He grew up in Kew, Victoria while attending Carey Baptist Grammar School, where he won the best and fairest award while playing for their top team.

[17] He cemented his reputation as a dangerous player and boosted his draft chances after a six-goal game against Tasmania, including four goals in one quarter,[10] claiming the best on ground title for that match.

[17] He was recruited to the Bulldogs with the sixth selection in the 2012 AFL Draft, one pick behind future premiership forward Jake Stringer.

[34] Macrae was awarded the round 8 nomination for the 2013 AFL Rising Star after collecting 26 disposals, 5 marks and 4 tackles[35] in the Western Bulldogs' 32-point defeat to Gold Coast.

[51] Macrae stamped his mark on the AFL in the Western Bulldogs' 28-point victory against Gold Coast in Round 17, becoming the youngest player to record 40 or more disposals in a game.

[63] Macrae was rewarded for his stellar second season with the Doug Hawkins Medal, awarded to the player who places runner up in the Western Bulldogs best and fairest voting.

[78] In April that year, he signed a two-year contract extension alongside fellow 2012 draftee Jake Stringer, keeping him at the club until 2018.

[85][86] His round 12 performance in the team's 72-point demolition of the Brisbane Lions saw him collect his highest disposals count that season, a total of 35, while also getting 6 marks and 4 tackles.

[90] Macrae earned another 3 Brownlow votes in his best on ground performance after he played his 50th career game in the Western Bulldogs' 64-point sweep over Port Adelaide in the 19th round of the 2015 AFL season.

[96][97][98] Macrae improved on his Brownlow performance slightly from the previous year, obtaining 11 votes, putting him at second place in the club and 27th overall.

He started out the season with a bang, collecting 30 disposals and kicking a goal in the Western Bulldogs' 65-point annihilation of Fremantle in the opening round, getting named as one of the team's best players that match.

[110] He was named as one of the Bulldogs' best players in the team's round ten 21-point victory over Collingwood,[111] collecting 32 disposals, 6 marks, and a season high 10 tackles.

[117] Both players benefited from the newly introduced AFL pre-finals bye which gave them extra time to be deemed fit enough for selection in the Elimination Final against West Coast.

[118][119][120] Macrae and Liberatore were just two of five changes Beveridge made to the team[121] and the risk paid off, with the Bulldogs upsetting the highly fancied Eagles by 47 points.

[148][149][150] Macrae got better as the season went on, having one of his best performances in the Dogs' thrilling 1-point victory over North Melbourne in the 14th round, where he gathered 32 disposals, 5 clearances and 10 tackles.

"[170][171][141] List manager Brendan McCartney said "Jackson took his game to another level in 2017, and has become one of our most consistent performers, while he is already an important member of our midfield, he still has massive upside, and it's fantastic to see him recommit for the long term.

[203][204] Macrae had his most successful season to date in 2019 being selected in the All-Australian team and being placed high in the Brownlow Medal count at the end of the year.

[208] Round 19 saw Macrae as one of the finest players in his team,[211] taking 38 disposals, 7 marks, 5 tackles and 8 clearances,[212] which resulted in him being given two Brownlow Medal votes for that match.

Round 20 saw Macrae earn 2 Brownlow Medal votes in a dominant display over the Brisbane Lions,[208] where he set his disposals record for that season at 45.

[218] Another outstanding performance in Round 23 saw Macrae earn back-to-back best on ground honours, securing another 3 Brownlow Medal votes.

[219] Macrae was also named as the Bulldogs' best in their disappointing Elimination Finals loss to Greater Western Sydney, after collecting 32 disposals, a game high.

[226][227] Macrae also got his third top-place finish for the 3rd season in a row,[228] winning the Gary Dempsey Medal with a total of 268 votes, 31 behind 1st placed Marcus Bontempelli.

[237] Macrae had his second best on ground performance for the year against Gold Coast in Round 8,[233] racking up 29 disposals,[238] 2 marks, 6 tackles and 7 clearances.

[239] Another 2 votes were awarded to Macrae in his 150th career game[240] in the 9th round of the season, where he was the shining light in the Western Bulldogs' 41-point defeat to Richmond.

[242] Round 11 saw Macrae receive only 2 Brownlow votes, despite setting the record in the 2020 AFL season for most disposals in a single game,[241] tallying up 40.

[248][249] He polled 15 votes in the 2020 Brownlow Medal, placing equal 5th with other stars like Patrick Dangerfield, Luke Parker, and Dustin Martin.

[252][253] Macrae began the 2021 AFL season in good form, collecting 35 and 41 disposals in his first two games, and being named in the Bulldogs' best in both matches.

[254][255] A 32 disposals, 1 goal round 4 performance against Brisbane Lions saw him again be named one of the team's best, nabbing 9 coaches votes to place him at equal-second in the count up to that point.

[260] After Macrae collected 31 disposals in round 16 against North Melbourne, he set the all-time record for most consecutive 30-disposal games in VFL/AFL history, with 15 in a row.

[262] Following his All-Australian years, Macrae fell out of favour at the Bulldogs, playing more prominently in the VFL and the starting substitute in AFL matches.