Rick Lovato

Richard Peter "Rick" Lovato Jr. (born September 9, 1992) is an American football long snapper for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Old Dominion. 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.

Rick Lovato
Lovato in 2017
No. 45 – Philadelphia Eagles
Position:Long snapper
Personal information
Born: (1992-09-09) September 9, 1992
Neptune, New Jersey
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
Undrafted:2015
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2020
Games played:71
Total tackles:14
Fumble recoveries:0
Player stats at NFL.com

Early years

Lovato was born in Neptune, 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
HeightWeight40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
6 ft 2 in
(1.88 m)		 235 lb
(107 kg)		 5.18 s1.75 s2.88 s4.63 s7.78 s25.5 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.

References
  1. "Green Bay Packers: Rick Lovato". Packers.com. Archived from the original on September 4, 2016. Retrieved September 2, 2016.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. "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. 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. 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. 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.
  14. "Eagles dethrone Tom Brady, Patriots for first Super Bowl title in stunner". USA TODAY. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  15. McPherson, Chris (November 19, 2019). "Eagles sign LS Rick Lovato to four-year contract extension". PhiladelphiaEagles.com.
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