Zaven Collins Reveals Why He Re-Signed With Cardinals

The Cardinals inked their OLB to a two-year extension - Zaven Collins wants to finish what he started.

Arizona Cardinals linebacker Zaven Collins (25) chats with his teammates during training camp at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on July 25, 2024. / Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

ARIZONA -- Arizona Cardinals OLB Zaven Collins' future in the desert was very much up for grabs moving into the 2024 season.

It's not often where players see their fifth-year option declined during the offseason before ultimately receiving a multi-year extension, though the Cardinals flipped the script over the weekend when announcing the signing of Collins for two more years through the 2026 season.

It's reportedly a two-year, $14 million deal with $11.25 million guaranteed.

Collins - speaking with reporters after the extension was finalized - says the Cardinals were straightforward with their intentions throughout the entire process.

"Before all that started, I told them I'm an upfront guy from a small town. If something's going on, if you just come to me and tell me, I'm never gonna be mad. If you tell me in person - if I don't have to find out through another way, that's all I said to Monti [Ossenfort] and he's been so straight up with me," Collins said.

"I can't thank him, Mr. Bidwill, and JG [Jonathan Gannon] enough for how everything's gone. Even whenever I was declined, they brought me in and said, 'hey, we're not gonna pick up the option.' I was like, 'I appreciate you guys for telling me in person. If you're going to tell me no, that's the biggest thing for me.' And that's what happened.

"And I was like, it's not gonna change myself. We're gonna be here every day, we're going to work out every day. Even when it was declined, I was in the facility every day, hanging out with the guys, been building team camaraderie, building the team chemistry, doing everything that we're supposed to do as a team."

Collins says negotiations with Arizona began right around the start of camp.

"I got a call from the agent right before we went to camp, or right after, saying we got an offer and stuff like that. We've been working on it for a little while and then finally got to finish it up today, earlier this morning," Collins said this past weekend.

"Get to stay here and be with the Valley two to three more years and be happy with that. I'm excited. It does [mean a lot] because you see so many guys ... no matter where you're drafted, if you're good enough to play on the field, you're in the NFL. So to see that and the statistics of just making it to where I am, I'm pretty excited for my family and myself, being able to provide - it's been awesome."

Collins could have hit free agency after the 2024 season and explored other opportunities - though he says he wants to finish what he's helped start under the new Cardinals regime:

"Been here for the last four years, seeing the culture shift in many ways, and I see the culture going like this (points up), 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 when you know it's going a certain way here?" Collins said.