The 2026 league year is coming. Formal negotiations begin at 1 pm Arizona time on March 11, and the legal negotiation period begins at 9 am Arizona time on March 9.
Before that happens, the Arizona Cardinals have several roster decisions to make.
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Ahead of the new league year, we’ll profile each player on the roster, reviewing their performance last season, their contract status and what they face in 2026.
Next up is outside linebacker Zavon Collins.
Zavon Collins 2025 Season
Collins is one of the team’s most versatile and consistent defenders. He played in 17 games, including 9 starts, and completed 543 defensive snaps (47%) and 111 defensive snaps (24%) on the field. He finished with 36 tackles (24 solo), six tackles for loss (third on the team), 10 quarterback hits (third on the team), 1.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries and a touchdown.
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Zavon Collins contract status
In the last season of the contract extension before the 2024 season, Collins’s non-guaranteed salary this year is US$4.098 million, and the salary cap is US$6.053 million.
Zavon Collins offseason outlook
While his name has been on the list of speculated roster cuts with only $1.75 million in dead money, it doesn’t make sense to lose a quality player when the team has so many needs and that means having to replace him on the roster. Collins missed just one game in five seasons with the Cardinals. Some on the team believe Collins can contribute in the paint, which is where he began his career as a 2021 first-round pick.
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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Zaven Collins’ contract status and 2026 offseason outlook