Why Zay Flowers’ 2025 Pro Bowl nod leaves the Ravens with major decision appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Baltimore Ravens’ playoff odds took a massive hit with Week 16’s loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday Night Football. The Ravens fell to 7-8 and now trail the Pittsburgh Steelers by two games in the AFC North.
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Despite a disappointing season, Baltimore will send an NFL-high six players to the Pro Bowl. Zay Flowers made his second career Pro Bowl in 2025. While it’s an impressive accomplishment for the third-year wideout, it creates a tricky situation for Baltimore.
“If you make two or more Pro Bowls on the original ballot, your fifth-year option is going to be the value of a franchise tag for your position,” Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team explained. “This is now [Flowers’] second time making the Pro Bowl on the initial ballot. As a result… his fifth-year option value is going to be the value of a franchise tag for wide receivers, which is $28 million.”
Will the Ravens exercise Zay Flowers’ $28 million fifth-year option?
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Flowers is the Ravens leading receiver in 2025. He has 78 catches for 1,043 yards and two touchdowns in 15 games this season. The former first-round pick is wrapping up his third year in the league and Baltimore must make a decision on his fifth-year option by May 1, 2026.
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“Zay Flowers is a really, really good player…. He’s also had some struggles, we saw of course the fumble on Sunday Night Football,” Meirov noted. “That $28 million fifth-year option amount is a very large number. And for Baltimore, I’m curious to see how they handle that in the offseason.”
The Ravens can exercise the option and pay Flowers, decline the option and let him enter the final year of his rookie deal, or work out a long-term extension.
Meirov points out that Baltimore is currently facing a similar situation with 2022 first-round pick Tyler Linderbaum. The center made back-to-back Pro Bowls, triggering a franchise tag-value fifth-year option. The team decided not to exercise Linderbaum’s option, allowing him to enter the final year of his contract. Linderbaum is now a three-time Pro Bowler and will become a free agent after this season.
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