Despite being an incredibly gifted young quarterback in the NFL, Jayden Daniels has put himself through a lot of flak in an attempt to preserve the prestige that is his LSU No. 5 jersey.
Earlier this month, the Washington Commanders quarterback sent a cease-and-desist to his alma mater after the school allowed cornerback DJ Pickett to rep Daniels’ college number.
Since the struggle emerged, social media has had a field day in dragging Daniels through the mud. The consensus, regardless of whether or not someone has a Tigers or Commanders fandom, is that the endless collection of No. 5 memes is a laugh factory.
Here is a look at social media’s jokes about Daniels’ debacle regarding his LSU No. 5 jersey.
MORE: Why did Jayden Daniels send LSU a cease and desist?
Best Jayden Daniels No. 5 memes
Since Daniels’ cease and desist became a mainstream news story, social media has been stirred up into a frenzy, compiling different ways to remove the No. 5 from popular everyday things. From ticket companies pretending to remove buying five tickets as an option to jokes about Alan Jackson changing his song title to “It’s Four o’clock Somewhere,” the creations have been near endless.
Here’s a round-up of the most hilarious memes from the No. 5 situation:
NFL parody account Richard Johnson shared a few jokes regarding Daniels’ number:
Jayden Daniels’ camp has reportedly reached out to Nickelback requesting the band change its name to “Pennyback,” citing Nickelback’s “uncomfortably close association” with his No. 5. pic.twitter.com/MnO8ipYrup
— Richard Johnson (@RichJohnsonNFL) August 13, 2026
Jayden Daniels’ teammates have reportedly been instructed to only give him high fours, as high fives are believed to constitute unauthorized use of his No. 5. pic.twitter.com/HDYkVnflEs
— Richard Johnson (@RichJohnsonNFL) August 13, 2026
BREAKING: Businesses nationwide have been mandated to shift from a 9-to-5 to a 9-to-4 workday out of respect for Jayden Daniels and his No. 5.
If you’re reading this, feel free to leave work an hour early today. pic.twitter.com/pGVhAilxk3
— Richard Johnson (@RichJohnsonNFL) August 13, 2026
Many people are familiar with Alan Jackson’s song, “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere.” With the latest No. 5 news, one user joked that Jackson may need to change his song title.
Alan Jackson has changed the name of his song to “It’s Four O’Clock Somewhere” out of respect for Jayden Daniels. pic.twitter.com/ip4wu4p2sC
— Whiskey Riff (@WhiskeyRiff) August 14, 2026
Even numerous companies and a sports league chimed in on the opportunity to share their own jokes.
Effective immediately, we will no longer offer tickets in groups of 5. Out of respect for Jayden Daniels, we’re only doing 4 or 6+. Thank you for your understanding. pic.twitter.com/MT9lohBrot
— StubHub (@StubHub) August 13, 2026
NFL to consider a league-wide bye in Week 5
The week of October 5 would encroach on Jayden Daniels’ number on multiple counts pic.twitter.com/J9AwrN9Ivt
— Underdog (@Underdog) August 13, 2026
🚨 RUMOR: Jayden Daniels has requested the Commanders to only start 4 offensive linemen in tomorrow’s preseason game to respect his number 5 jersey
The Commanders have rejected this request pic.twitter.com/vDuqdvWQDe
— PrizePicks (@PrizePicks) August 13, 2026
yesterday’s game will resume 5:05 PM tonight in the 5th inning …
hope that’s okay with Jayden Daniels. https://t.co/cQuQXr054I pic.twitter.com/VP5eml0lHO
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) August 14, 2026
Here’s the best from the rest, regarding No. 5 bits of comedy.
