Maxwell James McCaffrey (born May 17, 1994) is an American coach and former professional

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

and who is an offensive assistant for the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Duke Blue Devils The Duke Blue Devils are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Duke University, located in Durham, North Carolina. Duke's athletics department features 27 varsity teams that all compete at the N ...

and signed with the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

as an undrafted free agent in 2016. A member of the McCaffrey football family, he is the son of Ed and Lisa (Sime) McCaffrey and the eldest brother of

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

, Dylan, and Luke.

College career

In 53 games at

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

(38 starts), McCaffrey caught 117 passes for 1,341 yards and 12 touchdowns, and twice received Academic All-ACC honors. In 2015, he started all 13 games, making 52 receptions for 643 yards (12.4 per catch) and five touchdowns.

Professional career

Oakland Raiders

On April 30, 2016, McCaffrey signed with the

as an undrafted free agent following the conclusion of the

2016 NFL draft The 2016 NFL draft was the 81st annual draft of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park in Chicago. The draft beg ...

. On August 29, he was released by the Raiders.

Green Bay Packers (first stint)

On December 20, 2016, McCaffrey was signed to the Packers' practice squad. On January 21, 2017, McCaffrey was promoted to the active roster prior to the NFC Championship matchup against the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

, as insurance for

Jordy Nelson Jordy Ray Nelson (born May 31, 1985) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the Green Bay Packers and the Oakland Raiders. He played ...

. However, he did not play in the game. He remained with the Packers through the offseason and the 2017 preseason, before being waived on September 2.

New Orleans Saints

On September 3, 2017, McCaffrey was signed to the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

' practice squad.

Jacksonville Jaguars

On September 12, 2017, McCaffrey was signed to the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

active roster off the Saints' practice squad after

Allen Robinson Allen Bernard Robinson II (born August 24, 1993) is an American professional American football, football wide receiver. He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions football, Penn State Nittany Lions, earning first-team College Fo ...

was placed on injured reserve. In Week 5, against the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

, he made his first NFL catch, a four-yard reception. He was waived by the Jaguars on October 21.

Green Bay Packers (second stint)

On October 24, 2017, McCaffrey was signed to the Packers' practice squad.

San Francisco 49ers

On December 13, 2017, McCaffrey was signed by the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

to a two-year deal off the Packers' practice squad. On August 29, 2018, McCaffrey was waived/injured by the 49ers after having foot surgery and was placed on injured reserve. He was released the next day. He was suspended for the first four weeks of the season on September 7, and reinstated from suspension on October 2. He was re-signed to the 49ers' practice squad on November 27. On December 29, McCaffrey was promoted to the active roster. On August 3, 2019, McCaffrey was waived by the 49ers.

DC Defenders

On October 15, 2019, McCaffrey was drafted in the eighth round of the 2019 XFL draft by the

DC Defenders The DC Defenders are a professional American football team based in Washington, D.C. The Defenders compete in the United Football League (2024), United Football League (UFL) as a member of the XFL Conference. The team was founded by Vince McMaho ...

. Deciding to join his father at the University of Northern Colorado and accepting a job as the wide receivers coach for the Bears in January 2020, he was released before the start of the regular season.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Coaching career

On January 14, 2020, McCaffrey joined his father on the

University of Northern Colorado The University of Northern Colorado (UNCO or UNC) is a public university in Greeley, Colorado, United States. It was founded in 1889 as the State Normal School of Colorado and has a long history in teacher education. The institution has offi ...

coaching staff as a wide receivers coach, after abruptly leaving the

days into training camp. McCaffrey was promoted to Offensive Coordinator in the summer of 2021. As the OC, he still worked with the wide receivers. On March 10, 2023, it was announced that McCaffrey would be an offensive assistant for the

Personal life

McCaffrey is the eldest son of Ed and Lisa. His younger brother

was drafted in the first round as a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

by the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

before being traded to the

, and played the same position at

Stanford Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and th ...

. His younger brother Dylan played for

, as a

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

. His youngest brother, Luke, is now a wide receiver for the

Washington Commanders The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) East division ...

. His father was a wide receiver in the National Football League for thirteen seasons from 1991–2003 where he played for the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

and

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

. His uncle

Billy Billy may refer to: * Billy (name), a name (and list of people with the name) * Billy (surname), a surname (and list of people with the surname) Animals * Billy (dog), a dog breed * Billy (pigeon), awarded the Dickin Medal in 1945 * Billy ( ...

played two seasons of basketball at Duke and played on the 1991 national championship team before transferring to Vanderbilt and sharing SEC Player of the Year honors in 1992–93. McCaffrey's maternal grandfather,

Dave Sime David William Sime (; July 25, 1936 – January 12, 2016) was an American sprinter, multi-sport athlete at Duke University, and a pioneering ophthalmologist. He won a silver medal in the 100-meter dash (photo finish) at the 1960 Olympic ...

, was a multisport athlete at Duke.

References

External links

Duke Blue Devils profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCaffrey, Max 1994 births American football wide receivers Coaches of American football from Colorado DC Defenders players Duke Blue Devils football players Green Bay Packers players Jacksonville Jaguars players Living people McCaffrey family New Orleans Saints players Northern Colorado Bears football coaches Oakland Raiders players People from Castle Rock, Colorado Players of American football from Douglas County, Colorado San Francisco 49ers players Valor Christian High School alumni