Giovanni Ricci (born October 16, 1996) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

for the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Western Michigan Broncos The Western Michigan Broncos are a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I program representing Western Michigan University (WMU) in college athletics. They compete in the Mid-American Conference in men's coll ...

College career

Ricci played for the

for five seasons, redshirting his true freshman year. He finished his collegiate career with 98 catches for 1,114 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Professional career

Carolina Panthers

Ricci was signed by the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

as an undrafted free agent on April 30, 2020. He was waived at the end of

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events ...

. Ricci was re-signed to the Panthers'

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

shortly afterwards and remained there for the rest of the 2020 season. He was signed to a reserve/futures contract on January 4, 2021. In 2022, Ricci appeared in 15 games (starting 3), and hauled in 8 receptions for 100 yards. On January 9, 2023, Ricci signed a futures/reserve contract with the Panthers. On October 24, 2023, Ricci was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

with a shoulder injury.

Cleveland Browns

On March 15, 2024, Ricci signed with the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

. On August 22, Ricci contract was terminated due to an injury.

New England Patriots

On February 3, 2025, Ricci signed a reserve/futures contract with the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

. He was released on April 28, 2025.

Minnesota Vikings

On June 10, 2025, Ricci signed with the

as a tight end.

References

External links

Minnesota Vikings bioWestern Michigan Broncos bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ricci, Giovanni 1996 births Living people Sportspeople from Loveland, Ohio Players of American football from Ohio American football fullbacks Western Michigan Broncos football players Carolina Panthers players Cleveland Browns players New England Patriots players Minnesota Vikings players