Ed McCaffrey reveals rooting order for 3 NFL sons; excited for Christian’s return after injury-riddled season

Some parents may think Ed McCaffrey has a tough task on his hands, but he has an easy solution.

The three-time Super Bowl champion has two sons, Christian and Luke, playing in the NFL, and another one, Max, coaching in it.

No, McCaffrey has not been in the shoes of, say, the Kelce family, picking between his boys in the Super Bowl… yet.

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SiriusXM host Ed McCaffrey and Christian McCaffrey of the Carolina Panthers take photos during day 2 of SiriusXM at Super Bowl LIV on Jan. 30, 2020, in Miami, Florida.  (Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

But, he has seen two of his sons on the field at the same time – Christian’s Niners and Max’s Dolphins faced off in December, and in 2026, Luke’s Commanders will go up against San Fran. 

So, who did, and will, he root for?

“They’re all even. I love all my kids evenly, man,” he quipped in a recent interview with Fox News Digital. “It’s a sensitive thing as a dad – occasionally, my kids’ teams play each other. But I root for my kids.”

So yes, McCaffrey does have three favorite teams. He admitted that the Denver Broncos, where he spent nine of his 13 seasons and won two of his three Super Bowls, have been left out of the rotation, despite them being his “extended family.”

“I still root for the Broncos, but I root for my kids first,” he admitted.

McCaffrey was unable to do much rooting for Christian, his middle son, on the field this season. After winning Offensive Player of the Year last year, CMC suited up in just four games of the 2024 campaign. He missed most of training camp and the first eight games of the season with Achilles tendinitis. Then, in a snowy Buffalo, he injured his knee.

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey watches injured from the sidelines during the New York Jets game at Levi’s Stadium. (David Gonzales-Imagn Images)

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“Yeah, the year sucked, really,” McCaffrey put it bluntly. “You put everything you have into getting ready for season, and then he got hurt early in training camp… And he did everything he could to get back on the field, then as fate would have it, he hurt his knee.”

But while he couldn’t cheer for his son on the field, he was certainly able to do so off of it.

“Sometimes life doesn’t go as planned. I’m so proud of him for his resilience, his toughness, the guy wants to be on the field more than anybody I’ve met in my entire life,” McCaffrey added.

The knee injury, McCaffrey said, could also possibly be a blessing in disguise for the 2025 season.

“He’ll have his first full offseason in years…” he said, noting that Christian played in the Super Bowl last year and the NFC championship game in 2023. “Your offseason gets cut a month and a half, two months when you play in a Super Bowl… 

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“It sucks to get hurt. It’s the worst part playing the game. Missing time, sitting on the sideline is frustrating. But you can’t change the past, and all you can do is work hard each and every day to be the best you can be.” 

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