Agent's Take: Inside Cardinals' decision to draft Jeremiyah Love and how it will affect running back market

Before stepping on an NFL field, the No. 3 overall pick has already secured the most guaranteed money ever for a running back

Joel Corry

May 6, 2026

2:46 pm ET

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6 min read

Imagn Images

The Arizona Cardinals have gotten mixed reviews for selecting Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love with the third overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. It's the earliest a running back has gone since the New York Giants took Saquon Barkley second overall in 2018.

Love's ability isn't the issue. He was arguably 2026's best draft prospect and top offensive weapon.

The Cardinals are clearly rebuilding after finishing with a 3-14 record in the highly competitive NFC West. The Seattle Seahawks, the reigning Super Bowl champion, won the NFC West with a 14-3 record. The Los Angeles Rams, who the Seahawks beat in the NFC Championship game, and the San Francisco 49ers both were 12-5. Arizona's rushing attack needed an upgrade after ranking 31st in the NFL last season with 93.1 yards per game.

There's a school of thought that a running back shouldn't be an extremely high draft choice no matter how talented he is. That's because running back is considered a non-premium position, especially financially.

Players selected early who live up to draft position provide tremendous economic value thanks to the rookie wage scale implemented in 2011 drastically reducing salaries for such first-round picks. When this happens, teams get high-quality talent at below-market rates. That's going to be hard for the Cardinals to do with Love because of his contract. As the third overall pick, Love will be signing the following deal.

Love contract by the numbers

- Signing bonus: $35,022,048

- Fully guaranteed at signing: $53,022,816

- Total: $53,022,816

- Contract length: Four years

- Average per year: $13,255,704

Year

Base salary

3rd day camp roster bonus

Bonus proration

Salary cap number

Cumulative cash

2026

$885,000

N/A$8,755,512

$9,640,512

$35,907,048

2027

$1,050,000

$2,245,128

$8,755,512

$12,050,640

$39,202,176

2028

$1,165,000

$4,540,256

$8,755,512

$14,460,768

$36,151,920

2029

$1,280,000

$6,835,384

$8,755,512

$16,870,896

$53,022,816

There's a fifth-year option with first-round picks that must be exercised after the third year of the deal with a May 1 deadline.

The money would be the same for the third pick whether a quarterback, edge rusher or wide receiver was taken. Edge rushers and wide receivers are the NFL's highest-paid players besides quarterbacks.

At $13,255,704 per year, Love becomes the NFL's seventh-highest-paid running back. His average yearly salary is about 7.5% less than the $14.293 million franchise tag the New York Jets placed on running back Breece Hall in early March.

The 2025 average salary for starting running backs, excluding those on rookie contracts strictly determined by draft position, was $9,185,225 per year, according to NFLPA data. The number drops to $6,607,203 per year with the inclusion of starters with rookie contracts.

Love has the most guaranteed money ever in a running back contract at $53,022,816. The previous record was Ezekiel Elliott's $50,052,137 of overall guarantees in the six-year, $90 million contract extension he signed with the Dallas Cowboys in 2019.

Love shatters the mark for money fully guaranteed at signing with a running back. Barkley held that distinction with $36 million in the two-year, $41.2 million extension he received from the Philadelphia Eagles last offseason. The $36 million was the most overall guarantees in an existing running back contract. Love's $35,022,048 signing bonus is also a running back record.

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The same financial dynamic wouldn't exist if Arvell Reese had been selected instead with the intention of using him as an edge rusher. The Cardinals tied for 28th in the NFL with 30 sacks last season. There would have been greater potential for surplus value. Reese would have been the NFL's 33rd-highest-paid edge rusher by average yearly salary.

It's conceivable that Love won't be in the top 10 for running back pay by the time the regular season starts. The Jets used the franchise tag on Hall with the intention of signing him to a long-term deal. The Miami Dolphins are interested in extending De'Von Achane's contract. Achane, a 2023 third-round pick, has an expiring contract.

Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs, 2023 first-round picks, are also eligible for contract extensions with the Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions. New deals would likely reset the running back market or come close to Barkley's $20.6 million per year.

Love is probably going to be the rookie under the biggest microscope especially if he gets off to slow start because of finances and his draft position. The Las Vegas Raiders plan