Collons was not selected in the 1992 NFL Draft and worked for the next two years as a bar bouncer and for the United Parcel Service. He was a practice squad player for the Los Angeles Raiders in 1992.[2] He returned to the Raiders in 1994, but he was cut before the regular season.[3] He was one of the first players signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 1994 but was released and then claimed briefly by the Atlanta Falcons.[3] He signed with the Green Bay Packers in 1995 and played for the Packers in preseason games.[2]
In August 1995, Collons was traded by the Packers to the New England Patriots.[3] He remained with the Patriots from 1995 to 1999.[4][3] He was a member of the 1996 Patriots team that won the AFC championship and lost to the Packers in Super Bowl XXXI.[5] Collons sacked quarterback Brett Favre in the Super Bowl, and in April 1997, he signed a contract to play two more years for the Patriots for $1.25 million.[6] He was released by the Patriots after the 1998 season but returned in 1999 after signing a one-year free agent contract for the veteran minimum of $400,000.[7] Over five NFL seasons, Collons appeared in a total of 64 NFL games, 27 as a starter, and registered 7.5 sacks.[1]