Zay Flowers Signs Four-Year, $140 Million Extension With Ravens, Ties Justin Jefferson as NFL’s Highest-Paid Receiver

Zay Flowers is now the highest-paid receiver in Baltimore Ravens history. The team announced Tuesday that it has agreed to terms with its two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver on a four-year contract extension worth $140 million, including $108 million guaranteed, a deal that instantly became one of the biggest stories in the NFL and sent Flowers’ name rocketing to the top of trending searches nationwide.

The new deal, first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, replaces the fifth-year option on Flowers’ rookie contract that Baltimore had already exercised back in April. Instead of playing out that option year in 2027 at a fraction of market value, Flowers cashes in immediately with a new-money average of $35 million per season, a figure that ties him with Justin Jefferson atop the receiver pay scale. It’s a staggering outcome for a player the Ravens took with the No. 22 overall pick out of Boston College in the 2023 NFL Draft, and it cements him as a foundational piece of Baltimore’s offense for years to come.

A Career Year Made the Extension Inevitable

Flowers enters his fourth NFL season off the best year of his career. In 2025, he caught 86 passes for 1,211 yards and five touchdowns, becoming the first wide receiver in franchise history to earn back-to-back Pro Bowl selections. His production has climbed every season since he arrived in Baltimore — 858 yards as a rookie, 1,059 in year two, and now a career-best 1,211 — while his 118 targets last year ranked among the busiest in the league. Across three seasons, Flowers has piled up 237 receptions, 3,128 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns, establishing himself as Lamar Jackson’s most trusted target and the engine of an offense that has increasingly funneled the ball through him.

Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta made clear the front office viewed retaining Flowers as a priority rather than a negotiation. “Zay is the type of player we always seek to retain,” DeCosta said in a statement announcing the deal. “Tough, competitive, durable, a premier talent and a foundational football player. He’s earned this extension and we are thrilled for Zay and his family.” Flowers, for his part, had downplayed the contract talk throughout camp at the Under Armour Performance Center, telling reporters just days earlier, “Honestly, I am just working right now. I am trying to get better. I leave that to my agents.”

New Coaching Staff Wants Him Even More Involved

The timing of the extension lines up with a clear organizational shift toward making Flowers the centerpiece of Baltimore’s passing attack under new head coach Jesse Minter. Speaking on “The Lounge” podcast before camp, Minter said the Ravens want to get Flowers the ball “in as many ways as possible,” adding, “The more that guy touches the ball, the better we’ll be.” With tight end Isaiah Likely gone and veteran DeAndre Hopkins not re-signed, Flowers is positioned to see an even larger target share than the 118 looks he handled a year ago. That vision of touches via screens, jet motion, option routes and designed plays — not just standard downfield routes — reflects how much the new coaching staff values his ability to create after the catch.

The extension also locks in one of the league’s most productive quarterback-receiver pairings, keeping Flowers alongside Jackson through the prime years of both of their careers. For a team still chasing its first Super Bowl title of the Jackson era, retaining a No. 1 receiver who has developed into one of the sport’s most dynamic playmakers gives Baltimore’s front office a foundation to keep building around. As oddsmakers and bettors reset expectations for a Ravens team suddenly locked in at wide receiver, plenty of eyes will turn to the DraftKings promo code markets to see how Baltimore’s win total and AFC North odds shift heading into the 2026 season.

What Comes Next for Flowers and the Ravens

At 25 years old, Flowers is now signed well into his prime, and Minter has already suggested the receiver could take another leap this season despite entering camp ranked just No. 71 on the NFL’s “Top 100” list voted on by players. Teammates and coaches have also pointed to a maturing leadership presence, with Minter noting that Flowers approached Baltimore’s new offensive scheme “as if he were starting from scratch,” building his understanding of the system from the ground up rather than leaning on two seasons of prior production.

With the financial security of a $140 million extension now behind him, the expectation in Baltimore is that Flowers can fully focus on training camp and the season ahead rather than a lingering contract situation. If the early returns from camp and the praise from his new coaching staff are any indication, the Ravens believe they’ve only begun to see what their $35 million-a-year receiver is capable of producing in 2026 and beyond.