Zaven Collins discusses extension, improving culture in Arizona

The Cardinals brought in Zaven Collins in April to inform him they were going to decline his fifth-year option. A former first round selection in the 2020 draft, Collins has developed into a solid role player on the defense but wasn’t necessarily worth the $13.2 million for the 2025 season. It was that upfront process that the fourth-year linebacker appreciated.

Despite that news, Collins continued to grind and put in the necessary work to get himself ready for the 2024 season. In his mind, sitting and dwelling on it wouldn’t change anything for him.

“You can roll around and whine about it as much as you want, it’s not going to change anything. Not show up to the building, show up to the building, it’s not going to change anything. You just got to, but you still need to be there for all the right reasons. And that is showing up and doing the right stuff, working out every day, being around the team, being in meetings day and after, doing extra work. That’s just part of the job.”

It was perhaps that level of dedication, despite the uncertainty with his contract situation, that convinced the Cardinals to explore an extension offer for Collins. Eventually, he and the team agreed to a two-year extension that will pay him $11.25 million upfront and the potential for $14 million.

Much of that decision came down to a shifting culture in Arizona. Throughout the offseason and training camp, the players have raved about an improving culture under general manager Monti Ossenfort and head coach Jonathan Gannon.

“Been here for the last four years, seen the culture shift in many ways, and I see the culture going like this. So you stay with it. And you want to stay with it. Especially everything that you’ve worked to build here. Why would I bail out now? You know what I mean? When you know it’s going a certain way here.”

While they were putting in the final details for his contract extension, Collins kept things quiet with the rest of the locker room. As soon as the team announced the deal, his teammates all came up to congratulate him.

With his contract situation now taken care of for the next couple of seasons, Collins can now focus on playing football and getting more comfortable with the role he’s been assigned to.