🚨BREAKING🚨 : Miami Dolphins RB Jaylen Wright, who wears #5, will not play tomorrow against the Commanders out of respect to Jayden Daniels pic.twitter.com/C7uUrrQVxV
— River Cracraft Fan Club (@CracraftFan) August 13, 2026
The Buffalo Bills could’ve lost 5 Super Bowls in a row but decided to stop at 4 out of respect for Jayden Daniels pic.twitter.com/7xS9pqbUJm
— JaguarGator9 (@JaguarGator9NFL) August 13, 2026
5 Gum is reportedly planning a rebrand to allow Jayden Daniels his rights to number 5. pic.twitter.com/fdzXUideiD
— Football Crave (@FootballCravee) August 14, 2026
Five Guys has changed their name to Four Guys out of respect for Jayden Daniels. pic.twitter.com/OyCkNUNyKk
— NFL Drop (@TheNFLDrop) August 13, 2026
Bout to use a $5 bill to pay for a sandwich
Should I ask Jayden Daniels if that’s ok?
— Ben Houselog (@benlikessport) August 13, 2026
Subway has changed the price of their $5 footlong to $4.99 out of respect for Jayden Daniels. pic.twitter.com/UdIjKQZQda
— NFL Drop (@TheNFLDrop) August 13, 2026
The NBA has reportedly mandated 4-on-4 basketball to avoid unauthorized use of Jayden Daniels’ No. 5.
(Via @ESPMNBA) pic.twitter.com/et0ntt94pD
— NBACentel (@TheNBACentel) August 13, 2026
ordered the number 5 at jimmy john’s and now i have a voicemail from jayden daniels’ lawyer
— Trey Rowland (@trey_rowland59) August 13, 2026
Jayden Daniels has sent @adamlevine a cease and desist. Daniels’ camp believes he is the only person that can truly represent Maroon 5. pic.twitter.com/BsAWHsj7kH
— JOELVENILE (@joelvenile) August 13, 2026
Jayden Daniels reportedly turned away 5 year olds wanting autographs today pic.twitter.com/2t23zYauiA
— Football Crave (@FootballCravee) August 13, 2026
a few shots from LSU practice today pic.twitter.com/4EIrDcjjCl
— AlexBoxWarrior (@AlexBoxWarrior) August 13, 2026
MORE: Preseason top 25, bowl projections for 2026 college football season
Jayden Daniel LSU No. 5 controversy
On Thursday, news broke of LSU giving sophomore cornerback DJ Pickett the No. 5 to wear on the gridiron this upcoming season. Technically, Daniels’ number worn for the Tigers, and his current number for the Commanders, was never retired.
Daniels sent a cease-and-desist letter to LSU on Aug. 5, requesting that LSU no longer use his name, image and likeness (NIL) after letting another player wear his previous collegiate number.
“The Daniels family is deeply disappointed and feels profoundly disrespected by LSU’s decision to give Jayden’s number to another player,” Daniels’ spokesperson said, per ESPN. “Jayden and his family had every reason to believe that his number would remain a meaningful part of his LSU legacy and would be honored and protected in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to the university.”
The statement continued, saying LSU’s decision “feels like a failure to honor the significance of what Jayden accomplished at LSU,” and claiming that “Jayden made it clear he did not want his number given to another player.”
On Thursday, Daniels posted a statement stating that “there are issues to be worked out between my team and LSU” and ensuring those interested that his “sole personal focus” is on the Commanders.
Jayden Daniels just posted this on Instagram relating to the situation with LSU: pic.twitter.com/0iUJXcek6Z
— John Keim (@john_keim) August 13, 2026
Former LSU coach Brian Kelly, who recruited Pickett, told ESPN that the No. 5 was promised to the cornerback, but said he held off on giving him the number because of Daniels’ objection.
“I just wasn’t prepared to do it until we got a full commitment from another Heisman Trophy winner,” Kelly said. “We didn’t want to issue No. 9, so you can’t treat one differently from the other.”
Current Cincinnati Bengals and former Tigers quarterback Joe Burrow donned the No. 9 under his nameplate during his LSU days. Despite winning a national championship in 2019, his number also is not technically retired, but a player has not matched Burrow’s number since he departed for the NFL.