Eric DeCosta Gives Optimistic Update About Contract Extension for Zay Flowers
Last year, the Ravens picked up safety Kyle Hamilton's fifth-year option in April and went on to sign him to a contract extension in the summer before the start of the regular season. Could there be a similar timeline for the Ravens to extend wide receiver Zay Flowers?
Asked whether he would like to get a long-term deal done with Flowers before the start of the season, General Manager Eric DeCosta said "definitely."
"I love Zay. Zay wants to be here. We want Zay here," DeCosta said in an interview on 105.7 The Fan. "He's got a great agent in Joel Segal and Geoff Garmhausen. Those guys are really good agents. We've had good conversations. [Vice President of Football Operations] Nick Matteo does a phenomenal job negotiating. Certainly a work in progress; optimistic about it. I feel like at some point it gets done.
"We love Zay. Zay is a phenomenal football player and his energy is infectious. I expect him to have a great year."
DeCosta Talks Rashod Bateman Expectations, Starting Center Options
In addition to DeCosta providing positive updates on the potential return of defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike and inside linebacker Teddye Buchanan's injury rehabilitation, here are some more takeaways from his interview:
While Flowers has established himself as a No. 1 wide receiver, the Ravens need a bounce back from Rashod Bateman as the No. 2 after his production dropped last year.
"He's shown flashes of being a real problem for other teams," DeCosta said. "His mindset is good. I'm really, really excited to see how he does this year with [new Offensive Coordinator] Declan [Doyle] in this offense. Everybody's excited about him. He's going to have a lot of opportunities this year.
"Last year was just kind of a lost season in some ways, but that's no indication of the type of player that we think he is and how he can help us. I love the guy. I know he's probably his biggest critic, but he's a playmaker, and I expect him to have a great year this year."
Another wide receiver who has impressed DeCosta this offseason is LaJohntay Wester, who was used primarily as a return specialist as a rookie last year.
"He's looked fast. He's caught the ball well. He's been a problem inside," DeCosta said. "Now, he's playing behind Zay in a lot of packages, but when I've seen him, he looks very explosive and kind of a problem for people."
Starting center is the biggest question mark for the Ravens this offseason. DeCosta doesn't rule out signing or trading for a veteran, but he feels good about the in-house options.
"I think that what gives me optimism is that [Offensive Line Coach] Dwayne Ledford is really, really happy with our group," DeCosta said. "Dwayne has done a great job over the years with all different types of centers skill-set wise. He's developed some guys. He's had some veteran centers, but he's done a great job developing guys. He's really, really high on Danny [Pinter]. He's high on Jovaughn [Gwyn]. He's high on Corey Bullock.
"That being said, our job is to always improve the roster when we can. And we're doing that. We're looking at guys. We've had conversations. We don't have to play games until September. … Do I feel that Danny could play effectively for us? I do, because Dwayne is really high on him."
Hamilton Drops in 'NFL Top 100' for Second Straight Year
Nothing could be more dumbfounding about this year's “NFL Top 100” countdown than Lamar Jackson plummeting 67 spots to No. 69, but Hamilton dropping 12 spots to No. 63 is certainly a head-scratcher.
Remarkably, it's the second year in a row that Hamilton fell in the rankings, which are determined through voting by the players themselves. Last year, Hamilton was No. 51, eight spots down from his 2023 ranking.
Hamilton, who was voted the No. 1 safety in the NFL for the second year in a row in ESPN's survey of league insiders, was a first-team All-Pro in 2023 and 2025. He finished ninth in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2024.
"This ranking is just bound to look worse by the day, too," Ebony Bird’s Connor Burke wrote. "There aren't more than 30 better players than Hamilton, let alone 62. Brace yourself, Ravens fans. We are going to see some unthinkable names appear on the 'NFL Top 100' ahead of Hamilton and Jackson."
Which Ravens Players Would Warrant First-Round Picks (And How Many) in Hypothetical Trades?
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell looked at the trade value of the league's top players and projected how many first-round picks it would require to land them if they were available.
Here's a look at Barnwell's projections – which he based on his perception of how the league views players as opposed to his personal opinion – for the Ravens players he believes would warrant at least one first-rounder:
Two first-round picks and more: Jackson
"Here's one of the biggest gaps between my own personal evaluation and how other teams seem to feel about a player. I've consistently suggested that Jackson is one of the league's best players when healthy, but the lack of interest in attempting to acquire Jackson when he was available as a franchise player before the 2023 season was also telling.
"Since then, Jackson has won his second MVP award and comes close to winning a third, but he has also missed more time with another injury in 2025 and hasn't been able to make a deep playoff run. He also turns 30 in January, and there will be teams worried about whether Jackson's style of play will lend itself to a quicker aging curve. I'd probably have this somewhere closer to four first-rounders, and I do think somebody would take the plunge if they were confident the Ravens were really willing to move their star quarterback, but Jackson's a unique case."
Two first-round picks: Hamilton
"Hamilton is one, too. He plays a position that the league typically does not value with significant hauls. Jamal Adams is one notable exception, having been dealt from the Jets to the Seahawks for two first-round picks after his age-24 season. Hamilton just finished that age-24 campaign for the Ravens and is a better-rounded player than Adams. I wouldn't be shocked if Hamilton stuffed the stat sheet in 2026 and was a legitimate Defensive Player of the Year candidate while playing under Jesse Minter. He's four years into what projects to be a Hall of Fame career."
One first-round pick: Flowers, G Vega Ioane, CB Nate Wiggins
"Flowers and Wiggins have established themselves as Pro Bowl-caliber young players without necessarily hitting superstar heights. Flowers might be closer after racking up 1,211 yards in his third season with the organization. The only downside for him is his age; he turns 26 in September, which is older than most players entering their fourth seasons as pros. Flowers is only a couple of months younger than Ja'Marr Chase, who entered the NFL two years earlier. Teams do factor those ages in as they consider deals."
Pundit Believes Minter-Doyle Combination Can Take Ravens to Super Bowl
ESPN analyst Harry Douglas is picking the Ravens to make it to the Super Bowl, in large part because he's a believer in Minter and Doyle.
"I love that fact that [Minter] is able to get the best out of players," Douglas said on "First Take." "This secondary has an opportunity under Jesse Minter to be one of the best in the league. … I believe that much in Jesse Minter as a head coach and also a defensive-minded coach to put these guys in positions to have success and be better than what we've seen the last few years."
Regarding Doyle, Douglas said: "I think this is the year for Lamar Jackson, and part of that is because I love the offensive coordinator they've brought in in Declan Doyle. You look at his background and who he's been able to learn under: Sean Payton in Denver, Ben Johnson in Chicago. So I think the offense is going to be cool."
