The Arizona Cardinals have inked their top selection in the 2026 NFL Draft. Running back Jeremiyah Love, who Arizona selected third overall, agreed to a four-year, $53.9 million deal, according to Grant Gordon of NFL.com.
Gordon notes that the figure is the most guaranteed money a running back has received in a contract. It is 50% more than the $36 million that Saquon Barkley received in his current extension with the Philadelphia Eagles. However, it’s worth noting that Barkley’s extension is for two years rather than four.
Love is the highest-drafted running back since Barkley was taken No. 2 overall by the New York Giants in 2018. Barkley took in $31.8 million in his rookie deal, highlighting how much higher the rookie scale has gone in just eight years.
Cardinals Confidence in Jeremiyah Love Backed by Record Contract
To draft a running back that high is already a sign of confidence that he’ll develop into a star player. With Love set to land the largest guarantee to any running back, the expectation is that he’ll develop into one of the league’s star players.
“[Love’s] an explosive player, been highly productive the last two years in both the run and the pass game,” Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort told team reporter Dani Sureck on April 24. “Really adds a multiple dimension to the offense. And a great person, about the right stuff. We’re just excited to get him here and add him to our offense.”
At $13.5 million per year, Love is the highest-paid running back on the Cardinals. While it’s unclear what his 2026 cap number will be, it should easily dwarf James Conner’s $4.83 million figure on overthecap.com.
The Cardinals will rely on Love, Conner, and offseason addition Tyler Allgeier in their running back room. Love should get the most opportunities of the three in both the run and pass game. As he grows more comfortable in his assignments, he’ll be featured more prominently.
The 2024 Philadelphia Eagles showed that elite quarterback play isn’t a hard requirement to win a Super Bowl. That year, Barkley ran for over 2,000 yards and helped the Eagles win Super Bowl LIX. His presence on the field opened up opportunities for MVP Jalen Hurts to take over the game.
High Expectations for Jeremiyah Love
Since Barkley, only two backs have been taken in the Top 10: Ashton Jeanty of the Las Vegas Raiders and Bijan Robinson of the Atlanta Falcons. Robinson has been a massive success, logging over 4,000 yards from scrimmage and 26 total touchdowns the past two seasons. In 2025, he led the league in scrimmage yards at 2,298.
Cardinals new head coach Mike LaFleur has experience running an offense with a rookie running back. In his second and final season as the Jets‘ offensive coordinator, the team drafted Breece Hall in the second round. Hall averaged 97 yards per game in his rookie season.
Arizona would like to replicate the run success of LaFleur’s previous team. In his three seasons as the Los Angeles Rams‘ offensive coordinator, Kyren Williams averaged 1,200 yards. 57.3% of his carries were deemed successful, putting the Rams in better down-and-distance situations. LaFleur will need to get similar production out of Love to escape the NFC West basement.
With the Cardinals lacking a long-term quarterback solution, they’ll need to have similar success on the ground to build a functional offense. They hope that Love can be that type of player and transform their offense.
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