The offseason has started for the Baltimore Ravens, and one of their very best players is headed forward with a heavy heart.
According to a post on his Instagram stories, star wide receiver Zay Flowers’ grandmother, Diana, died recently.
“Grandma I love you, you was always proud of me and bragging on me,” Flowers wrote. “Yo Grandboy did it and I’m glad you got to see me do it. I love you forever. Tell my Mama, Martin and Tyler I love ’em.”
Flowers was the Ravens’ first round pick (No. 22 overall) in the 2023 NFL draft out of Boston College and set franchise rookie records for receptions (77) and receiving yards (858) that season.
Flowers has over 1,000 receiving yards each of the last 2 seasons, including career highs of 86 receptions for 1,211 yards and 5 touchdowns in 2025. He’s also a 2-time Pro Bowl selection.
Flowers’ Family Endured Terrible Tragedies in Past
Losing his grandmother isn’t the first time Flowers and his family have suffered a loss, including 2 unspeakable tragedies before he even graduated from high school.
From the Baltimore Ravens official site: “Flowers’ mother, Jackie Walden, passed away when he was just 5 years old after suffering a head injury caused by a fall. His brother, Martin, was murdered when Flowers was in high school.”
The 11th of 14 children growing up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Flowers’ mother, Jackie Walden, died of a head injury from a fall when he was just 5 years old. When Flowers was drafted, he wore a necklace with his mother’s picture in the middle, surrounded by 14 flower petals to represent the 14 siblings.
Flowers’ older brother, Martin, was murdered in Sanford, N.C., in 2017, just days before Flowers played for NSU University School in a state playoff game — he responded with 3 receptions for 88 yards and 1 touchdown in a 44-21 win over Glades Central.
Prediction Calls for $92M Contract Extension
Averaging 1,000 receiving yards over his first 3 seasons has firmly established Flowers as one of a handful of elite NFL wide receivers, which means he’s in line for a massive payday this offseason — even though he still has one year left on his 4-year, $14 million rookie contract.
Spotrac currently projects Flowers is in line to receive a 3-year, $92.9 million contract extension.
“The first step for the Ravens will likely be picking up the fifth-year option on Flowers’ contract as the 2 sides negotiate a long-term deal this spring,” Spotrac’s Michael Ginnitti wrote. “With two Pro Bowl nods under his belt, Flowers’ 5th-year option salary for 2027 now projects to come in at $28M. Baltimore has until May 1st to make a call on this, but it should be noted that the 25-year-old currently holds a $30M projection in our system.”
No deal for Flowers is likely to get done until the Ravens figure out who their next head coach is going to be.
Baltimore entered the 2025 season as Super Bowl favorites but started out 1-5 before finishing with an 8-9 overall record — a year in which they were eliminated from the postseason by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the final game of the regular season.
Those struggles led to the firing of Ravens head coach John Harbaugh after 18 seasons, with Harbaugh becoming the head coach of the New York Giants within 10 days.
Ravens WR Zay Flowers Suffers Heartbreaking Family Tragedy