Ravens Lock In Zay Flowers With Four-Year, $140 Million Extension

Zay Flowers’ reported four-year, $140 million extension keeps the Ravens’ two-time Pro Bowl receiver under contract through 2031.

The Baltimore Ravens have secured one of the most important pieces of their offense for the long haul.

Baltimore announced Tuesday that it had agreed to terms with wide receiver Zay Flowers on a multiyear contract extension. The team did not disclose the financial terms, but ESPN reported that the agreement is worth $140 million over four years and includes $108 million guaranteed.

The extension carries a $35 million average annual value, tying Flowers with Minnesota Vikings star Justin Jefferson for fourth among NFL wide receivers on a new-money basis. It is also the largest contract the Ravens have awarded to a wide receiver, and ESPN reports that Flowers is now Baltimore’s second-highest-paid player behind quarterback Lamar Jackson.

For a franchise that has spent years searching for a homegrown No. 1 receiver, the deal represents more than another large contract. Baltimore drafted Flowers with the No. 22 overall pick in 2023 and watched him quickly become Jackson’s most dependable wideout.

Now, instead of allowing the escalating receiver market to complicate future negotiations, the Ravens have locked in their top target before the 2026 regular season.

“Zay is the type of player we always seek to retain,” general manager Eric DeCosta said in the team’s announcement, calling Flowers a “foundational football player.”

Flowers Has Rewritten the Ravens’ Receiver Standard

Flowers has led Baltimore in receptions and receiving yards in each of his first three NFL seasons. He is coming off his best year yet, finishing the 2025 campaign with career highs of 86 catches and 1,211 receiving yards, along with five touchdowns.

That performance gave Flowers consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and back-to-back Pro Bowl selections. He became the first Ravens player to reach the Pro Bowl specifically as a wide receiver in 2024, then followed that breakthrough with another selection in 2025.

Through 50 regular-season games, including 48 starts, Flowers has produced 237 receptions, 3,128 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns. His 1,211 receiving yards in 2025 set a single-season franchise record for a Ravens wide receiver, according to Reuters.

Those numbers also explain why Baltimore was willing to move early. Flowers is still only 25, has increased his production each season and already ranks among the most accomplished receivers the organization has developed.

Baltimore Is Betting on the Flowers-Jackson Connection

The deal keeps Flowers under contract through the 2031 season and preserves his partnership with Jackson. Both players are South Florida natives, and their connection extends beyond game day. The two have trained together during off-seasons, building the timing and trust that have made Flowers the quarterback’s leading receiver.

Head coach Jesse Minter praised both Flowers’ performance and his approach after Tuesday’s practice, describing the extension as the kind of reward coaches want to see for a top player who also brings the right mentality to the organization.

That continuity could become even more valuable under new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle. Flowers has spoken enthusiastically about Doyle’s system and its potential to create space through route design and varied alignments. With a long-term agreement now settled, the Ravens can focus on expanding Flowers’ role instead of carrying a major contract question into the season.

A Major Commitment in a Rising Receiver Market

Flowers’ extension arrives during another sharp rise in wide-receiver salaries. His reported $35 million annual average trails only Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ja’Marr Chase and Drake London, while matching Jefferson’s figure.

The comparison does not mean every contract has the same structure.

Guaranteed money, cash flow, bonuses and salary-cap treatment can vary considerably. Still, the reported value places Flowers firmly among the league’s highest-paid players at his position and signals how strongly the Ravens view his importance to their offense.

Baltimore had already exercised Flowers’ fifth-year option, which would have kept him under contract through 2027. Reaching a new agreement now gives the organization longer control of a player entering his prime and gives Flowers the security that comes with a top-of-market commitment from the team that drafted him.

The move also shifts attention to the Ravens’ next major negotiation. Jackson has two seasons remaining on his current contract, and ESPN reports that Baltimore will continue working toward another extension with the two-time NFL MVP.

For now, one part of the Ravens’ offensive future is settled. Flowers wanted to remain in Baltimore, the Ravens wanted to keep their most productive receiver, and the two sides completed a deal that could keep Jackson’s top target in purple and black for the rest of the decade.