While Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers had the fifth-year option for 2027 picked up earlier this spring, he and the club did not come to terms on an extension before the NFL’s ongoing summer break got underway.
On Wednesday, ESPN’s Jamison Hensley suggested that the Ravens could lock Flowers down before regular-season games start up in September.
“Wouldn’t be surprising” if Ravens made this Zay Flowers move
“It wouldn’t be surprising if Flowers and the Ravens reach an extension before the start of the season, which is exactly what happened with safety Kyle Hamilton last year,” Hensley wrote. “Flowers wants to stay, saying he would like to play his entire career in Baltimore. General manager Eric DeCosta believes it’s important to keep Flowers, who has developed into a leader on offense.”
Flowers led the 2025 Ravens with 86 receptions, 118 targets and 1,211 receiving yards. He and tight end Mark Andrews shared the team lead of five touchdown receptions.
The Ravens technically don’t need to do anything since they have Flowers under contract for the foreseeable future. However, Hensley noted in a different piece that Flowers’ next deal may become more expensive if the Ravens don’t get something done sooner rather than later.
Earlier this offseason, the Atlanta Falcons and Drake London agreed to a four-year, $141M contract extension with $100M guaranteed.
Ravens should want to keep Lamar Jackson happy
Hensley mentioned how Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson made his feelings about Flowers known on the final day of the team’s mandatory minicamp.
“We love Zay,” Jackson said at the time. “We need Zay. His value is out of this world. That’s what I’d say. …Zay Flowers is a 1,000-yard receiver [in the] NFL for a reason. I’m going to leave it at that.”
One would think that DeCosta and Co. would like to keep Jackson happy, as the signal-caller is also looking for a contract extension. Jackson’s existing deal prevents Baltimore from retaining his rights for 2028 via the franchise tag and from trading him without his consent.
Additionally, a contender should want to keep the duo of Flowers and Jackson together through their primes. That said, it remains to be seen if those involved will put pen to paper on deals at any point over the next couple of months.