With Zay Flowers signed, the Ravens may have finally cracked the code at wide receiver

For years, the Ravens have struggled to draft and develop wide receivers.

Travis Taylor, the franchise’s first-ever first-round draft pick at the position in 2000, never became the star Baltimore envisioned. Neither did Mark Clayton (2005) or Breshad Perriman (2015). Even Marquise “Hollywood” Brown (2019) never got a second contract with the organization; he was traded to the Arizona Cardinals following the 2021 season and hasn’t approached the 1,000-yard mark since.

Fans’ frustration extended beyond first-round picks, too. Wide receivers such as Miles Boykin and James Proche, who routinely generated training camp buzz, never developed into the consistent playmakers many hoped they would become.

But Zay Flowers’ four-year, $140 million contract extension may signal a new era for the position.

“The model here in Baltimore was receivers are not really valued,” Flowers said Wednesday after a training camp practice. “And that changed yesterday.”

On Tuesday morning, Flowers met with general manager Eric DeCosta to finalize the deal, which keeps the receiver in Baltimore through the 2031 season. It made the two-time Pro Bowler one of the NFL’s highest-paid receivers, but it also represented something much larger for the organization: a commitment to building around a receiver it drafted and developed.

Since arriving as the No. 22 overall pick in the 2023 draft, Flowers has become one of quarterback Lamar Jackson’s favorite targets and one of the league’s most dynamic playmakers. In just three seasons, the former Boston College standout has climbed to fifth in franchise history with 3,128 receiving yards.

After practice Tuesday, coach Jesse Minter said Flowers’ chemistry with Jackson has become one of the offense’s greatest strengths.

“It’s one thing to have chemistry off the field, and then it’s one thing to have it on the field,” Minter said. “I think, when you have both, it makes it really, really special, and it has the ability to go to a ridiculously high level.”

Flowers’ extension came a year after the Ravens signed fellow first-round receiver Rashod Bateman to a three-year extension worth up to $36.8 million through the 2029 season, potentially giving the team two quality wide receivers under multiple years of team control.

For perhaps the first time in franchise history, the Ravens could build their receiver room around homegrown talent instead of relying on veteran free agents.

Third-round pick Ja’Kobi Lane has emerged as one of the early standouts of training camp. The 6-foot-4 receiver has consistently flashed his contested-catch ability, hauling in highlight-reel receptions over the first week of camp.

Offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, who spent four years on the Saints’ coaching staff, even compared Lane’s hands to those of former New Orleans All-Pro wide receiver Michael Thomas.

“He’s got this huge catch radius. He’s got great hands. He’s very sticky,” Doyle said Thursday.

Additionally, Baltimore selected Elijah Sarratt in the fourth round of this year’s draft. The roster also includes 2024 fourth-round pick Devontez Walker, who remains under contract through 2027, and 2025 sixth-round pick LaJohntay Wester, whose rookie deal runs through 2028.

Together, that young nucleus reflects the broader vision Doyle has for the position group. Rather than relying on one type of receiver, Doyle said, he is intentionally constructing a receiving corps filled with complementary skill sets that can create matchup problems across the field. Flowers’ versatility makes him the centerpiece.

“When we talk about building the receiver room, we’re trying to build a basketball team,” Doyle said. “It just so happens that he can play multiple positions on that basketball team. It allows you to be flexible. It allows you to try to put him in different situations where he might have an advantage.”

The result is a receiver room that suddenly looks younger, deeper and more stable than many of the groups Baltimore has fielded over the past two decades.

That doesn’t necessarily mean the Ravens are finished adding receivers. DeCosta has never been shy about pursuing veteran help, bringing in proven players such as Odell Beckham Jr. and DeAndre Hopkins.

If the right opportunity presents itself, Baltimore could add another experienced pass catcher before the season begins. The difference is that the Ravens would no longer be searching for a true No. 1.

That responsibility now belongs to Flowers. And, after signing the contract that cemented him as the centerpiece of Baltimore’s receiving corps, he didn’t have much time to soak it all in.

“We still got to get a Super Bowl,” Flowers said. “Nothing don’t change.”