Rick Lovato

Rick Lovato
refer to caption
Lovato with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022
No. 49 – Philadelphia Eagles
Position:Long snapper
Personal information
Born: (1992-09-09) September 9, 1992 (age 32)
Neptune Township, New Jersey, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:249 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High school:Middletown South
(Middletown, New Jersey)
College:Old Dominion (2011–2014)
Undrafted:2015
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 8, 2024
Games played:129
Total tackles:23
Forced fumbles:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Richard Peter Lovato Jr. (born September 9, 1992) is an American professional football long snapper for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Old Dominion Monarchs. Lovato was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2015. He has also played for the Green Bay Packers and Washington Redskins.

Early life

Lovato was born in Neptune Township, New Jersey,[1] the son of Rick and Maureen Lovato.[2] He attended Middletown High School South in Middletown, New Jersey, where he started long snapping as a freshman.[1] He also saw time at center and on the defensive line.[2]

College career

Lovato played college football for the Old Dominion Monarchs football team from 2011 to 2014.[2] He appeared in all 50 games as the Monarchs’ long snapper.[1]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 2+1⁄8 in
(1.88 m) 		235 lb
(107 kg) 		30 in
(0.76 m) 		9 in
(0.23 m)		 5.18 s 1.75 s 2.88 s 4.63 s 7.78 s 25.5 in
(0.65 m)		 8 ft 6 in
(2.59 m)		 20 reps
All values are from Pro Day[3]

Chicago Bears

After going undrafted in the 2015 NFL draft, Lovato signed with the Chicago Bears on May 3, 2015.[4] On August 30, 2015, he was released by the Bears.[5]

Green Bay Packers

On December 22, 2015, Lovato was signed by the Green Bay Packers after starting long snapper Brett Goode suffered a season-ending knee injury.[6] Prior to being signed, he was working at a sandwich shop in Lincroft, New Jersey owned by his father and uncle.[7] Lovato became the first Old Dominion alumnus to play in a regular-season NFL game after handling snapping duties for every punt and field goal against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 16.[8] On September 3, 2016, he was released by the Packers during final team cuts.[9]

Washington Redskins

On November 19, 2016, Lovato was signed by the Washington Redskins to fill in for the injured Nick Sundberg.[10] He was released on November 29, 2016.[11]

Philadelphia Eagles

Lovato warming up prior to Super Bowl LII

On December 12, 2016, Lovato was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles after starting long snapper Jon Dorenbos suffered a broken wrist.[12]

Lovato earned the Eagles long snapping job in 2017 after the team traded away Dorenbos.[13] Lovato would go on to win Super Bowl LII with the Eagles.[14]

On November 19, 2019, Lovato signed a four-year contract extension with the Eagles through the 2024 season.[15] He was selected to the Pro Bowl on December 17, 2019.

On October 25, 2021, Lovato was waived by the Eagles following the waiver claim of Reid Sinnett.[16] Lovato re-signed to the Eagles' 53-man roster the following day.[17]

In 2022, Lovato reached his second career Super Bowl. The Eagles lost 38–35 to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII.[18]

On March 12, 2024, Lovato signed a one-year contract extension with the Eagles.[19]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Green Bay Packers: Rick Lovato". Packers.com. Archived from the original on September 4, 2016. Retrieved September 2, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. ^ a b c "Old Dominion Monarchs: Rick Lovato". ODUSports.com. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  3. ^ "Rick Lovato - Old Dominion, LS : 2015 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile". NFLDraftScout.com. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
  4. ^ Mayer, Larry (May 3, 2015). "Bears add 15 undrafted free agents". ChicagoBears.com. Archived from the original on April 22, 2018. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
  5. ^ Mayer, Larry (August 30, 2015). "Bears cut Jennings, Mundy to IR". ChicagoBears.com. Archived from the original on April 22, 2018. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
  6. ^ "LS Brett Goode placed on injured reserve". Packers.com. December 22, 2015. Archived from the original on September 5, 2016. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
  7. ^ Demovsky, Rob (December 23, 2015). "Subs to snaps: Rick Lovato, from sandwich shop to Packers' long-snapper". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
  8. ^ Minium, Harry (January 8, 2016). "ODU's Rick Lovato: from sub-making in Jersey to punt-snapping in Green Bay". PilotOnline.com. Archived from the original on October 15, 2018. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
  9. ^ "Packers keep six undrafted rookies, including QB Joe Callahan". Packers.com. September 3, 2016. Archived from the original on April 2, 2018. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  10. ^ Czarda, Stephen (November 19, 2016). "11/19: Redskins Make Roster Moves". Redskins.com. Archived from the original on April 22, 2018. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  11. ^ Czarda, Stephen (November 29, 2016). "Redskins Sign Defensive Lineman A.J. Francis To Active Roster". Redskins.com.
  12. ^ McPherson, Chris (December 12, 2016). "Eagles Place Three On Injured Reserve". PhiladelphiaEagles.com.
  13. ^ Spadaro, Dave (August 28, 2017). "Dorenbos Trade A 'Difficult' One For Team". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. Archived from the original on August 29, 2017. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
  14. ^ Jones, Lindsay H. (February 5, 2018). "Super Bowl 2018: Eagles dethrone Tom Brady, Patriots in stunner". USA TODAY. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  15. ^ McPherson, Chris (November 19, 2019). "Eagles sign LS Rick Lovato to four-year contract extension". PhiladelphiaEagles.com.
  16. ^ "Eagles claim quarterback off waivers, (Temporarily?) cut Rick Lovato". October 25, 2021.
  17. ^ Gowton, Brandon Lee (October 26, 2021). "Eagles re-sign Rick Lovato, add safety to practice squad". Bleeding Green Nation. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  18. ^ "Super Bowl LVII - Philadelphia Eagles vs. Kansas City Chiefs - February 12th, 2023". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  19. ^ "Eagles agree to terms with Rick Lovato, Braden Mann". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. March 12, 2024.
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