Family has always been a big part of Jayden Daniels’ life. Now, a recent family moment involving his mother, Regina Jackson, gave fans a deeper look at the special person who inspired one of the quarterback’s most meaningful tributes.

“Today we celebrated my grandma’s homegoing,” Jackson shared on Instagram. “Although it was a sad day, it also gave me the chance to spend time with my dad’s side of the family. Seeing my aunts, uncles, and cousins reminded me how precious family is. My grandma lived a beautiful, full life 96 years young and her legacy will stay with us forever. RIP Grandma… 🕊️❤️🇯🇵,”

“My condolences to you and your family 🤍🕊️🙏🏼” a well-wisher commented on Jackson’s post.

“Family is precious. Treasure them always 🕊🕊🤍🤍” another user wrote.

Though it’s a very sad moment, Regina Jackson celebrated the fact that her grandma, Chieko Jacobs, had a complete life before she passed away. Even Daniels was present at the ceremony to honor his great-grandmother. However, this isn’t the first time he has done something for her.

In 2025, Daniels wore a Japanese flag on his helmet for the first time alongside the American flag. He added the Japanese flag to honor his maternal great-grandmother, who was of Japanese descent. Daniels debuted the new helmet during Washington’s first game of the season against the New York Giants, where he helped the Commanders earn a 21-6 victory.

Daniels’ Japanese ties make him the first NFL starting quarterback with those family roots since Arthur Matsu, who played for the Dayton Triangles in 1928. The latter was part Scottish and part American. This was his only season with the team, but Matsu went on to coach football in the high school and college levels, per The Sporting News.

Daniels’ honoring his great-grandmother marked nearly 100 years since a player with Japanese roots had played in the league.

Jayden Daniels is looking to make a comeback this year after the Commanders went 5-12 last season. Daniels and Co. lost eight games consecutively during the middle of the season, which showed how bad things really went for the team this year. It was a letdown for the quarterback, who took the Commaders to the NFC Championship as a rookie in 2024.

Coincidentally, the last quarterback to record a similar result was Robert Griffin III, who was born in Japan at a US Military Base.