The Arizona Cardinals selected Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love with the third overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and the contract that followed made history at the position before he has ever taken an NFL carry.
He is set to sign a four-year, fully guaranteed rookie deal worth $50.5 million, the most guaranteed money ever given to a running back in the history of the NFL.
The previous record belonged to Saquon Barkley, whose 2018 rookie deal with the New York Giants included $31.2 million guaranteed.
What Love said about the money is drawing just as much attention as the number itself.
Love plans to invest his contract, use his marketing money on his family first
“I’m not spending any of my NFL checks,” Love told BRGridiron. “All that money, my financial advisor’s going to take care of all of that. It’s going to be there making more and more money.”
Love, who is 20 years old, already has a financial advisor in place and a specific plan for where his supplemental income goes first.
🚨🚨 #Cardinals Jeremiyah Love, who’s expected to sign a 4-year/$50.5M guaranteed contract with the most fully guaranteed money ever given to a RB in history
Love says he will not spend any of his NFL money, but will use his marketing money to buy a house for his parents and a…
— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) April 30, 2026
“First thing I might buy with my marketing money is a house for my parents, car for my dad,” he said. “Shoot, I’mma put myself last. I’m going to take care of my family first.”
Love’s $50.5 million fully guaranteed deal is a product of draft position, not a new valuation of the running back position broadly.
His signing bonus alone, at $33.2 million, is larger than the entire guaranteed portion of most running back contracts in NFL history.
The Cardinals are betting on him to fix a rushing offense that ranked last but one in the league last season.
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