Cardinals' Jeremiyah Love signs rookie deal, eager to do 'right by them'

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/48715364/jeremiyah-love-signs-rookie-deal-eager-do-...

Josh Weinfuss
May 8, 2026, 06:30 PM ET

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Arizona Cardinals first-round pick Jeremiyah Love understands the responsibility that comes with signing a rookie contract that's worth the most guaranteed money for any running back in the history of the NFL.

Love, the No. 3 pick in April's draft, signed his first NFL contract Friday before taking the field for the first day of Arizona's rookie minicamp. It's worth a fully guaranteed $53.9 million over four years with a team option for a fifth season.

In typical Love form, he leaned on Spider-Man for the right words.

"I guess you could say, Spider-Man said this, with great power comes great responsibility," Love said. "In this instance, with a lot of money becomes a lot of trust, a lot of responsibility. So, with them putting that much trust in me, I think I have a duty to give them a return on their investment, because at the end of the day, it's an investment. They're investing in me as a player and they pick the running back as a third pick in the NFL draft, which hasn't happened for a long time.

"So, with great power comes a great responsibility. I'm going to make sure that I do right by them and do right by myself because, at the end of the day, I want to do the best that I can. I hold myself to a certain standard. So, I'm coming into this league ready to compete, ready to dominate and, shoot, do what I got to do to make this organization look good and make myself look good. So, I take their trust in me very seriously and I'm going to make sure I give them return on their investment."

Love called his contract "life-changing" but said it won't change his mindset. He displayed a strong sense of self-awareness, recognizing that the only reason he was given such a hefty deal was because of his draft position.

"Obviously, I'm only getting that much because I was drafted," he said. "I was the third pick in the draft. Every high pick is going to get a lot of money. I still haven't done anything at the end of the day. I'm coming into the league with a mindset. I'm ready to work, ready to earn the things that I've been given. But, I mean, it's very life-changing."

Love detailed his plans for his $53.9 million, which he called "a blessing."

He doesn't intend on spending any of it. For now.

"I'm not going to touch the money," he said. "I'm probably going to put it all away and live normally like I've been doing now."

Love said his family will benefit "a lot" from it. It'll be life-changing for them, Love said.

"I'm going to help them out, take care of them," Love said.

As for him, he plans on saving everything he can from his rookie deal to one day help his children and his grandchildren, so they can have a "better life financially than I did growing up."

But, Love said to laughs, "plans change sometimes."

Part of his plan is to live off his marketing money from endorsement deals with New Balance, PayPal and Celsius. Love said playing in college during the NIL era made him "pretty well off already," so he understands how to live on what he's making outside of the NFL.

"So, I really don't need to touch that money as of right now, which I most definitely will not."

Love said his first day of rookie minicamp went "great," and coach Mike LaFleur said Love looked "good" and "moved well" on Friday.

"Getting my cleats on the field, just get some nice work in, getting to see how everybody moves, how the coaches operate, getting to see how [running backs] coach [Matt] Merritt operates, it was great," Love said. "I feel like this is my new home, just getting acclimated, getting to know the guys, getting to know the field, getting to know the coaches more.

"So, it was great just getting out there, getting my cleats in the field and, shoot, having a day."

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