Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Cardinals will not trigger LB Zaven Collins’ fifth-year option

Originally posted on Burn City Sports | By Alec Cipollini | Last updated 4/30/24

Arizona Cardinals linebacker Zaven Collins may be gearing up for the 2024 NFL season, but will now become a free agent in 2025.

On the Arizona Sports radio show “Burns and Gambo,” Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort broke the news that the team will not pick up the fifth-year option of Collins’ current contract before the May 2 deadline.

“We’ve been talking a lot about that here the past couple of weeks, and we are not going to pick up the fifth-year option on Zaven,” Ossenfort said. “I would say we had discussions with Zaven, and we are extremely happy with where he’s at. The versatility that Zaven brings to our defense, we want to keep Zaven around here, but the fifth-year option removes some of the flexibility in terms of the cap that comes along [with it].

“We are going to have discussions here as we go. Love Zaven, love where he is at, love what he brings to our defense. Hopefully we can keep him around here for a long time.”

BREAKING NEWS@AZCardinals GM Monti Ossenfort told us today they have decided NOT to pick up LB Zaven Collins' 5th-year option.

: https://t.co/AoiY46c7A1 pic.twitter.com/RaQEElqBnP

— The Burns & Gambo Show (@BurnsAndGambo) April 30, 2024

If the option was activated, Collins would have earned $13.2 million in 2025.

Out of the University of Tulsa, he was selected by the Cardinals with their first-round (16th overall) pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. In the Valley, Collins has played three seasons (2021-23) thus far and totaled 166 tackles, 10 quarterback hits, 12 pass breakups and two interceptions in 50 games (39 starts).

This past season, he started in all 17 games on the Cardinals’ schedule. The 24-year-old finished with 41 tackles, 3.5 sacks, defended three passes and captured an interception.

The Oklahoma native has been an outside linebacker under head coach Jonathan Gannon and defensive coordinator Nick Rallis, but can also slot in as an inside linebacker.

Going into next season, the Cardinals are ready to go at OLB with Collins and BJ Ojulari both expected to start.

With Ossenfort hinting that the Cards want to “keep him around,” there will be discussions to be had as to the structure of a potential contract and if Collins wants to re-sign in Arizona. Free agency begins next March, so there is plenty of time for both sides to agree upon the terms of a deal.