Ravens fullback Patrick Ricard is entering his ninth season in Baltimore after signing a one-year deal worth about $3 million in March.
Ricard, who turns 31 in May, is coming off his fifth Pro Bowl selection and a first-team All-Pro nod in 2024. The 6-foot-3, 300-pound fullback played in 39 percent of the Ravens’ offensive snaps last season, according to Pro Football Reference, helping the unit become the first to ever throw for 4,000 yards and run for 3,000 yards.
Ricard had a feeling the Ravens would want to keep him around, and the team made that clear after the Ravens lost to the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round in January.
“When the season [ends], you start having talks with your agent, just going through scenarios of different things of how free agency could shake out,” Ricard said on Glenn Clark Radio April 21. “I was going to be a free agent, so you have a couple months leading into free agency where you’re still under contract. The team reached out to my agent several times telling him, ‘We want Pat back, we love Pat, we just need to have all of our conversations,’ because there are so many moving pieces when it comes to signing players.”
Ricard originally signed with the Ravens in 2017 as an undrafted free agent out of Maine, where he was a defensive lineman. He initially broke into the NFL as a two-way player before becoming a full-time fullback. He has been a key part of the team’s rushing attack since 2019, helping the team set records on the ground.
The Ravens have a regular-season record of 87-45 since Ricard came to town. He saw no reason to leave and hopes to one day be considered a “legacy player” in Baltimore. He also wants to continue working with quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry.
“At the end of the day, I knew that I wanted to be back,” Ricard said. “I just feel like why would I not want to be back? I’ve been here my whole career. I love the area. I love my teammates, my coaches. The facility is amazing. We’re a great team. I have the best quarterback, the best running back in the NFL to play with. I was almost just feeling [foolish and dumb] to leave this situation. At this point of my career, why would I want to go live in a new city, new teammates, all this stuff? It would have to be really worth it — like maybe a ridiculous amount of money I just couldn’t turn down.”
It was easy to envision a Henry-Jackson duo being a nightmare for defenses to deal with after Henry signed with the Ravens last year, and that’s exactly how it unfolded. Henry ran for 1,921 yards and 16 touchdowns and caught 19 passes for 193 yards and two scores. Jackson threw for 4,172 yards and 41 touchdowns and ran for 915 yards and four scores.
The Ravens finished the season first in total offense and third in scoring offense. It proved to be a major challenge for defenses to keep Henry and Jackson in check.
“It’s two future Hall of Fame players that I get to play with. What’s crazy about those two guys is going into a game, either one of them can take over the entire game,” Ricard said. “… It’s pick your poison between those two, and I get to block for them both. They’re amazing teammates, amazing human beings. I think those are the two guys that a lot of kids should look at as role models because they’re superstar NFL players, but they are the most humble, genuine, nice people that you could ever meet.”
Now, the Ravens are looking to get over the hump in the postseason — but first, they have to get back there. That journey begins with offseason workouts. Ricard believes the Ravens can be a better team in 2025 than in 2024, pointing to improvements that can be made under third-year offensive coordinator Todd Monken and second-year defensive coordinator Zach Orr.
Ricard is also excited to see who general manager Eric DeCosta brings to town with 11 draft picks at his disposal.
“There are so many things to look at that are really exciting about this team,” Ricard said. “We just have to get to work starting [with] next week’s OTAs and just jell with one another and improve.”
For more from Ricard, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox