in the same shoes." Pretty sure we know who McNabb is going to be cheering for come February 12.