Zay Flowers Is Primed To Make a Massive Jump for Baltimore Ravens

This time last year, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba was coming off his first career Pro Bowl nod and a 1,000-plus receiving yards season, but he wasn't on anyone's shortlist to be named the 2025 recipient of the Offensive Player of the Year award.

However, it came to pass all the same, as he joined Mike Macdonald's elite defense as one of the main catalysts for his team's incredible run to the franchise's second Super Bowl title. Smith-Njigba led the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards, finished fourth in receptions with 119 and tied for the third-most touchdown catches with 10.

Baltimore Ravens fourth-year wide receiver Zay Flowers and Smith-Njigba entered the league as first-round picks in 2023, just two selections apart at No. 20 and 22 overall. The difference between Smith-Njigba going from ascending to transcendental last year came down to a couple of key factors that could lead to a similar leap for Flowers in 2026.

The first was a change in scheme, going from Ryan Grubb at offensive coordinator in 2024 for his first 1,000-plus yard receiving season to Klint Kubiak in 2025. Second, was the upgrade under center, going from one former reclamation project in Geno Smith for his first two seasons to a younger one in Sam Darnold.

With a new quarterback throwing him the ball more down the field and an innovative play-caller scheming up ways to get him the ball and make him a focal point of the passing attack, Smith-Njigba took his game to the highest level.

Flowers is poised to do the same and further cement himself as the best homegrown wide receiver in franchise history as his bond with two-time league MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson continues to grow heading into their fourth season together and with first-year offensive coordinator Declan Doyle calling the shots.

Continuity at quarterback with arguably the league's best when healthy, and a new scheme from an up-and-coming offensive mastermind who is both relatable and extremely detail-oriented, combined with Flowers' immense and still rising individual talent as a dynamic playmaker with the ball in his hands, are all the ingredients for the two-time Pro Bowler to have a monster season.

Flowers hit the ground running as a rookie and has not only led the Ravens in targets, receptions and receiving yards in each of his first three seasons but has improved upon the previous year's output in those statistical categories. Last year, he finished with the seventh-most receiving yards in the league (1,211) and tied for the second-most in the AFC, behind only Ja'Marr Chase of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Not only are all signs pointing to the Ravens becoming more of a wide receiver-friendly offense, but team officials have also said as much during various media appearances and interactions throughout the offseason program post-NFL Draft. Given Doyle's background in the league coming up under Super Bowl-winning head coach Sean Peyton and Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson, he'll have a good plan to maximize an explosive talent like Flowers in his scheme.

Even though they've known each other for less than half a year, Flowers already feels a kinship with Doyle and is excited to see what they can achieve together.

"He is a genius," Flowers said during mandatory minicamp. "He has stuff that I've never seen – plays and routes and stuff to help you get open. He teaches you in a certain way where you remember the plays where there's not too much stress on you. But, he gives you a lot, and he talks fast, too. I'm like, 'Hey, Coach, chill, chill.' He is a genius, though. I love it. We've been loving it so far."

Ravens should extend Flowers before transcendent season comes to fruition

Dec 27, 2025; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers (4) celebrates after the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Back in March, the Seahawks reset the top of the wide receiver market by inking Smith-Njigba to a massive four-year extension worth $168.6 million, which averages $42.15 million a year. In the months since, several players at the position, who are comparably and even less accomplished than Flowers, have received lucrative new deals from their respective teams, further bringing into focus where he likely range in terms of average annual salary will land.

Both the Ravens and Flowers have made their intentions of staying together for the long haul clear anytime either side has been asked for an update on contract negotiations, but the longer the process is drawn out, the higher his price potentially climbs.

As it currently stands, he will be the 63rd highest-paid wideout in 2026 with a salary of $3.5 million, and his salary will jump up to $27.298 million in 2027 after having his fifth-year option exercised. If the Ravens can strike a deal with him ahead of this upcoming season, it will probably be in the neighborhood of the four-year deal worth $141 million that the Atlanta Falcons signed Drake London to last month, which made him the third-highest paid receiver with an average annual salary of $35.2 million.

London came into the league a year before Flowers as a first-rounder in 2022 and only has one season of over 1,000 receiving yards with no Pro Bowl nods under his belt, while the Ravens' rising star has two of each in three seasons. There's a strong chance that even if general manager Eric DeCosta makes him a top four or five highest-paid player at his position, it could still wind up looking like a steal if he does wind up transcending this year.

“I just want to get better every year and improve every year on everything,” Flowers said in April. “Not prove to people but prove to myself what I know I can do and just go out and be the best player I know I can every week.”

It took late August of last year for the Ravens and three-time All Pro defensive back Kyle Hamilton to agree to terms on a new deal in his first year of eligibility, and they might end up taking a similar path with Flowers. Hopefully, it doesn't drag out too much longer, as it could impact their ability to retain other young players coming down the pipeline who might need to get paid in the coming years, such as cornerback Nate Wiggins, offensive tackle Roger Rosengarten and outside linebacker Mike Green.

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