Ed McCaffrey chuckled when a reporter brought up the viral photo of his NFL sons Christian and Luke flexing with Bijan Robinson after a recent workout session.
The 56-year-old former Broncos receiver is still in great shape himself, and strict adherence to diet and exercise is something of a McCaffrey tradition.
It’s also turning into a family side business, as McCaffrey Brands recently launched a line of protein bites to complement its longtime standing in the condiment space.
“We went from just my ugly mug on the bottle of mustard, which we did before the kids were born, to putting the whole family on the back,” Ed McCaffrey told SportsCasting. “This was our first real product launch, but the first of many to come. We are going to have everyone participate, and it’s something I’m proud to do with our boys. We are looking to grow and expand this business into a lot of other categories.”
Christian McCaffrey might be in the best shape he’s been in since coming into the NFL pic.twitter.com/heUIujCpu5
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) June 27, 2025
Christian is one of the best running backs in the NFL for the 49ers, while Luke, a receiver, is heading into his second season with the Commanders.
Another one of Ed’s sons, Max, is an offensive analyst for the Dolphins, while Dylan played quarterback at Michigan and Northern Colorado.
Suffice to say, athletics is a huge part of the family’s life, and so is eating right.
“I love my family, I love sports, I love food,” Ed McCaffrey said. “I think food brings everything together. I’m trying to eat healthy, and all my kids are religious about their diets, and so was I when I was playing. One of the things we always struggled with was finding a healthy snack, whether it was pre-game, halftime, postgame, but also something Mom and Dad could eat.
“It took a long time. We researched protein bars years ago, and couldn’t come up with something we really liked. They just didn’t taste good. They tasted chalky, medicine-y. Finally, we found a manufacturer that created this phenomenal product for us that tastes delicious and is super healthy. One that I’m proud to put my name on. That’s when we came out with McCaffrey Brands Protein Bites.”
The boys are so back!!!
We're dropping an exclusive 15% discount for new monthly subscribers. Get your protein bites and mustard delivered right to your door! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/wbT7KEJZd3
— McCaffrey Brands (@McCaffreyBrands) July 2, 2025
McCaffrey Brands is already in retail stores like Kroger’s and Dick’s Sporting Goods, and now its mustard, horseradish sauce and protein bites will be available on Amazon ahead of Prime Day from July 8-11.
“(The protein bites) are super healthy,” McCaffrey said. “Gluten-free, non-GMO, plant-based. But our flavors are chocolate chip cookie dough, fudge brownie and birthday cake. How can you go wrong with those flavors?”
Ed McCaffrey: Christian ‘So Motivated’ To Bounce Back
Christian may have to be more of a silent partner in the food business for the next few years based on his jam-packed personal and professional calendar.
“He’s got a lot of wonderful things going on in his life,” Ed McCaffrey said. “He got married last year to Olivia (Culpo). Olivia is a saint. They’re having a baby. I’m going to be a grandad next month. Luckily Olivia understands his schedule. He never misses a workout, never misses a treatment. Everything he does is to become the best football player he can be for his team.”
Christian missed 13 games last season due to Achilles tendinitis and a knee injury, which have brought on whispers about a potential decline for the 29-year-old All-Pro running back.
Ed says Christian is determined to prove he remains one of the best skill players in the league.
“Oh, man, he’s so motivated,” Ed McCaffrey said. “He’s been one of the best players in the world for a long time now, and he trains so religiously. He’s all about the process, and doing whatever he can possibly do to get better. He’s going to be as ready as he can be.
“He’s been training with Luke, and they’ve gotten some really good workouts in. And then he ran into Bijan, who is awesome. Christian really likes him a lot and has a lot of respect for him. They’ve been training with some other pro players as well when they’re not with their teams doing OTAs.”
49ers OC Klay Kubiak says RB Christian McCaffrey “looks awesome” and the plan is to “get him the ball as much as we can.”
“You guys saw in 2023 how important he is to our offense…He’s one of our central players on offense. We want to hand him the ball, throw him the ball.” pic.twitter.com/D1ZCalI9RW
— Football Forever (@fballforeverhq) May 11, 2025
Ed said one noticeable change is that Christian has actually dialed his training back this offseason, pacing himself for the long road ahead.
“He’s patient this year,” Ed McCaffrey said. “Last year he was really eager to get to the field after they lost the Super Bowl. He couldn’t wait to play again and probably over-trained a little bit going into training camp. But this year he’s got a great plan. He’s been religious about it, getting great workouts in and trying to stay patient. We’re going to blink and they’re going to be suiting up for Week 1. It’s going to be here before we know it, and he’ll be ready.”
As for those outside critics who believe Christian may slow down soon? Ed disposes that concern like he would a Protein Bites wrapper.
“Longevity (concerns at running back) are way overblown,” Ed McCaffrey said. “If you look back to some of the running backs that have been the great running backs in this league, some of them played for 15 years. Emmitt Smith played what, 15 years? And a lot of really great running backs played 12, 13 years.”
