Fred McAfee begins his 17th year in a player development role, after playing ten seasons with the club as part of a 15-year NFL playing career, both at running back and as a special teams ace. With a wide-range of responsibilities centered around helping players and their families improve their quality of life and invest in their futures, McAfee was promoted to Vice President/Player Engagement in 2021.
As part of the team's commitment to encouraging the lifelong wellness of their players, McAfee has developed programs over the past 16 years as the organization's head of player development that allow players to develop off-the-field during and beyond their National Football League careers. Responsible for the team's off-field training and educating players through club and league initiatives, he also organizes continuing college education opportunities, internships, life skills training seminars, financial education classes and family assistance. Along with his daily one-on-one contract with veteran players, McAfee also runs the Saints rookie transition program, which serves as an introduction into life in the NFL, aiding them in learning how to manage the increased stress and responsibility of being an NFL player, assisting them during their integration into the team, creating a better understanding of what it takes and means to be a successful player, on and off the field.
The transition to the front office has been smooth for McAfee, who was known as a positive influence in the locker room during his time in the league. He played in 194 regular season games in his career and 14 postseason contests, including 122 regular season games and three playoff contests in two stints with New Orleans. Picked by the Saints in the sixth round of the 1991 NFL Draft out of Mississippi College, he played for the first three of the club's division champion teams and has been an administrator for the additional six, including the 2009 Super Bowl XLIV Championship campaign.
McAfee first played for the Saints from 1991-1993, leading New Orleans in rushing as a rookie with a career-high 494 yards. That season the Saints won their first NFC West division title. Following a seven-game stint with the Arizona Cardinals in 1994, he was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers later that season. He stayed with the Steelers until 1998, and served as their special teams captain for two years. McAfee rejoined the Saints in 2000 following a brief stint in Tampa Bay and was voted to the Pro Bowl in 2002 for his stellar special teams play. The final game of his playing career was the 2006 regular season finale vs. the Carolina Panthers, and one of the final carries of McAfee's career was a six-yard burst for a touchdown in the third quarter. McAfee was selected to the Saints Hall of Fame in 2022, based on his excellence on special teams.
McAfee played at Mississippi College from 1987-90 and is the school's all-time leader in rushing (4,416), rushing touchdowns (38) and all-purpose yards (6,230). He graduated with a bachelor's degree in mass communications in 1991 and was inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002, the Division II College Football Hall of Fame in 2011 and into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 2015. In 2007, he completed the NFL Managers Program at Stanford University's Executive Education Graduate School of Business. He has also completed his Athlete Development Professional Certification at the Wharton School of Business.
