The NFL wide receiver market has gone totally crazy this offseason. Jaxon Smith-Njigba changed it by signing a four-year, $168.6 million extension with the Seattle Seahawks, and suddenly, all the teams with a promising young receiver have a major decision to make. Baltimore is no exception.
The Ravens count one of the young wide receivers among the better ones in the league. Besides, since he is on the last year of his rookie contract, the contract talk was going to happen eventually. However, the question was, in which direction would he lean when it came to signing a new deal?
What Zay Flowers Said About Staying in Baltimore
GettyBaltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers.
Turns out, there was nothing to worry about. In a recent piece by Quentin Corpuel and Clifton Brown on the Ravens’ official website, Flowers was direct about his future.
“I want to be here,” he said. “I want to finish my career here.”
He did not get into the specifics of an extension, keeping that in his agents’ hands. “Let my representation do that,” he said.
That tracks with what he said back in April, when Smith-Njigba’s deal came up. “Congrats to him. He did that one,” Flowers said at the time. “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.”
Same message, different month. He is not out here chasing a bag publicly. For a young receiver entering his prime, that kind of focus says a lot. He just wants to play football in Baltimore, and the results on the field have backed that up every single season.
What a Zay Flowers Extension Could Look Like
GettyZay Flowers Drops Major Hint About Future With Ravens
The Ravens are on the same page. General Manager Eric DeCosta said after the draft that the team fully expects to sign Flowers to a long-term extension, and that he hopes to keep him well beyond the next two seasons.
The fifth-year option Baltimore picked up in late April already keeps Flowers under contract through 2027, so there is no urgency. Waiting until 2027 to finalize a deal makes sense, with a projection around a three-year, $93 million extension.
For context on why that number is justified, Flowers has put up 3,128 receiving yards over three seasons, the 11th most in the NFL in that span. He is also the first Ravens receiver to make back-to-back Pro Bowls as a receiver, something nobody wearing that uniform had ever done before him. That kind of production does not come cheap, and Baltimore knows it.
He is 25, still improving, and clearly wants to be there. The Ravens want him there too. Everything points to this getting done, it is just a matter of when.
Ravens Receive Good News From Zay Flowers Amid Contract Extension Talks