 Collins with the Washington Football Team in 2021 | |||||||||||||||||
| No. 21, 20, 26 | |||||||||||||||||
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| Position | Safety/linebacker | ||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1994-01-10)January 10, 1994 (age 31) New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 218 lb (99 kg) | ||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||
| High school | Dutchtown(Geismar, Louisiana) | ||||||||||||||||
| College | Alabama (2012–2014) | ||||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2015: 2nd round, 33rd overall pick | ||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||||
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Landon Alexander Collins (born January 10, 1994) is an American former professionalfootball player who was asafety andlinebacker in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theAlabama Crimson Tide, where he was a part of the team that won the2013 BCS National Championship Game. He was selected by theNew York Giants in the second round of the2015 NFL draft. Collins was named to the2016 All-Pro Team and went to threePro Bowls during his tenure with them. He has also played for theWashington Redskins from 2019 to 2021.
Collins attendedDutchtown High School, inGeismar, Louisiana, where he was a two-sport star infootball andtrack. In football, he was anAll-Americandefensive back. As a sophomore, he had 26tackles with 1.5sacks, oneinterception and onefumble recovery, while playing alongside seniorEric Reid. Replacing Reid, Collins accounted for 102 tackles with 12tackles for loss and four interceptions as a junior, earning an 5A All-State selection by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association. The Dutchtown Griffins went unbeaten through the regular season and entered the playoffs as the No. 1 seed, only to be upset 29–14 by No. 24New Iberia Westgate in the Class 5A quarterfinals.[1] The Griffins finished the season with a 12–1 record. As a senior, Collins excelled on both sides of the ball. On offense, he rushed for 1,218 yards and 21touchdowns while averaging 13.7 yards percarry. Meanwhile, in the defensive backfield, he had 34 tackles with four interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns. Collins became the first player in LSWA history to earn 5A All-State honors on both sides of the ball.[2] He led the Griffins to their second straight 10–0 regular season and District 5-5A title. However, in the opening round of the 5A playoffs, they were upset 28–14 byPonchatoula.[3] For his individual achievements, Collins earned All-American honors byParade andUSA Today. He also starred in the 2012Under Armour All-America Game, recording an interception and keying a goal-line stand.[4]
Also a standout track & field athlete, Collins was one of the state's topsprinters while at Dutchtown. At the 2011 Josten's Invitational, Collins ran the second leg on the Dutchtown4 × 100m squad, helping lead them to victory and setting a new school record at 41.10 seconds.[5] He won the100-meter dash at the 2012 Episcopal 4-Way Championships, recording a personal-best time of 10.28 seconds.[6] He also posted a career-best time of 21.60 seconds in the200-meter dash at the 2012 Josten's Invitational, where he placed first.[7] At the LHSAA Class 5A State Championships, Collins ran the second leg on the Dutchtown4 × 200m squad, helping them claim the state title with a time of 1:25.40 minutes.[8] In addition, he also ran a 4.48-second40-yard dash and had a 36-inchvertical jump.
Regarded as a five-star recruit by bothRivals.com andScout.com, Collins was ranked as the topsafety prospect in his class and the third best player overall by247sports.com.ESPN, in their rankings of the 2012 class' top 150 high school football players, also listed Collins as the top ranked safety, but as the sixth player overall, while Rivals.com had Collins as their second best safety and 17th best overall player.[9][10][11] Recruited by nearly every major school, Collins narrowed his choice down to Alabama andLouisiana State. He announced his decision live at the Under Armour All-America Game, choosing the Crimson Tide.[12][13] Upon choosing Alabama, Collins acknowledged that he "actually made the decision two years prior", but his mother, April Justin, was visibly displeased with her son's decision to choose the Crimson Tide over her LSU Tigers.[14][4][15]
When Collins arrived in Tuscaloosa for his freshman season, then-defensive coordinatorKirby Smart noted that Collins was a young player struggling to adjust to the nuances of the college game. Shortly after deciding to declare for theNFL draft in January 2015, Collins recalled that as a freshman, "You're going to be lost. You don't know what's going on. You don't know the process of how everything goes."[16] As atrue freshman at Alabama, Collins contributed as a backup. He started on thekickoff andpunt coverage units on and saw reserve action at safety in all 14 season games, recording 17 tackles and blocking a punt. He tied for the team lead with 10 special teams tackles, including nine on kickoff coverage and one on punt coverage. Alabama went on to win theBCS National Championship in 2012.
