Ravens Make 'Fired Up' Decision on Zay Flowers' Fifth-Year Option

Hours before the Baltimore Ravens turned in the card for their first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, they made an unsurprising move with their top pick in 2023, as, according to multiple beat reporters, they picked up the fifth-year option on the rookie contract of wide receiver Zay Flowers.

In doing so, they ensured that the two-time Pro Bowler, who has led the team in targets, receptions and receiving yards in each of his first three seasons through 2027. Flowers was slated to make $2.664 million on the final year of his rookie deal in 2026 and will now be on the books for $27.298 million on the fifth-year option.

During the Ravens press conference following the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, after selecting Penn State guard Olaivavega Ioane at No. 14 overall, general manager Eric DeCosta was asked to confirm the reports by a reporter. He essentially called the move a no-brainer for the team and even wondered why it hadn't been brought up at last week's pre-draft presser.

"We're fired up," DeCosta said. "I love Zay. He's earned this. He's a tremendous player with a great work ethic and a great personality. [His personality is] infectious, [and he's] very talented. He's a leader, and the goal would be to get a long-term deal with him if we can. And I fully expect we will. He's got a great agent, and he's a great person. I know he wants to be here."

Ravens should try to strike a deal sooner rather than later

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) celebrates his rushing touchdown with wide receiver Zay Flowers (4). — Oct 1, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) celebrates his rushing touchdown with wide receiver Zay Flowers (4) in the first quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

DeCosta has drafted three first-round receivers since taking over as the head of the front office in Baltimore, and Flowers has proven that the third time's the charm, by far and away the best of the bunch, with the first two being Marquise Brown in 2019 and Rashod Bateman in 2021.

Flowers is the first player at the position in franchise history to be voted to the Pro Bowl as a non-specialist, and he has increased his production in each of the first three seasons and is coming off a 2025 season in which he recorded career highs with 86 catches and 1,211 receiving yards.

The top of the wide receiver market has been reset in each of the last three offseasons, with each one becoming the next highest-paid non-quarterback at the time of signing.

In 2023, it was four-time Pro Bowler Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings at $35 million a year. He was followed by his former college teammate at LSU, Ja'Marr Chase of the Cincinnati Bengals, in 2024 at $40.25 million a year, and Flowers' draftmate, Jaxon Smith-Njigba of the Seattle Seahawks, who was selected just two spots ahead of him in 2023, just broke the bank last month on an extension that averages $42.15 million.

"Congrats to him (Smith-Njigba). He did that one," Flowers said at the start of voluntary workouts. "I ain't really paying attention to [my contract], if I'm being honest. I go train every day. I let my agents handle that."

Each of the previous two market-setting contracts at the receiver position came after career years in which the next man up to sign led the league in receiving yards the previous season. Chase was the triple crown leader in 2024 with an NFL-best 127 catches for 1,708 receiving yards and 17 receiving touchdowns. Last year, Smith-Njigba didn't just set new career-highs across the board with 119 catches for 1,793 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns; he was named Offensive Player of the Year and helped lead his team to a Super Bowl title.

It's hard to imagine an offense that is still expected to have Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and the running game as a major focal point also producing a league-leading receiver. However, there's no telling what new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle is cooking up when it comes to the myriad of creative ways to deploy Flowers aside from the fact that they intend for it to be explosive with plenty of big plays.

"It's going to be fun, it's going to be electric and I'm excited to get into this and make this offense our own," three-time Pro Bowl tight end Mark Andrews said.

Even if he doesn't end up leading the league in any major receiving category, Flowers could still very well end up having a monster year in 2026. There's no reason they should enter next offseason with him, and Jackson is projected to eat up just north of a $101 million in 2027 combined. If they were able to work out an extension with one or, hopefully, both, they could free up some much-needed cap space to make more moves and lock up other young cornerstones coming down the pipeline.

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