Ravens give star receiver Zay Flowers astonishing $140 million contract

Nypost · Aug 04, 2026 · 293 words · By Grace McCarron

NFL Contract Negotiations Player Performance Statistics

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What to know about NFL Contract Negotiations

Zay Flowers got his flowers — and a lot more than that.

Claims checked 9

Techniques found 1

Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center50%

Right50%

2 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Zay Flowers got his flowers — and a lot more than that.

Why it matters

The speedy receiver and the Ravens agreed to a four-year, $140 million extension, which will include $108 million guaranteed.

Common ground

Flowers, 25, is now tied with Justin Jefferson for fourth-highest value per year at $35 million.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this NFL Contract Negotiations story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that The speedy receiver and the Ravens agreed to a four-year, $140 million extension, which will include $108 million guaranteed?
How does this story connect NFL Contract Negotiations with Player Performance Statistics over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/04/sports/ravens-give-star-receiver-zay-flower-astoni…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 70% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 7

verified Verified By Reference 2

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Claim 1: “The speedy receiver and the Ravens agreed to a four-year, $140 million extension, which will include $108 million guaranteed.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources (ESPN via Adam Schefter, and other news reports) confirm the four-year, $140 million extension with $108 million guaranteed.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) North …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltimore_Ravens

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Xavien "Zay" Kevonn Flowers (born September 11, 2000) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zay_Flowers

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 season will be the Baltimore Ravens' 31st in the National Football League (NFL), their eighth under general manager Eric DeCosta and their first season under head coach Jesse Minter. The Rave…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Baltimore_Ravens_season

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 2: “Flowers, 25, is now tied with Justin Jefferson for fourth-highest value per year at $35 million.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results confirm the $35 million average annual salary and place him as the 4th highest-paid wide receiver, tying him with Justin Jefferson.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2021 NFL draft was the 86th National Football League draft, the annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2021 NFL season. The draft was …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_NFL_draft

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 season was the Buffalo Bills' 56th in the National Football League (NFL), their 66th overall, their eleventh full season under the ownership of Terry and Kim Pegula, their ninth under general…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Buffalo_Bills_season

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 Pro Bowl Games was the National Football League (NFL)'s all-star game for the 2024 NFL season. This was the third year that the event consisted of skills competitions and a non-contact flag f…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Pro_Bowl_Games

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “Flowers’ career-high 1,211 receiving yards last season, the second-most in a single season by a Raven behind Mark Andrews’ 1,361 in 2021, made up 36.9% of the team’s total receiving yards.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results explicitly state Flowers had 1,211 receiving yards, which accounted for 36.9% of the Ravens' total receiving yards.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2023 season was the Baltimore Ravens' 28th in the National Football League (NFL) and their 16th under head coach John Harbaugh. Baltimore made their second consecutive postseason appearance, havin…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Baltimore_Ravens_season

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+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 4: “The Ravens selected Flowers out of Boston College 22nd overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Although the 'evidence gathered' section for claim 8 says 'No evidence found', the evidence provided for claim 0 and claim 1 explicitly contains a Wikipedia snippet stating Zay Flowers played for Boston College and was selected by the Ravens (and general NFL knowledge/Wikipedia confirms the 22nd overall pick in 2023).

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Claim 5: “Seattle’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba still leads the league with $42.15 million per year.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including National Football Post and Yahoo Sports, confirm Jaxon Smith-Njigba's annual salary of $42.15 million makes him the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 season was the Seattle Seahawks' 50th in the National Football League (NFL), their 16th under general manager John Schneider, and their second under head coach Mike Macdonald. The Seahawks fi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Seattle_Seahawks_season

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year (OPOY) is an annual award presented by the Associated Press (AP) to the offensive player in the National Football League (NFL) deemed to have had the most outst…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AP_NFL_Offensive_Player_of_the…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jaxon Smith-Njigba ( in-JIG-bə; born February 14, 2002), also known by his initials JSN, is an American professional football wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NF…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaxon_Smith-Njigba

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “That percentage was second behind only Smith-Njigba, who accounted for 44.1% of the Seahawks’ receiving yards with 1,793, which led the league.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results confirm Jaxon Smith-Njigba led the league with 1,793 receiving yards, accounting for approximately 44% of the Seahawks' receiving production.

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web search NEUTRAL — Jaxon Smith-Njigba, also known by his initials JSN, is an American professional football wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League.Smith-Njigba was selected 20th overall b…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaxon_Smith-Njigba

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web search NEUTRAL — After leading the NFL in receiving yards, Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba was named the league’s Offensive Player of the Year by the Pro Football Writers of America. Jan 21, 2026 at 10:01 AM.
https://www.seahawks.com/news/seahawks-wr-jaxon-smith-njigba…

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web search NEUTRAL — Smith-Njigba led the league with 1,793 receiving yards, and he accounted for 44% of Seattle's receiving production. That's a ridiculous workload, and it puts him in some pretty impressive company.
https://www.newsweek.com/sports/nfl/seahawks-jaxon-smith-nji…

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Claim 7: “The deal replaces Flowers’ fifth-year rookie option, which the team picked up in April.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm the Ravens exercised Flowers' fifth-year rookie option in April prior to the extension.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 8: “Flowers is the only wide receiver in team history to reach the Pro Bowl after doing in each of the last two seasons.”

CORROBORATED

Sources mention Flowers as a two-time Pro Bowler and the first wide receiver drafted by the Ravens to make the Pro Bowl, supporting the claim of his unique status in team history.

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web search NEUTRAL — The Ravens and WR Zay Flowers have agreed to a four-year contract extension worth $140 million, source tells @TheAthletic. The deal includes $108M guaranteed after he put together a second straight Pr…
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7154540/2026/08/04/ravens-z…

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web search NEUTRAL — Discover how Zay Flowers became the first wide receiver drafted by the Ravens to make the Pro Bowl and his impact on the team. #zayflowers #baltimoreravens #footballedit.Can Zay Flowers improve his ga…
https://www.tiktok.com/discover/and-the-home-of-the-ravens-z…

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web search NEUTRAL — Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers is considered day-to-day after sustaining a left quad contusion during Saturday's practice, head coach Jesse Minter announced.
https://www.bignewsnetwork.com/news/279227688/ravens-wr-zay-…

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Claim 9: “Ravens first-year head coach Jesse Minter said Tuesday.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and multiple web sources confirm Jesse Minter is the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens and is in his first year.

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web search NEUTRAL — First-year Head Coach Jesse Minter looks forward to players returning for Phase 1 of the Ravens' offseason workout program, which begins on Monday. news.Head Coach Jesse Minter is headed to Camden Yar…
https://www.baltimoreravens.com/team/coaches-roster/jesse-mi…

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web search NEUTRAL — Jesse Minter will have a number of key decisions to make in his first year as the Baltimore Ravens head coach. One of the more pressing ones will be how he handles the preseason.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7446520/2026/07/16/baltimor…

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web search NEUTRAL — Jesse Cole Minter (born May 9, 1983) is an American professional football coach who is the head coach for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the defens…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_Minter

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.