The 2026 league year is coming up very soon. It officially begins at 1 p.m. Arizona time on March 11, with the legal negotiating period beginning on March 9 at 9 a.m. Arizona time.<\/p>\n
The Arizona Cardinals<\/a> have several roster decisions to make before then.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Leading up to the new league year, we will profile every player on the roster, go over what they did last season, what their contract status is and what they face in 2026.<\/p>\n Next up is defensive lineman L.J. Collier.<\/p>\n L.J. Collier 2025 season<\/p>\n It has been feast or famine for Collier during his three seasons with the Cardinals. He was injured in the season opener in 2023 and missed the remainder of the season. That was followed by a 17-game season with 15 starts in 2024, only to be limited to four games last year. He injured his knee in Week 2 and played the final two games after being activated from injured reserve on Dec. 24. The four games produced only six tackles (one solo) and two quarterback hits in 98 snaps (31 percent).<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n L.J. Collier contract status<\/p>\n After being paid $2.805 million on a one-year deal in 2025, Collier\u2019s contract expires on Wednesday (March 11) when he is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent.<\/p>\n L.J. Collier offseason outlook<\/p>\n Perhaps the Cardinals believe the pattern will continue and he can contribute in 2026 on a team-friendly deal. Depth is certainly a need on the defensive line.<\/p>\n Get more Cardinals<\/a> and NFL coverage from Cards<\/a> Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify<\/a>,\u00a0YouTube<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0Apple podcasts<\/a>.<\/p>\n