A Blockbuster Extension for Baltimore
The Baltimore Ravens and wide receiver Zay Flowers agreed to a four-year, $140 million contract extension that includes $108 million guaranteed, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Tuesday. The Ravens later officially announced Flowers had agreed to a multiyear extension. Flowers' agency, WIN Sports, informed Schefter of the terms. The deal averages $35 million per season, making Flowers one of the NFL's highest-paid receivers.[S1][S2][S3][S4]
The extension replaces Flowers' 2027 fifth-year rookie option, which Baltimore exercised in April. At $35 million per year, Flowers is tied with Minnesota's Justin Jefferson as the fourth-highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL in average annual value. Flowers was entering the fourth season of his rookie contract and has been Baltimore's top target since arriving as the 22nd overall pick in the 2023 draft.[S1][S3][S5]
A Career Year in 2025
Flowers, 25, is a two-time Pro Bowler and has led the Ravens in receptions and receiving yards in every season of his career. In 2025 he set career highs with 86 catches and 1,211 yards, adding career-best marks with a 72.9% catch rate and 10.3 yards per target. He arrived in Baltimore as a first-round pick in 2023 out of Boston College.[S1][S2][S3]
Baltimore leaned on Flowers more than ever in 2025. He finished with 38 more catches than tight end Mark Andrews, and DeAndre Hopkins was the only other wide receiver to top 20 receptions. Flowers has scored 16 total touchdowns with the team, including two on the ground, and he has appeared in 50 career games. The Ravens used him occasionally on gadget plays as part of that increased role.[S1][S3]
Over 50 career games, Flowers has 237 receptions for 3,128 yards and 14 receiving touchdowns. His yardage has grown each season, from 858 as a rookie to 1,059 in his second year and 1,211 in 2025. The two-time Pro Bowler was selected with the 22nd overall pick in the 2023 draft and has led the Ravens in catches and receiving yards every year.[S1][S3]
Looking Ahead to 2026
Baltimore finished 8-9 last season and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2021, with quarterback Lamar Jackson hampered by injuries. The extension keeps Flowers paired with Jackson at least through 2027. General manager Eric DeCosta had said he was optimistic the sides could agree, and the team will look to rebound in head coach Jesse Minter's first year.[S1][S2]
Minter celebrated the deal Tuesday, saying, 'Great day for the Ravens. Shout out to Zay Flowers.' He added: 'Nothing better as a coach than to see those guys get what they deserve.' Flowers has said he did not want to play anywhere else, and the Ravens now enter 2026 with him as the clear leader of a wide receiver group that includes Rashod Bateman, Devontez Walker, and rookies Ja'Kobi Lane and Elijah Sarratt.[S1][S3]
Flowers was entering the fourth season of his rookie contract, and Baltimore had already exercised his 2027 fifth-year option. His scheduled 2027 cap number was $27,298,000, before the new agreement's year-to-year cap impact was disclosed. The Ravens now shift their focus toward the 2026 regular season and a return to the postseason after last season's 8-9 finish under first-year head coach Jesse Minter.[S1][S2][S5]
