Arizona Cardinals linebacker Zaven Collins signed a two-year contract extension through 2026.
Financial terms were not disclosed by the Cardinals on Saturday, however multiple media outlets reported it was worth $14 million, including $11.25 million in guarantees.
“I’ve been here for the last four years, I’ve seen the culture shift in many ways and I see the culture (trending up) so you stay with it,” Collins said. “And you want to stay with it. Especially everything you’ve worked to build here, why would you want to bail out now?”
Collins, 25, recorded 41 tackles, 3.5 sacks, one interception and one fumble recovery in 17 games (17 starts) last season. He has totaled 166 tackles and 5.5 sacks in 50 career games (39 starts) since being selected by Arizona with the 16th overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Tulsa.
“He’s a big part of what we want to do on defense, this year and moving forward,” Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon said. “They’ve been working on that for a while and I’m glad they got that done now.”