The Arizona Cardinals have spent much of the offseason kickstarting their rebuild, and that has led to a fairly limited body of work. The team is clearly hoping that its incoming class of rookies can make an immediate impact, with that group being spearheaded by running back Jeremiyah Love, who was selected with the No. 3 overall pick.
While the Cardinals‘ decision to select Love with this pick was a surprise, he should immediately raise the floor of the offense as a whole. After coming off the board with this high pick, Love signed a massive rookie contract that featured a record $53 million in guaranteed money. And even after Jahmyr Gibbs signed his historic contract extension with the Detroit Lions on Thursday, Love’s aforementioned record is still in place.
Jeremiyah Love’s $53 Million Record Still, Even After Jahmyr Gibbs’ Deal
In a lot of ways, Gibbs experienced a similar start to his career as Love. Many folks were surprised when the Lions used the No. 12 overall pick on Gibbs in the 2023 NFL Draft, but all he has done is become arguably the most explosive dual-threat running back in the league. Last season, Gibbs racked up 1,223 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground, while also catching 77 passes for 616 yards and five more scores in the passing game.
The Cardinals are going to be hoping that Love can turn himself into a similar sort of threat as what Gibbs has become for the Lions. While he isn’t the same sort of threat in the air that Gibbs is (he caught just 27 passes for 280 yards and three scores with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish last season), he could be just as imposing on the ground, as he racked up 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns on just 199 carries in 2025.
Love signed a four-year, $53 million contract with the Cardinals after getting drafted by them, with the entire deal being fully guaranteed. Gibbs became the highest-paid running back in NFL history when he put pen to paper on a three-year, $67.5 million contract extension with the Lions, but in a surprising twist, his $51.5 million in guaranteed money still came up short of Love’s astronomical deal.
“Cardinals RB Jeremiyah Love still holds the record for the most guaranteed money in an RB contract at $53M, even after all the RB deals that got done this week for Bijan Robinson, Jonathan Taylor, and Jahmyr Gibbs,” Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team shared in a post on X.
Cardinals Hoping Jeremiyah Love Can Become an Immediate Star
GettyGLENDALE, ARIZONA – JULY 28: Jeremiyah Love #4 of the Arizona Cardinals participates in a team practice ahead of the NFL season at State Farm Stadium on July 28, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
As if Arizona didn’t already receive enough attention for selecting Love, it had to hand him a huge rookie contract. Considering how not even Gibbs is making the sort of guaranteed money Love is making right out of the gate, this makes the team’s selection of the former Notre Dame star even more risky, especially since the Cardinals are beginning a rebuild.
If Love is an immediate star, nobody will bat an eye at this deal, but transitioning to the NFL is no sure thing, even for a guy of his caliber. It’s not a stretch to suggest that the Cardinals need Love to immediately perform at a Pro Bowl level in order for him to be worth this deal, and again, there’s no guarantee he will be able to do that. So while Gibbs’ deal is big news for the league as a whole, it has inadvertently put a large amount of pressure on Love ahead of his rookie season.
Cardinals’ Jeremiyah Love Still Holds $53 Million Record After Jahmyr Gibbs’ Deal