Patrick Ricard Bio
Patrick Ricard (born May 27, 1994), widely nicknamed “Pancake Pat,” is an American professional football fullback in the National Football League (NFL). Standing 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighing 300 pounds, Ricard is widely recognized for his blocking ability, versatility, and special teams work. As of the 2025 NFL season, he has been selected to six Pro Bowls and earned First-team All-Pro honors once, along with two Second-team All-Pro selections.
After going undrafted out of the University of Maine in 2017, Ricard signed with the Baltimore Ravens and spent his first three professional seasons contributing on both offense and defense. He transitioned to a full-time offensive role beginning in 2020 and became one of the league’s most respected fullbacks, earning the nickname “Pancake Pat” for his blocking. In March 2026, he signed a two-year deal with the New York Giants, making him the highest-paid fullback in the league at the time of the move.
Early Life and Background
Patrick Ricard was born on May 27, 1994, in Spencer, Massachusetts, and grew up in the small central Massachusetts town where he developed his love for football. He attended David Prouty High School in Spencer, where he played for the school’s football program and emerged as one of the top local defensive players. During his high school career, Ricard was named the Central Massachusetts Division II Defensive MVP on two occasions, an early signal of the defensive lineman he would become at the college level.
Coming out of David Prouty, Ricard drew attention from a number of college programs despite playing at a smaller school. He ultimately chose the University of Maine, where he would spend five seasons developing into a Division I FCS defensive lineman. His path from a Division II high school program to an FCS college program gave him a strong sense of perseverance, which carried over into his professional career after he went undrafted in 2017.
Path to American Football
Ricard arrived at the University of Maine in 2012, where he was redshirted during his first year on campus. He then joined the Maine Black Bears from 2013 to 2016, lining up as a defensive lineman throughout his college career. As a freshman in 2013, he played in all 13 games, recording 19 solo tackles, 40 assisted tackles, one sack, two pass breakups, and one forced fumble, earning College Sports Journal FCS Second Team All-Freshman honors.
Ricard’s college production grew steadily in subsequent seasons. In 2014, he started nine of 10 games and added 4.5 sacks and a blocked kick, and in 2015, he earned First-team All-Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) recognition along with ECAC Division I FCS Second Team All-Star honors. In 2016, he was a dominant force with 7 sacks and three forced fumbles, picking up First-team All-CAA, ECAC Division I FCS First-team All-Star, STATS FCS Third-team All-American, and New England Football Writers Division I All-New England Team recognition. He majored in economics while at the University of Maine.
Patrick Ricard Career
Early Career (2017–2018)
Rated the 30th best defensive tackle in the 2017 NFL Draft by NFLDraftScout.com, Ricard went undrafted and signed with the Baltimore Ravens on May 5, 2017. He spent his rookie preseason playing both defensive end and fullback, ultimately replacing veteran Kyle Juszczyk, who had signed with the San Francisco 49ers in free agency. Ricard made the 53-man roster as the team’s only fullback and recorded his first NFL reception, a one-yard catch, in Week 8 against the Miami Dolphins, followed by his first professional touchdown in Week 13 against the Detroit Lions.
In his second NFL season in 2018, Ricard did not record any offensive statistics, but he added four tackles, one tackle for loss, and a quarterback hit on defense. He played 96 snaps on offense, 140 snaps on defense, and 45 snaps on special teams that year, showing the two-way value that would define his early professional career and help him carve out a roster spot in Baltimore.
Baltimore Ravens Breakthrough (2019–2022)
Ricard’s breakout came in 2019, when he caught a one-yard touchdown pass from Lamar Jackson in a 59–10 Week 1 win over the Dolphins and later strip-sacked Bengals quarterback Ryan Finley, forcing a fumble that Tyus Bowser returned for a touchdown in a 49–13 win. He also partially blocked a 49-yard field goal attempt in a 42–21 win over the New York Jets, and on December 3, 2019, he signed a two-year contract extension with the Ravens through the 2021 season. His 2019 production, which included eight catches for 47 yards and a touchdown on offense plus nine tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, a pass breakup, and a blocked field goal on defense and special teams, earned him his first Pro Bowl selection.
In 2020, Ricard played his first full season as an offense-only player, finishing with one rushing attempt for negative one yard, nine receptions for 45 yards, and a touchdown. He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list in late November 2020 before being activated in December. In 2021, he added two rushing attempts for four yards and eight catches for 63 yards and a touchdown, and on March 21, 2022, he signed a three-year contract extension with Baltimore. The 2022 season saw him set career highs with seven rushing attempts for 16 yards and 11 receptions for 74 yards.
