Raven Country

Zay Flowers Makes Ravens History

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers is the first in team history to achieve a special feat.

Jon Alfano

Dec 15, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers (4) carries the ball against the New York Giants during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Dec 15, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers (4) carries the ball against the New York Giants during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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For many years, the Baltimore Ravens have had a reputation as a team that's struggled to draft and develop top-flight wide receivers, but no longer.

Enter Zay Flowers, the No. 22 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft from Boston College. Last season, Flowers set franchise records for a rookie with 77 receptions for 858 yards, adding six total touchdowns (five receiving, one rushing). This season, he's been even better with 73 receptions for 1,047 yards and four touchdowns, becoming the Ravens' first 1,000-yard receiver since Marquise "Hollywood" Brown in 2021.

"It's just everybody around me," Flowers told reporters after a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 21. "From Rashod Bateman, to the O-line, I appreciate everybody that helped me get there – [offensive coordinator] Coach [Todd] Monken [and] Lamar [Jackson] trusting me. It was a goal of mine, and I was able to cross it, and we were able to get the win, too."

Now, the 24-year-old has made another piece of history. In just his second season, Flowers became the first wide receiver in the Ravens' 29-year-history to be selected to the Pro Bowl.

Technically there have been other Ravens wideouts to be named Pro Bowlers, namely Jermaine Lewis (1998, 2001), the late Jacoby Jones (2012) and Devin Duvernay (2021, 2022). However, those players were all selected as returners, not receivers.

Other former Ravens, such as Anquan Boldin and Steve Smith Sr., earned Pro Bowl honors throughout their careers, just not with Baltimore.

Flowers has accomplished so much in just two NFL seasons, but like many of his teammates, it's not individual accolades that drive him. Rather, it's the chance to bring the Vince Lombardi Trophy back to Baltimore for the first time since 2012.

"We just want to play our game and do what we do," Flowers said. "We don't want to get too big-headed or listen to the outside noise. We just want to play our brand of ball.

"We have a chance to do everything we want to do. For me, as a wide receiver, I couldn't ask to be in a better situation than Baltimore."

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Jon Alfano
JON ALFANO

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