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Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers.

There is little doubt Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers has established himself as 1 of the NFL’s elite wide receivers over the 1st 3 seasons of his career, despite what you may have heard from a certain super-hater former NFL All-Pro.

For Flowers, that means a massive payday is in his future, whose annual salary could almost triple the total value of the 4-year, $14 million rookie contract he signed when the Ravens selected him in the 1st round (No. 23 overall) of the 2023 NFL draft out of Boston College, according to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley.

The Ravens picked up the 5th year option on Flowers’ contract, which would pay him $27.29 million for 2027, although if things get to the point where that’s in play, it’s safe to assume things have gone very, very wrong for both player and team.

The $35 million per year would represent the largest contract given to a non-quarterback in franchise history.

“It wouldn’t be surprising if Flowers and the Ravens reach an extension before the start of the season, which is exactly what happened with safety Kyle Hamilton last year,” Hensley wrote on June 24. “Flowers wants to stay, saying he would like to play his entire career in Baltimore. General manager Eric DeCosta believes it’s important to keep Flowers, who has developed into a leader on offense. The Ravens picked up Flowers’ fifth-year option, which will pay him $27.298 million in 2027. Flowers’ extension will likely average over $35 million per season, which would put him among the four highest-paid wide receivers.”

Flowers Deflects Blame for Playoff Meltdown

On the 4th and South podcast, Flowers tried to rewrite history about what happened in the 2024 AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs — the defining moment of his career to this point.

Trailing 17-7 at the start of the 4th quarter, Flowers received a taunting penalty after he made a deep catch that brought the Ravens to Kansas City’s 10-yard line. His 15-yard penalty pushed them back to the 25-yard line.

Four plays later, Sneed stripped Flowers of the ball as he dove into the end zone for a turnover. Kansas City won, 17-10, and then won their 2nd consecutive Super Bowl. After his fumble, Flowers punched a bench and cut his finger — an injury that required stitches.

What Flowers Said vs. What Really Happened

Flowers has a much different view of what happened that day. One that seems to have little in common with the reality of the situation.

“I had 130 (receiving yards), you feel me?” Flowers said. “We had 4 more possessions after that. We got into the red zone 2 of them possessions. You could say I lost the game, but it just looks like that because we got to the red zone on the last possession and kicked a field goal. At 1st I was like, ‘Damn, that’s not on you cuz’ … but if you’re a winner you’re gonna say it’s on you … and you know the internet gonna blow it up like ‘Oh, if you woulda scored,’ but bro I’m like you know we had 4 or 5 more possessions after (the fumble) and that was the 1st play of the 4th quarter.”

Flowers did not have 130 receiving yards. He had 5 receptions for 115 yards and 1 touchdown. The Ravens offense did not have “4 or 5 more possessions” after his fumble. They had 2 more possessions and Flowers didn’t have a single reception on either of them following the cut to his finger.