The Baltimore Ravens wanted Zay Flowers to stick around. That much is clear. General manager Eric DeCosta said as much during the draft, telling reporters the team fully expects to get a long-term deal done with the third-year wide receiver.
But wanting something and pulling it off are two different things when you’re looking at a 2027 salary cap that’s already nearly $65 million in the red.
ESPN’s Jamison Hensley floated the idea that Flowers could get an extension before the season starts, which would follow the same timeline the Ravens used with safety Kyle Hamilton last year. Flowers is entering the final year of his rookie deal, and Baltimore picked up his fifth-year option earlier this offseason. That locks him in at $27.298 million for 2027, but it doesn’t give him long-term security.
Flowers has made it clear he wants to stay. He said he’d like to play his entire career in Baltimore. DeCosta called him a leader on offense. So the mutual interest is there.
The complication is Lamar Jackson. He’s also due for an extension that could make him the highest-paid quarterback in the league. And the cap math gets ugly fast when you try to fit both guys into the same long-term picture. Baltimore is sitting at $64.94 million over the projected 2027 cap before signing anyone new.
The Ravens don’t have to rush anything. They can roll into the 2026 season with Flowers on his current deal and revisit it later. But if Flowers or Jackson push for something now, the front office will have to figure out who stays and who goes to make the numbers work.
DeCosta sounded optimistic about keeping Flowers when he spoke during the draft. The goal is a long-term deal, he said. And he fully expects to get one done. But optimistic GMs say optimistic things in April. The real test comes when the contract offers hit the table and the cap sheet stares back at them.
Baltimore’s new coaching staff, hired after the organization moved on from John Harbaugh, is stepping into a situation where the roster is talented but the financial flexibility is limited. How they handle the Flowers-Jackson balancing act will define their early tenure.
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