McDonald was drafted by the 49ers in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft, the 55th overall pick. He spent four seasons in San Francisco before getting a fresh start in Pittsburgh after being traded shortly before the start of the 2017 season.
For his career, McDonald has played in 101 games in his eight seasons, starting with 77, and he has received 181 receptions for 2,036 yards and 15 receptions. During his four years at the Steelers, he played in 53 games, starting with 47, catching 117 passes for 1,170 yards and eight touchdowns.
He had his best season in 2018 when he received 50 passes for 610 yards, an average of 12.2 yards, and four receptions.
“I appreciate Vance’s contributions during the last four years of his career that he has spent in Pittsburgh,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “He was a class action on and off the field, leading many of our efforts in the community, while also being a voice for our social justice and community work during the pandemic. I wish him and his family all the best in his retirement and his continued work to be a pillar in the community.
McDonald was also nominated for Steelers for the Walter Payton NFL Award for Man of the Year in 2020. Each NFL team is nominated for a Man of the Year nominee, and they could be considered the Walter Payton Man of the Year of the NFL, presented by Nationwide. The award recognizes a player’s foreign field service, as well as his excellent play. And McDonald’s definitely score in those areas.
When COVID-19 hit the country and the Pittsburgh region, people were affected in ways many had never imagined. While many thought that the only impact of the pandemic would be the threat of contracting the virus, they soon realized that the impact was far greater. Through his work with Convoy of Hope, McDonald and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger launched the Trucks of Hope campaign, with the mission of the campaign to provide individual trucks full of non-perishable food, PBT and cleaning products for 1,000 families in Allegheny, Butler and Westmoreland County in the Western Pa. region. Among those they worked with was the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania, which distributed the articles to agencies they work with throughout the region.