Mekale McKay

Mekale McKay (born August 4, 1993) is a gridiron football wide receiver for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He also was a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos, Tennessee Titans, and Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL), the San Antonio Commanders of the Alliance of American Football (AAF), and the New York Guardians of the XFL. He played college football at the University of Arkansas before transferring to the University of Cincinnati.

Mekale McKay
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1993-08-04) August 4, 1993
Louisville, Kentucky
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school:Moore Traditional (KY)
College:Cincinnati
Undrafted:2016
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Active
CFL status:American
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Early years

Mckay attended Moore Traditional High School, where he played football and basketball. As a junior, he received All-district and All-region honors. As a senior, he posted 38 receptions for 894 yards and 13 touchdowns, receiving All-district and honorable-mention All-state honors.

College career

McKay accepted a football scholarship from the University of Arkansas. As a true freshman, he appeared in 12 games (10 starts), making 21 receptions (tied for fourth on the team) for 317 yards (second on the team) and 2 touchdowns. He transferred to the University of Cincinnati after his freshman season.[1]

As a sophomore in 2013, he didn't need to sit out the season to comply with the NCAA transfer rules, because he was granted circumstances of hardship associated with the reason for the transfer. He appeared in 10 games, registering 16 receptions for 485 yards (fourth on the team) and 7 touchdowns.

As a junior, he collected 44 receptions (third on the team) for 725 yards (second on the team) and 8 touchdowns.

As a senior, he appeared in 11 out of 12 games. He recorded 27 receptions for 507 yards (fourth on the team) and 2 touchdowns. He made 2 receptions for 105 yards (including an 88-yard touchdown) against Temple University. He had 4 receptions for 91 yards and one touchdown against the University of Miami. He had 6 receptions for 101 yards against the University of Tulsa.

Professional career

NFL

McKay was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Indianapolis Colts after the 2016 NFL Draft on May 2.[2] He was waived on September 3.[3] On November 29, he was signed to the Jacksonville Jaguars' practice squad.

On January 11, 2017, he was signed by the Denver Broncos to a reserve/future contract. He was cut on May 4. On June 6, he was signed as a free agent by the Tennessee Titans.[4] He was released on August 31. On December 20, he was signed to the Chicago Bears' practice squad.[5]

On January 1, 2018, he signed a reserve/future contract with the Chicago Bears. He was released on April 19. On May 30, he was signed as a free agent by the Dallas Cowboys. He was released on September 1.[6]

San Antonio Commanders (AAF)

On January 4, 2019, he signed with the San Antonio Commanders of the Alliance of American Football.[7] He played with the team in 7 games, until the league ceased operations in April.[8] He had 22 receptions for 375 yards (17-yard avg.) and 4 touchdowns, as well as a 2-point conversion catch.[9]

New York Guardians (XFL)

In October 2019, he was selected by the New York Guardians in the second round of the phase 1 of the 2020 XFL Draft.[10] He was named the starter at wide receiver for the season opener. In March, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the league announced that it would be cancelling the rest of the season.[11] Playing in all 5 games, he registered 12 receptions for 184 yards and one touchdown.[12] He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.[13]

Winnipeg Blue Bombers (CFL)

On June 11, 2020, McKay signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League.[14] After having two leagues he played in shut down in two consecutive years, McKay stated to the Bombers, "What a better spot for me than with a team with a championship pedigree and a young receiving corps?".[15] He did not have a chance to play with the team after the CFL announced on August 17, that the 2020 season had been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, ongoing restrictions on public gatherings, and the league's inability to secure federal funding to cover the money lost from not having fans in the stands.[16]

References
  1. "Mekale McKay transferring to Cincy". Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  2. "Purdue receiver one of 21 undrafted free agents Colts sign". Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  3. "Colts cut Ridley, Irving to reach roster limit of 53". Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  4. "Titans sign receiver MeKale McKay, waive CB John Green". Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  5. "Pernell McPhee's Bears career at crossroads after trip to injured reserve". Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  6. "Cutting Dan Bailey raises major question about Cowboys' kicking game". Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  7. "Commanders Training Camp Daily Update". Oursportscentral.com. January 4, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  8. Michael Rothstein, Seth Wickersham (June 13, 2019). "Inside the short, unhappy life of the Alliance of American Football". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  9. "Mekale McKay stats". NoExtraPoints. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  10. "Skill Players Draft Tracker". Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  11. "XFL Injured Reserve". XFL.com. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  12. "XFL Mekale McKay stats". XFL.com. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  13. Condotta, Bob (April 10, 2020). "XFL suspends operations, terminates all employees, but Jim Zorn says he has hopes league will continue". SeattleTimes.com. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  14. Moore, Kelly (June 11, 2020). "XFL suspends operations, terminates all employees, but Jim Zorn says he has hopes league will continue". Global News. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  15. Tait, Ed (June 11, 2020). "From The AAF To The XFL To The CFL". Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  16. Dacey, Elisha (August 17, 2020). "CFL 2020 season officially cancelled". Global News. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
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