Without a Lamar Jackson Contract Extension, Ravens New Deal With Zay Flowers May Ring Hollow

The Baltimore Ravens completed a significant contract extension on Tuesday to boost their offense potentially for years to come, just not the one that will dictate the very future direction of the franchise.

The Ravens extended Pro Bowl receiver Zay Flowers, who could go down as the best receiver the star-crossed franchise has ever drafted (that position has been a problem), and who is coming off a 2025 in which he produced 1200 receiving yards on a team in which no one else had 450. And they got him a price that we have long reported he was pegged for – far short of the $40M/season that top No. 1 wide receivers would get. As for two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson, entering what for now looks like a lame-duck season, Ravens fans must continue to hold their breath.

ESPN reported the contract extension first, as a four-year extension worth a max of $140M, with $108 guaranteed . As we discussed repeatedly on “The Daily Show,” with former GM Marty Hurney and Mark Levin, former head of the NFLPA salary cap and administration department, and with NFL analyst Brian Baldinger – Flowers’s smaller stature and inability to make pays in the redzone and endzone was always going to limit his financial ceiling.

Once the full contract is available for review in the NFLPA and NFL Management Council databases we’ll be able to truly see how close to $35M/year in real money it includes. His agent, Joel Segal, is one of the sharpest in the business and clearly understood some of the market indicators he had to work around

“Nothing better as a coach than to see those guys get what they deserve,” rookie head coach Jesse Minter said after camp practice on Tuesday. “So I’m really happy for Zay and excited for him and cant wait to see him thrive in our offense.”

Flowers, who turns 26 in September, is outside the top 30 in the NFL in touchdown receptions and several key metrics in that part of the field (and redzone), putting Segal in a tricky situation. They did quite well to land this package, and the timing also makes sense. Jackson’s uncertain future, coupled with an offensive coordinator who never called a play before (Declan Doyle, 30), and a supporting cast that lacks any other proven, in form, athletic playmakers (sorry Rashod Bateman and Mark Andrews don’t qualify), made taking this package a shrewd decision.

Flowers is slight, injuries could become a factor as he grows deeper into his career, and the Ravens had time on their size, with the specter of a fifth-year option and potential franchise tag to wield over the player they selected 22nd overall in 2023. And with most of their 2022 draft class departing in free agency and not many extension candidates in their mid-20s and with an older payroll, Baltimore was more than ready to execute a contract of this scope.

What About Lamar?

Alas, the $250M (fully guaranteed) elephant in the room remains the single biggest factor in determining whether Minter’s tenure will prove to be a success or not. Jackson has indicated repeatedly, including during training camp, that he is more than content to play out this season for roughly $50M guaranteed and see what the future holds.

Of course, with an untenable $85M cap hit next season and a no-trade clause and a no-tag clause that essentially makes him an unrestricted free agent come 2027, why wouldn’t he be? This wide receiver deal had best be an appetizer to that main course – general manager Eric DeCosta giving Jackson what he wants, or they might have quite the time culling financial value from Flowers (anyone else old enough to remember Kyle Boller or Chris Redman?)

In the meantime, expect to see Flowers in motion and shifted around more than ever before, he should benefit greatly from a faster tempo to this offense and a clear movement to exponentially more under center snaps, often with heavy personnel on the field (which provides better match-ups for Flowers) taking early-down deep shots out of play action.

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