Nick Maxwell was born in Geelong to parents Sue and Doug and at age 10 moved to Wallington.

After spending two weeks in the grandstands he received the call up to replace the out of form Ryan Lonie in round three, and did not miss another match.

In Round 10 he put his body on the line in a contest where he dived in to receive a hard ball get, getting crunched by Jonathan Brown of the Brisbane Lions, and he broke his leg.

Coach Mick Malthouse used Maxwell as a utility, with an ability to play both ends of the ground and kicking eight goals.

In the 2008 pre-season, Maxwell was handed the number five guernsey, worn by retired club captain and icon Nathan Buckley.

Collingwood launched a successful appeal, one of only two (the other being Melbourne's Jack Viney in 2014)[4] in the history of the 2005–14 incarnation of the AFL tribunal and the decision was overturned.

[5] He was suspended in Round 3 of the AFL season for an incident involving Steve Johnson of the Geelong Cats, causing some media commentators to cast doubts on his choice as club captain.

Maxwell announced his retirement at a press conference at Westpac Centre on 16 July 2014 following results of a long term ankle injury suffered the week before in the Round 17, 2014 clash with Essendon.

The role saw Maxwell work at the club for one day a week overseeing Storm's Emerging Leadership program and developing the off-field preparation and skills of the younger players in the NRL squad.

In 2018, Maxwell joined BBL Team, the Melbourne Stars to observe and provide advice on the club's leadership program.