After starting safetyVinnie Sunseri tore his ACL during Alabama's 52–0 win againstArkansas, Collins took over the starting job.[17] In his first game as a starter againstTennessee, Collins had an 89-yard interception return for a touchdown.[18] He finished the year with 70 tackles, two interceptions, and two fumble recoveries. Collins' 70 tackles ranked 2nd among the team, only behind starting linebackerC.J. Mosley, despite only having started six games. Despite starting the season 11–0, Alabama concluded the season with anIron Bowl loss toAuburn and anAllstate Sugar Bowl loss to Oklahoma.[19]
As a junior, Collins started all fourteen games and led the team with 98 tackles, tied for the team lead in interceptions with three alongsideCyrus Jones, and finished second on the team with two fumble recoveries. He was named a unanimous All-American.[20] The team would go on to make the first ever College Football Playoff, but eventually would lose toOhio State in the semifinals.
After his junior season, Collins entered the2015 NFL draft.[21][22] Collins was reluctant to forgo his senior season at Alabama, but he was swayed by theNFL Draft Advisory Board's decision to grade him as a potential first-round pick.Mel Kiper Jr., of ESPN, even had him listed as a top-10 pick in one of his original mock drafts.[16] Collins acknowledged that passing up on the opportunities to compete for another national championship and continue his education at Alabama was difficult, but vowed that he would complete the necessary courses in order to ensure that he would graduate.
| Season | GP | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | Ast | Cmb | TfL | Yds | Sck | Int | Yds | TD | FF | FR | TD | ||
| 2012 | 14 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | 13 | 54 | 15 | 70 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.0 | 2 | 89 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 2014 | 14 | 60 | 43 | 103 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 41 | 122 | 67 | 190 | 8.5 | 15 | 0.0 | 5 | 103 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
Prior to his junior season, Collins was projected as a high first-round selection in the 2015 NFL Draft by variousmock drafts.[23][24][25]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 228 lb (103 kg) | 31+1⁄2 in (0.80 m) | 9+3⁄8 in (0.24 m) | 4.53 s | 1.57 s | 2.64 s | 4.33 s | 7.38 s | 35 in (0.89 m) | 10 ft 0 in (3.05 m) | 16 reps | |
| All values fromNFL Combine[26][27] | ||||||||||||
Collins was selected in the second round (33rd overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft by theNew York Giants.[28] The Giants originally owned the 40th pick, 8th overall in the second round, but made a trade with theTennessee Titans in order to take Collins.[29] On June 19, 2015, Collins signed a four-year,US$6 million contract with the team.[30]
Collins enteredtraining camp competing withCooper Taylor andNat Berhe to be the New York Giants' starting free safety, after they lost veteransQuintin Demps,Antrel Rolle, andStevie Brown to free agency in the off season.[31][32][33] On August 14, 2015, in a preseason game against theCincinnati Bengals, Collins suffered a sprained MCL.[34] He missed only one preseason game. The New York Giants named him the starting free safety to begin his rookie season. Collins was switched from his natural strong safety position since he was better suited to play free safety thanBrandon Meriweather.[31]
He made his professional regular season debut in the Giants' season opener against theDallas Cowboys and finished the 27–26 loss with four combined tackles. On October 19, 2015, Collins made his first career interception, picking offSam Bradford and making five combined tackles in the Giant's 27–7 loss to thePhiladelphia Eagles.[35] On December 20, 2015, Collins recorded a season-high ten combined tackles and a pass deflection in a 38–35 loss to theCarolina Panthers. He finished his rookie season with 112 combined tackles, nine pass deflections, and an interception in 16 starts.[36] He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.[37] TheNew York Giants finished 6–10 and head coachTom Coughlin resigned at the end of the season.[38]
Collins enjoyed a breakout year in 2016 helping the Giants to an 11–5 record and to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2011.
