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The Baltimore Ravens have re-signed fullback Patrick Ricard to a three-year contract, the team announced on March 21, keeping the three-time Pro Bowler in Baltimore as a key blocker for Lamar Jackson.
“Pat Ricard is an important cog in our offense and the type of player we always seek to retain,” said Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta in a statement congratulating Ricard and his family on his new deal.
“We admire his unique skills and the physical presence he brings to the Ravens and look forward to three more years of Project Pat,” continued DeCosta, referring to Ricard by his popular nickname.
Ricard also expressed his excitement at re-signing in Baltimore, promising that he would deliver more pancake blocks for the Ravens in 2022 on Twitter.
This is the Ravens’ fourth signing of the offseason, with safety Marcus Williams, offensive tackle Morgan Moses and defensive tackle Michael Pierce arriving in Baltimore last week.
Ricard’s History in Baltimore
Ricard arrived in Baltimore as an undrafted free agent in 2017 and managed to earn a roster spot with his positional versatility. He played defensive tackle at the University of Maine, but added fullback to his repertoire in the NFL, which helped him continue a long tradition of undrafted rookies making the Ravens’ 53-man roster.
Once the Ravens moved to a run-heavy offense with Lamar Jackson under center in 2018, Ricard’s importance in Baltimore. He earned his first career Pro Bowl selection in 2019, showing off his one-of-a-kind versatility with 342 snaps on offense, 140 on defense and 102 on special teams. Ricard’s offensive role has increased even more in the past two seasons, so he hasn’t played a defensive snap in the past two seasons, though his on-field physicality indicates he probably still could. He then earned Pro Bowl nods in 2020 and 2021 with some of the NFL’s best run blocking grades from Pro Football Focus, which made some wonder if Ricard would price himself out of Baltimore in free agency.
Ravens Lock Down Pro Bowl FB Through 2024
Instead, the Ravens chose to pony up for their fullback, giving him a deal “in the $4 million a year range with incentives,” per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. That would make Ricard the NFL’s second-highest paid fullback, with ex-Raven Kyle Juszczyk earning more from the San Fransisco 49ers.
Though fullback may not be an important position for most teams in the modern NFL, the Ravens have always zigged where the rest of the league has zagged, especially when it comes to their Lamar Jackson-led offense. Re-signing Ricard while the rest of the NFL is wheeling and dealing for edge rushers and pass catchers is just the latest example of Baltimore’s unique approach to roster-building.
But it’s tough to argue that Ricard isn’t worth his contract after his contributions in 2021 to keep the Ravens in the playoff hunt. With blocking tight end Nick Boyle struggling to come back from a 2020 knee injury, Ricard put up a career-best 87.1 run blocking grade from PFF that ranked second among all NFL fullbacks and tight ends while dealing with some injuries of his own. That helped Baltimore finish with the third-most rushing yards in the NFL despite losing starting running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards in the preseason.
In fact, OverTheCap estimated Ricard’s 2021 valuation to be at $4.4 million, so expanding on some of his pass catching abilities could make his new contract look more team-friendly in a year or two.
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