Zai Flowers’ 2025 Pro Bowl nod leaves Baltimore with an important decision to make

The Baltimore Ravens‘ the playoff odds have increased significantly since Week 16 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.

Despite a disappointing season, Baltimore will send six players to the NFL Pro Bowl. Zai Flowers he made his second career Pro Bowl in 2025. While that’s an impressive feat for a third year, creates an awkward situation for Baltimore.

“If you make two or more Pro Bowls on the original ballot, your five-year option will be the value of the franchise tag for your position,” explained Ari Meirov of the 33rd team. “This is now (Flowers’) second time making the Pro Bowl on the first ballot. As a result … his five-year option value will be the value of the franchise tag for wide receivers, which is $28 million.”

Will the Ravens exercise Zay Flowers’ five-year, $28 million option?

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 finishing his third year in the league and Baltimore has until May 1, 2026, to make a decision on its fifth option.

“Zay Flowers is a really, really good player … He’s had some struggles as well, we saw, of course, the mistake in Sunday Night Football,” Meirow noted. “This $28 million for the fifth year is a very big number. And for Baltimore, I’m curious to see how they handle it 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 agree to a long-term extension.

Meirow points out that Baltimore currently faces a similar situation with 2022 first-round pick Tyler Linderbaum. The center made back-to-back Pro Bowls, triggering a fifth-year franchise tag option. The team decided not to exercise Linderbaum’s optionallowing 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.