With the selection ofDarian Thompson in the2016 NFL draft, Collins was able to switch back to his originally intended position of strong safety. He was named thede facto starting strong safety to begin the regular season.[31]
In the season opener against the Cowboys, Collins recorded six solo tackles and a pass deflection in his regular season debut at strong safety. The following week, he made six combined tackles and recorded his first career sack onDrew Brees in a 16–13 victory over theNew Orleans Saints.[39] On October 16, 2016, Collins racked up a season-high nine solo tackles, an assisted tackle, and sackedJoe Flacco in a 27–23 win over theBaltimore Ravens.[40] The following week the New York Giants played theLos Angeles Rams atTwickenham Stadium inLondon, and he made eight solo tackles and a season-high two interceptions off ofCase Keenum, returning one for a 44-yard touchdown. He was named Week 7'sNational Football Conference (NFC) Defensive Player of the Week.[41]
On November 6, 2016, Collins recorded a season-high 12 combined tackles, a pass deflection, a sack, and interceptedCarson Wentz during the Giant's 28–23 win over thePhiladelphia Eagles.[42] He was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for the second consecutive game and was the first safety to accomplish that feat sinceTroy Polamalu. The following week, he recorded five solo tackles and interceptedAndy Dalton in the fourth quarter of a 21–20 victory over theCincinnati Bengals. During a Week 11 matchup with theChicago Bears, Collins made six solo tackles, three pass deflections, and interceptedJay Cutler with 1:11 left on the clock to seal the 22–16 victory. This was Collins fourth consecutive game with an interception.[43] Collins earned NFC Defensive Player of the Month for November, registering 30 combined tackles, a sack, and three interceptions.[44]
On December 20, 2016, Collins was named to the2017 Pro Bowl.[45] He finished his first season under new head coachBen McAdoo with 125 combined tackles, four sacks, 13 pass deflections, five interceptions, and a touchdown in 16 starts. Collins ended the season as the only player in NFL history to have over 100 solo tackles, more than two sacks, at least five interceptions, and with a minimum 12 pass deflections.[46] He was also named first-teamAll-Pro.[47] After the season, Collins was named NFC Defensive player of the Year by theKansas City Committee of 101.[48] He was also ranked 28th by his peers on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2017.[49]
In Week 11, Collins recorded 15 tackles and had an Interception in a 12–9 overtime win over the Chiefs, earning him NFC Defensive Player of the Week.[50] The Giants started the season 2-10 and subsequently fired head coachBen McAdoo. Collins expressed his displeasure with this decision by saying that McAdoo deserved to coach for at least one more year.[51] In Week 14, Collins injured his ankle in a game against the Cowboys.[52] Collins was forced to leave the game and was unable to return.[53] However he returned the following week in Week 16. On December 19, 2017, Collins was named to his second Pro Bowl.[54] On December 26, 2017, Collins was placed oninjured reserve after suffering a fractured forearm in Week 16.[55] He was ranked 92nd by his peers on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2018.[56]
During the offseason, Collins announced that he required surgery on his right forearm, and that he may have to miss part of the Giants training camp. Collins was part of trade rumors around the trade deadline; however, he was not moved. In the team's Week 13 win over theChicago Bears, Collins suffered a partially torn rotator cuff and was placed on injured reserve four days later after it was announced he would have surgery to repair it. He finished the season with 96 total tackles, four pass breakups, and a forced fumble playing and starting in 12 games.[57][58]
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Anunrestricted free agent for the 2019 season, Collins signed a six-year, $84 million contract with theWashington Redskins on March 13, 2019.[59] After initial speculation on if Collins would wear number 21 with the Redskins after his idol,Sean Taylor, Collins chose 20 as 21 has not been given out by the team since Taylor's death in 2007.[60]In Week 2 against the Cowboys, Collins made a team high 12 tackles as the Redskins lost 31–21.[61]In week 6 against theMiami Dolphins, Collins recorded a team high 12 tackles and sackedJosh Rosen once as the Redskins won their first game of the season 17–16.[62]He was named the NFC defensive player of the week for his performance.[63]
Prior to the beginning of the 2020 season, Collins switched to his college number #26 following the release ofAdrian Peterson giving his number #20 toJimmy Moreland.[64] In Week 2 against theArizona Cardinals, Collins recorded his first sack and his first interception on the season.[65] In Week 7 against the Cowboys, Collins tore his Achilles and was placed oninjured reserve on October 27.[66][67]
