Baltimore Ravens fullback Patrick Ricard on the sidelines dung the game against the Chicago Bears. Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Grading Giants' Free-agency Acquisition of FB Patrick Ricard

Originally posted on New York Giants on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Mar 11, 2026 2:00 PM ET

Fullbacks are a dying breed in the NFL, but the New York Giants are keeping it alive aftersigning former Baltimore Ravens star Patrick Ricard to a deal.

Ricard is coming to the Giants on a two-year deal, making him the highest-paid fullback in the league. He also maintains his relationship with head coach John Harbaugh, whom he has been under with the Ravens since 2017 when he signed as an undrafted free agent.

Based on Ricard's comments after the Ravens lost in devastating fashion in Week 18 against the Pittsburgh Steelers right before the playoffs, it's no surprise that the fullback would want to stick around where Harbaugh is.

"I'm super grateful and appreciative of [head coach John] Harbaugh. He's a big reason why I'm here. He's a big reason why I even had a chance to play fullback. I was an undrafted defensive lineman out of Maine, and he could have just looked at me as that, but he saw something in me and gave me the opportunity to make this team," Ricard said.

"I just have a lot of respect for him. I think he's a great leader. I think he's a great coach, and I would love to keep playing for him. I know how much he means to the guys in this locker room and to this organization. He just loves football, and he loves us, so that's all you really want out of a head coach."

Ricard Helps Giants Fulfill Harbaugh's Vision for Giants

Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Giants aren't supposed to be the Ravens of the last 18 years, but there will definitely be shades of what Baltimore did in the past in what New York is trying to build. To do that, players from Harbaugh's previous stop need to be incorporated in order for the transition to be smooth.

That starts with the running game. With the hiring of Greg Roman as a senior offensive assistant, the Giants are gearing up to be more of a run-heavy team, just as was the case in Baltimore, which, since 2020, has run the ball the most league-wide.

Ricard, a big, bruising fullback, can help bring that vision to life for the Giants, who, in that same 2020 to 2025 span, ran the ball the 17th most times in the NFL.

To be fair, the Giants have often had to play from behind during that span, which has meant leaning more heavily on the passing game, but it's obvious that under Harbaugh, they don't plan on playing from behind very often and that they intend to beat up opposing defensive fronts with a power rushing game.