Patrick Ricard Promises Giants Opponents Will Get ‘Bullied’ at MetLife Stadium

New York Giants fullback Patrick Ricard isn’t interested in subtlety. Asked about the identity John Harbaugh wants to build in East Rutherford, the 300-pound blocker offered a blunt promise for anyone visiting MetLife Stadium this season.

“When you come to MetLife Stadium, you’re gonna get bullied,” Ricard said during a training camp appearance on NFL Network’s “Inside Training Camp Live,” where he discussed Harbaugh’s plan to build a “bully” in New York.

It’s the kind of line Giants fans have waited years to hear. New York stumbled to a 4-13 finish in 2025, a season that cost Brian Daboll his job in November and eventually opened the door for Harbaugh’s arrival. The longtime Baltimore Ravens coach, a Super Bowl XLVII winner who spent 18 seasons running one of the league’s most physical operations, was hired on January 17 and formally introduced days later. He didn’t come alone.

Ricard followed Harbaugh from Baltimore to New York in free agency, agreeing to a two-year, $7.63 million contract that made him the highest-paid fullback in the league, according to the New York Post. It’s a move that says plenty about what the Giants want to become on offense.

A Blocker, Not a Box-Score Player

Ricard’s statistical footprint is tiny by design. He played 11 games for Baltimore in 2025, finishing with one carry for three yards and one catch for eight yards. Those numbers will never explain why teams pay him. Over his career, the Maine product has earned six Pro Bowl selections and back-to-back All-Pro nods, largely for the push he creates in the run game rather than anything that shows up on a stat sheet.

In Baltimore, that push mattered. The Ravens’ offense ranked No. 1 in yards per game in 2024, and their run attack posted a league-best 5.8 yards per carry, the best single-season mark in NFL history, per the team’s own reporting on the signing. Ricard was in the middle of that success for nine years, splitting time early in his career between fullback and defensive tackle before settling into his role as Baltimore’s lead blocker.

The recruiting pitch to bring him to New York reportedly didn’t come from Harbaugh alone. Giants running back Cam Skattebo, a bruising 220-pound runner who thrives on contact, personally reached out to Ricard during free agency to sell him on paving the way in New York, the Post reported. Ricard bit.

Why the Physical Reset Matters

The Giants haven’t been the sport’s toughest team in a long time. New York finished last in the NFC East in 2025 and fired both Daboll and defensive coordinator Shane Bowen during a season that unraveled early. Harbaugh’s hire wasn’t just about finding a new play-caller. It was about restoring an identity built on physicality in the trenches, the same approach that helped his Ravens teams make the playoffs in 12 of his 18 seasons in Baltimore.

Adding a blocker of Ricard’s caliber signals exactly that. A dedicated fullback is a rare investment in today’s pass-heavy NFL, and paying one starting-running-back-type money tells the rest of the roster what the coaching staff prioritizes. With an offensive line the Giants have worked to rebuild and a coordinator staff assembled by Harbaugh — including offensive coordinator Matt Nagy — New York is betting that imposing its will up front can fix problems that finesse never could.

None of that guarantees results. Ricard’s job has never been about personal production, and his impact will show up in whether Skattebo and the rest of the Giants’ backfield can consistently find room to run — not in his own stat line. Still, the message from East Rutherford this camp has been consistent: New York wants teams to leave MetLife Stadium sore, not just beaten.