Continued Excellence in Baltimore (2023–2025)
Under new Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken in 2023, Ricard recorded five catches for 52 yards and a touchdown while seeing increased snaps at tight end, lining up there more often than at fullback. In 2024, he scored twice, recovering a fumble for a touchdown in a 35–10 win over the Buffalo Bills in Week 4 and catching a three-yard touchdown pass in a 41–10 win over the Denver Broncos in Week 9, en route to a First-team All-Pro selection. On March 11, 2025, he re-signed with Baltimore on a one-year deal but missed the first six games of the season with a calf injury before returning in Week 7, and on December 23, 2025, he was named to his sixth career Pro Bowl.
New York Giants Era (2026–Present)
On March 12, 2026, Patrick Ricard signed a two-year contract with the New York Giants, ending a nine-year run in Baltimore and making him the highest-paid fullback in the league at the time of the signing. The move reunited him with a franchise looking to bolster its run game and short-yardage packages. He wears jersey number 45 for the Giants and remains active on the roster as the team builds its offensive identity around a power running game.
Driving Style and Strengths
Ricard is best known as a downhill lead blocker whose physicality at the point of attack earned him the “Pancake Pat” nickname throughout his career. He excels in short-yardage and goal-line situations, where his combination of size, leverage, and finishing ability regularly opens lanes for Baltimore’s running backs. Defensively, he has provided value as an interior pass rusher and special teams contributor, and his intelligence and selflessness have allowed him to remain on the field in a variety of roles.
Notable Events and Milestones
Ricard’s most memorable moments include his first career sack and forced fumble against the Bengals in 2019 and his first career Pro Bowl selection that same season. He earned his first First-team All-Pro nod in 2024, the same year he scored twice in dominant team victories over the Bills and Broncos. His March 2026 signing with the New York Giants as the league’s highest-paid fullback marked a fitting capstone to a career built on reliability and toughness.
Patrick Ricard Career Wins
While fullbacks are rarely judged by traditional win totals, Patrick Ricard has built a résumé defined by individual honors, team success, and longevity at a devalued position. Across his career with the Baltimore Ravens and now the New York Giants, he has been part of consistently competitive rosters while earning his own place among the league’s best at his position.
Professional Highlights
Ricard is a six-time Pro Bowl selection, having been chosen in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024, and 2025. He is also a two-time NFL All-Pro, earning First-team All-Pro in 2024 and Second-team All-Pro in 2023, and was later named Second-team All-Pro for the 2025 season. He is widely regarded as one of the premier fullbacks of his era, a status cemented by his March 2026 contract that made him the highest-paid fullback in the league.
College Highlights
At the University of Maine, Ricard was a two-time First-team All-CAA selection in 2015 and 2016 and a STATS FCS Third-team All-American in 2016. He finished his college career with 44 games played, 208 total tackles, 18 sacks, 11 pass breakups, 3 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, and 2 blocked kicks, leaving Maine as one of the most productive defensive linemen in program history.
Patrick Ricard Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Patrick Ricard grew up in Spencer, Massachusetts, in a close-knit community where he developed his love of football. Public information about his parents and extended family remains limited, and he has largely kept his personal background out of the spotlight throughout his professional career.
Personal Life
Patrick Ricard is not publicly known to be married, and he has not publicly discussed a spouse or children. Off the field, he has been active on social media, where he engages with fans under the handle @pric508 on X and Instagram, sharing glimpses of his training and team life.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season represented a year of resilience for Patrick Ricard, as he returned to the Baltimore Ravens on a one-year contract signed on March 11, 2025. A calf injury suffered during training camp kept him out of the first six games of the regular season, but he returned to action in Week 7 and resumed his role as one of the league’s most physical lead blockers. His impact in the run game and on special teams remained central to Baltimore’s offensive identity down the stretch.
Ricard’s strong second half of the season was rewarded on December 23, 2025, when he was named to his sixth career Pro Bowl, tying his standing among the most decorated fullbacks in recent NFL history. He also earned Second-team All-Pro honors for the 2025 season, recognition of his continued excellence at a position that has been largely phased out across the league. Together, those honors reinforced his value to the Ravens heading into free agency.
With the 2025 campaign complete, Ricard turned his attention to free agency, ultimately signing a two-year deal with the New York Giants on March 12, 2026, in a move that made him the highest-paid fullback in the league. The Giants are expected to feature him prominently in their run-heavy offensive scheme, and his track record of durability, leadership, and elite blocking should make him a foundational piece of the team’s offense for the foreseeable future.
