Jaydon Mickens' Day-After Moment: 'Woke Up a World Champion'

The former Husky receiver and returnman soaks up his Super Bowl victory.

Jaydon Mickens, shown basking in the aftermath of a victorious Super Bowl LV, is reason enough why you should never give up.

Will known by now, the former University of Washington pass receiver and kick returner told last week how he slept in his car in 2017 while he was a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars practice team and survived on basic needs.

The Los Angeles native was unsure how long he would stick with in the NFL and he was determined to save his paychecks in case it wasn't long.

After making the active roster, he broke his ankle with the Jaguars during the sixth week of the 2018 season and went on injured reserve.

Yet on Sunday, Mickens, as a member of Florida's centrally located franchise, had a bed to sleep in, a foot that withstood the rigors of pro football and shared in a 31-9 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in the league championship game. Even better was the following morning.

Everything was real. 

"Woke up a world champion," he tweeted.

This caught the eye of Marvin Hall, a former teammate from both Dorsey High School in Los Angeles and the UW, himself a wide receiver and an NFL player, most recently with the Detroit Lions.

You deserve it!🙌🏾🙏🏾 https://t.co/vetFH0O8bm

— Marvin Hall Jr. (@bigplayhall_A2N) February 8, 2021

"You deserve it!" Hall tweeted back. 

For Mickens, the week was a time for reflection and a chance to understand how all of his hard work and persistence would pay off.

"It took honestly being undrafted, and going through everything I went through, and allowing myself to understand, like, 'Hey, look, there are things bigger than football," Mickens said. 

Football, however, feels pretty satisfying at the moment.