The Arizona Cardinals made a bold choice in the NFL Draft this year, selecting running back Jeremiyah Love No. 3 overall. There was a good argument to be made that he was the best available player in the draft at that point, but it was a reach by most estimations, given his position.
Love hasn’t been listening to that, though. Instead, his focus has been on the team and helping the Cardinals to win.
“I’ve learned throughout my time just playing football, the personal goals aren’t going to get you really where you want to get to. It’s all about the team at the end of the day,” Love said. “As long as you do your part on the team, usually you’ll get the personal accolades and the personal goals that you have in your mind. So, in my mind, my goal for myself is to jell really well with this team and do whatever coach [Mike] LaFleur wants me to do, and do it to the best of my ability.”
Arizona Cardinals QB Jacoby Brissett Had High Praise for Jeremiyah Love
GettyArizona Cardinals RB Jeremiyah Love at Training Camp.
Now, with Training Camp underway, Jeremiyah Love is already making a strong impression on his Arizona Cardinals teammates. That includes quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who has largely been away from the team amid a contract dispute.
“Obviously, I haven’t met with Jeremiyah yet,” Brissett said. “But being able to be here and watch him practice and do his thing, obviously, I see why we paid him $50 million. That’s for sure.
Brissett is poking some fun at the four-year, $53 million contract the Cardinals signed Love to after drafting him. Given that he’s coming off his own contract dispute, it’s also possible that Brissett had that number in his head for a reason.
On the bright side for Brissett, it looks like Love is going to be a legitimate weapon in all phases of the game out of the backfield for him. That includes as a pass catcher.
On the play caught on camera, the Cardinals had Love motion out to wide receiver and make a play from the outside. Regardless of if Brissett is the starting quarterback or not, that’s a massive boost to his game.
Going back to college, Love did have 63 receptions for 594 yards and 6 touchdowns. That’s excellent for any running back, but was overshadowed by what he did not he ground, rushing for 2,882 yards and 36 touchdowns, mostly in the last two seasons alone and while sharing touches with another first-round running back.
Cardinals OC Nathaniel Hackett Had Surprising Thoughts on Jeremiyah Love
GettyArizona Cardinals RB Jeremiyah Love
There’s plenty of excitement for Cardinals fans for Jeremiyah Love. However, offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett did do his best to pump the brakes on the hype.
“He’s definitely a rookie, and as we’ve talked about, he’ll keep growing every single day. I’m very excited for him,” Hackett said. “All those guys, not just him. I’m very excited about this room. There are a lot of guys that have a lot of carries, a lot of experience. Guys that can do multiple things. You don’t have guys that are just kind of specific in one thing that they do. They can catch, they can block, they can run different schemes. So, I think that’s really exciting. I’ve been lucky to be around some good running backs, and it’s about these guys right now. I’m excited to see what they can do.”
Notably, Hackett would also take the time to praise James Conner, a veteran running back for the Cardinals who suffered a foot injury that cost him all but three games in 2025. On top of Conner and Love, the Cardinals have also added Tyler Allgeier.
All of that amounts to what should be a fairly deep running back room. If they can put things together, that will take pressure off Love as he transitions to the NFL and tries to live up to those expectations.
Cardinals Veteran Jacoby Brissett Reacts to Rookie RB Jeremiyah Love