Cardinals’ culture, upfront approach huge in Zaven Collins’ decision to ink extension

GLENDALE — Zaven Collins is an upfront guy. Coming from the smalltown of Hominy, Oklahoma, beating around the bush just doesn’t fly for the pass rusher.

It’s a big reason why he didn’t bat an eye when the team opted against picking up his fifth-year option earlier in the offseason, having been told the news straight away by general manager Monti Ossenfort.

That was something Collins appreciated from Ossenfort and the rest of the franchise, getting back to work for the upcoming season the same day the decision came down.

As Collins said Saturday, he wasn’t going to let the business decision change him or bring about unneccessary distractions entering Year 4 in Arizona.

On Saturday, ahead of a record-breaking crowd at the annual Red & White Practice, the franchise reciprocated their appreciation for the pass rusher and his team-first mentality with a two-year contract extension that had been in the works since right around the time Collins reported to camp.

There was a whole lot of “congrats!” coming Arizona Cardinals pass rusher Zaven Collins’ way as he headed for the stands for autographs following the Red & White Practice. pic.twitter.com/e8O280ilzg

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) August 3, 2024

“It was just head down, keep working. You can sit there and dwell on it, you can kind of roll around and whine about it as much as you want, but it’s not going to change anything,” Collins said. “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, staying for extra work.

“That’s just part of the job that should already be there. That’s what I continue to. The build up to now when we got the offer, I was super excited. I get to stay here and be with the Valley 2-3 more years and be happy with that. I’m excited.”

Culture key in Zaven Collins’ decision to sign extension

There are plenty of reasons why Collins inked a two-year contract extension with the Cardinals aside from the way Arizona has handled business with the pass rusher.

But among the biggest for Collins was the current cultural trajectory head coach Jonathan Gannon and the rest of the franchise are on more than a year on the job.

Seeing the Cardinals’ culture revamp was a big reason why OLB Zaven Collins wanted to stick around and ink an extension with the franchise:

“Why would I bail out now when you know it’s going a certain way here?”

🎥: @Tdrake4sports pic.twitter.com/cxRWKz6lfU

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) August 3, 2024

“I’ve been here the last four years, seen the culture shift many ways,” Collins said when asked why he didn’t decide to test free agency next offseason. “I’m seeing the culture (trending up), so you stay with it. You want to stay with it, especially with everything you worked to build here. Why would you bail out now when you know it’s going a certain way here?”

Bittersweet

Earning a second NFL contract means the world to the pass rusher, understanding just how difficult it is to land another deal. Knowing he can provide for his family is huge for Collins.

But with the excitement of the extension on top of the Red & White Practice also came a dark cloud hanging over State Farm Stadium with the news that second-year pro BJ Ojulari was lost for the year with a reported torn ACL.

The development is a tough blow for the defense as a whole, but especially for Collins, who worked with Ojulari a lot this offseason in preparation for training camp and the season ahead.

Arizona Cardinals OLB Zaven Collins touches on his relationship with BJ Ojulari and how tough it was to see his fellow pass rusher go down with a torn ACL on Friday: pic.twitter.com/Vr0RRJW4ku

— Cardinals Corner (@AZCardsCorner) August 3, 2024

“I was pretty emotional with BJ going down. We went all through last year together. BJ’s a dawg. We’d stay after every day and we would work on pass drops, run fits. He’s wanting to learn more than just being a pass rusher, which is nice because then you use him on all four downs,” Collins said.

“He was killing it all through the stuff. We started getting into what I call ‘PhD level stuff.’ … He’d jump right on it. We’re learning about it, he’s teaching me some more stuff about pass rush. What to feel, how to disguise stuff. Something like (his injury) comes about, it’s unfortunate. We’re praying for him and hoping and wishing for him all of the best.”

Follow @Tdrake4sports