After losing several linebackers to injury, Washington chose to switch Collins to a hybrid safety-linebacker role in October 2021.[68][69] In Week 12 against theSeattle Seahawks, he forced a fumble on running backAlex Collins in Washington's 17–15 win.[70] In the Week 14 game against the Cowboys, Collins had his first interception of the season againstDak Prescott, and also recorded two sacks.[71] The following week against thePhiladelphia Eagles, he recorded an interception off a ball that bounced offDallas Goedert's foot, one pass deflection, and one fumble recovery.[72] In that game, he suffered a foot injury and was placed on injured reserve on December 24.[73] On March 16, 2022, the team designated Collins as a post-June 1 release.[74]
On October 6, 2022, Collins rejoined the Giants, signing to theirpractice squad.[75] Collins was elevated from the practice squad for Week 7 and Week 8 games against theJacksonville Jaguars and theSeattle Seahawks.[76][77] He was elevated again in Week 16 and played 27 snaps atinside linebacker against Washington. The following week, on December 22, he was signed to the active roster.[78] In Week 17 against theIndianapolis Colts, Collins intercepted aNick Foles pass and returned it for apick-six touchdown in the 38–10 win.[79]
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Fumbles | Interceptions | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | FF | FR | Yds | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | PD | ||
| 2015 | NYG | 16 | 16 | 112 | 84 | 28 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 2016 | NYG | 16 | 16 | 125 | 100 | 25 | 4.0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 72 | 17.2 | 44T | 1 | 13 |
| 2017 | NYG | 15 | 15 | 104 | 78 | 26 | 0.0 | 1 | 2 | 33 | 2 | 21 | 10.5 | 21 | 0 | 6 |
| 2018 | NYG | 12 | 12 | 96 | 67 | 29 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2019 | WAS | 15 | 15 | 117 | 78 | 39 | 1.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2020 | WAS | 7 | 7 | 41 | 24 | 17 | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2021 | WAS | 13 | 13 | 81 | 51 | 30 | 3.0 | 1 | 2 | 23 | 2 | 3 | 1.5 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| 2022 | NYG | 6 | 1 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 52 | 52.0 | 52T | 1 | 2 |
| Career[80] | 100 | 95 | 691 | 489 | 202 | 11.0 | 7 | 5 | 62 | 12 | 149 | 12.4 | 52 | 2 | 41 | |
A native ofNew Orleans, Louisiana, Collins grew up in theAlgiers neighborhood. WhenHurricane Katrina hit the city in 2005, Collins and his family had to leave, and eventually settled inGeismar inAscension Parish. From ages 4–12, Tom Collins, Landon's father, was his football coach.[81] Landon says his father "is the most influential coach I've ever had."[82] Collins said that while his father coached him, he coined the nickname "Money" for his son because everything he touched "was just gold at the age of six".[82] As a child, Landon's idols were former running backClinton Portis, retired quarterbackPeyton Manning, and the lateSean Taylor, who was a safety for the Redskins when he was murdered - Collins wore No. 21 to honor Sean Taylor.[82] Collins also started playing baseball when he was 7 or 8 years old.[82]
Collins is the son of Tom Collins and April Justin. His father is currently a station director at the Coastal Bridge Construction Company inBaton Rouge, Louisiana, while his mother resides inFlorida. Collins is Justin's first-born son.[82] He has two brothers,Gerald Willis and Justin Collins, and one sister, Gerrah Willis.[83] Gerald also played college football at theUniversity of Florida[84] and for theUniversity of Miami.[85] Willis also played for Baltimore Ravens.
Collins' relationship with his mother has become much better.[15] The two have never directly addressed Landon's decision to choose Alabama over LSU, which causes the issue to remain a source of tension in their relationship.[15]
Following U.S. PresidentDonald Trump's September 2017 comments where he said that any player that kneels during the National Anthem should be fired or suspended, Collins and Giants teammatesDamon Harrison andOlivier Vernon all took a knee in their third game of the 2017 season against thePhiladelphia Eagles.[86][87] When asked about his decision to kneel, Collins said he was "absolutely conflicted" as he loved the U.S., adding that he was crying as he knelt.[87] Collins also referenced his uncle who previously served in the Army as an additional source of conflicted feelings while taking a knee during the anthem.[88] When the Giants played theTampa Bay Buccaneers the following week, Collins instead chose to raise his fist during the anthem. This decision came after Giants ownerJohn Mara requested that the players stood during the anthem, while noting that he understood if they did not.[89]
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