The Baltimore Ravens may use Zay Flowers as their No. 1 wide receiver, but don’t expect him to get paid like one of the best in the game.
Executives are reportedly balking at Flowers’ contract demands, in which he is asking for $35 million or more in his current negotiations with the Ravens.
The 2023 first-round pick is extension eligible, and the Ravens are already on the hook for his fifth-year options, which will pay him more than $27 million for the 2027 season.
Still, the Ravens are reportedly holding off paying him like one of the top receivers.
Ravens May Balk at Zay Flowers’ Asking Price
GettyZay Flowers is eligible for a contract extension with the Baltimore Ravens.
Flowers has become an extremely valuable weapon for two-time AP MVP Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. He has led the Ravens in receiving every season as a pro and posted a career-high 1,211 receiving yards in 2025, which was seventh-best in the NFL a season ago.
Still, Flowers’ stature is considered a non-starter for elite negotiations.
“His lack of size is a big deal,” an unidentified executive told Sports Boom. “Itâs a separator⦠Heâs a really good football player, but I couldnât pay him $30M a year.â
Flowers is listed at 5-9, 183 pounds, which is puny for a No. 1 wideout, who typically check at at least 6-0, 200 pounds. Though Jackson has had success in hitting big plays to Flowers, he only had six catches in the red zone in 2025 and has only 19 of 237 career catches inside of opponents’ 20-yard line in his career.
“He is also a relative non-factor in the red zone and the end zone, and scoring touchdowns matters when it comes to talking about the true No. 1 wideouts in the game,” Jason La Canfora of Sports Boom wrote. “Flowers is outside the top 30 among all wide receivers during his three years in the NFL in both red-zone targets and endzone targets.
“Not hitting paydirt on Sunday as much as desired will impact his ability to hit paydirt in this negotiation.”
Zay Flowers Would be ‘Smart’ to Compromise in Negotiations
GettyZay Flowers is already set to get a huge raise in 2027 after he completes his rookie contract.
Flowers’ production flies in the face of any debates about his size. As a two-time Pro Bowler, he earned the most lucrative fifth-year option, which will pay him that of what being on the franchise tag would.
Still, the NFL is full of old beliefs that are slow to die, which is why many believe even Flowers’ fifth-year salary is an overpay for the Ravens.
âHeâs not a $28M guy, so thatâs a bad precedent,â one NFL contract expert said to Sports Boom. âThatâs a win for Flowers.â
Still, with Jackson’s contract about to become extension eligible, the franchise QB’s wishes and the Ravens’ cap management will come into play. That means Flowers would be wise to push for less than that of the highest-paid wideouts, in order to keep the band together.
“It will be an interesting negotiation regardless, and comes at the same time the team is struggling to get quarterback Lamar Jackson signed to an extension,” La Canfora wrote. “Many believe Flowers would be smart to try to secure an additional $30M a year for three-plus years and call it a win.”
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