Zay Flowers spent his whole career being told what he wasn't. Not the classic outside "X" receiver. Not the big frame teams covet at the position. Not, according to some, even a true WR1. On Tuesday, the Ravens made clear exactly what he is: the centerpiece of their offense for years to come, and one of the highest-paid receivers in football.
Baltimore signed Flowers to a four-year, $140 million extension carrying $108 million guaranteed, a deal that ties him with the Minnesota Vikings' Justin Jefferson for the fourth-highest average annual value among receivers in the NFL at $35 million a year. Combined with the two years already left on his rookie contract, Flowers is now under Ravens control through 2031. He's coming off a career year — 86 catches, 1,211 yards, and five touchdowns in 2025, his second straight 1,000-yard season, and he became the fastest player in franchise history to reach 100 career receptions.
The deal wasn't finalized until Tuesday morning, and it cost Flowers a practice. "Yes, me and 'EDC' [general manager Eric DeCosta], we had a talk right before practice, and it was a good conversation," Flowers said. "No practice — that was his decision, too. Just keep me safe. Let's get this signed; then you can practice the next day." Head coach Jesse Minter confirmed the timing: "I think it was towards the finish line, and being in that position — when something like that happens where it's really life changing, I think it's good to be smart for that particular day."
Flowers didn't hide what the moment meant, both personally and for the position he plays in Baltimore. "The motto here in Baltimore was that receivers are not really valued, and that changed yesterday," he said. Asked whether the contract validated years of debate over whether he was a true No. 1 receiver, he didn't dodge it. "It definitely validates how the front office feels about me, how those guys feel about me and how my teammates feel about me," Flowers said. "So, the work does not stop now. We have got to keep going."
What "WR1" Actually Means Now
Part of that debate has always traced back to how Flowers is built. At 5-foot-9 and listed around 183 pounds, he doesn't resemble the traditional big-bodied X-receiver archetype — the boundary target built to win jump balls one-on-one. Offensive coordinator Declan Doyle said that image of a No. 1 receiver is increasingly outdated. "There has been a little bit of a shift through — really, it has been the last 10 years or so — people playing a little bit more condensed, people trying to use motion to their advantage," Doyle said. "A No. 1 receiver, to me, is really the guy that can do a lot of different things. He could be the guy that is outside... He could be the guy that is inside, and you can move him around and he can win."
Minter made a similar point when asked directly what WR1 means in a league where more than half the teams now lean on condensed formations and motion. "It may not be that guy that lines up outside, and every play is a one-on-one situation, but it's a guy that affects defenses by motioning, affects defenses by being on one side versus the other," Minter said. "He can not only take the top off the defense; he can catch the underneath stuff. He's elite with the ball in his hands after the catch. There are so many different ways to have him affect the game, and that's what he is for us."
Jeff Zrebiec, who covers the team for The Athletic, asked Minter — a longtime defensive coordinator before taking over as Ravens head coach — how difficult Flowers was to game-plan against from the other sideline. The answer doubled as the clearest case for why Baltimore paid him. "He has the capabilities and the skill set to play all over the offense," Minter said. "He's really good from set alignment to playing outside. He's really good in the slot. He's really good on the move whenever he has the ability to motion. He can beat press; he can beat off coverage. He has a really good feel when people are double-teaming him of how to attack leverage. So, he's tough to prepare for, and I'm certainly glad he's on our side."
Flowers has also quietly added size this offseason — up to 186 pounds from 178 a year ago, by his own count. "To run straighter," he said. "Everybody gets mad at me when I am running sideways. So, I can run through some more tackles."
The Lamar Connection
None of it happens without the quarterback throwing him the ball. Flowers and Lamar Jackson have been inseparable since before Baltimore drafted him, down to Flowers still driving to Jackson's house at 5 a.m. to get him to offseason workouts — a routine he confirmed isn't going anywhere. "Nothing is changing. I am still going to get him every day. He has to be ready. Next offseason, we are doing the same thing." Asked how long he wants Jackson to be his quarterback, who has two years left on his own deal, Flowers didn't hesitate: "I would love for him to be my quarterback until I am done playing... because to me, he is the best in the world."
Doyle, tasked with building the offense around both of them, put it in basketball terms. "When we talk about building the receiver room, we are trying to build a basketball team, and it just so happens that he can play multiple positions on that basketball team," Doyle said. "So, it allows you to be flexible... He is really integral in what we are trying to do. He has embraced all of it."
For Flowers, the next goal hasn't changed just because the contract is done. "Super Bowl. We still have got to get a Super Bowl," he said. "Nothing changes. I am still doing the same thing — five in the morning, getting in here and working every day."