Richard Alexander Wagner (born October 21, 1989) is an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...
offensive tackle who is a free agent. He was drafted by the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...
in the fifth round of the
2013 NFL Draft
The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall i ...
. He played
college football at
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
. Wagner has also been a member of the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at For ...
and
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the th ...
.
Early life
In high school, Wagner originally played wide receiver to avoid an injury, as his first priority at the time was basketball. It was a compromise with his high school coach that Wagner even played as a sophomore.
College career
Wagner walked on as a tight end.
After redshirting in 2008, Wagner made his college debut on September 12, 2009 against
Fresno State
California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bachelo ...
. Wagner appeared in 12 of the 13 games during his freshman season.
In 2010, Wagner made his first career start at right tackle on September 18, 2010 against
Arizona State
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the U ...
. Finished the season playing in 12 games with 10 starts at right tackle. Named consensus honorable mention All-
Big Ten
The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
by the media and coaches.
In 2011, Wagner started all 14 games at left tackle and was named consensus honorable mention All-Big Ten by the media and coaches for the second straight season.
In 2012, Wagner played and started in 13 of the 14 games during the 2012 season. Before the season, Wagner was on the
Outland Trophy
The Outland Trophy is awarded to the best college football interior lineman in the United States as adjudged by the Football Writers Association of America. It is named after John H. Outland. One of only a few players ever to be named an All- ...
watchlist.
Professional career
Baltimore Ravens
Wagner was selected in the fifth round, 168th overall in the
2013 NFL Draft
The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall i ...
by the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...
. On August 18, 2014, Wagner was officially named the Ravens starting right tackle heading into the 2014 season.
Detroit Lions
On March 10, 2017, Wagner signed a five-year contract with the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at For ...
. He was named the starting right tackle to begin the 2017 season, starting in 13 games, missing three due to an ankle injury.
The Lions released Wagner on March 13, 2020.
Green Bay Packers
On March 17, 2020, Wagner signed a two-year, $11 million contract with the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the th ...
. He played in all 16 regular season games, starting nine of them, as well as starting both playoff games against the
Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC Wes ...
and
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
.
On February 19, 2021, Wagner was released by the Packers.
Personal life
On June 25, 2016, Rick married his high school sweetheart Kirstin Froehlich in Wisconsin.
References
External links
*
Wisconsin Badgers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wagner, Ricky
1989 births
Living people
People from West Allis, Wisconsin
Sportspeople from Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
Players of American football from Wisconsin
American football offensive tackles
Wisconsin Badgers football players
Baltimore Ravens players
Detroit Lions players
Green Bay Packers players