With the Arizona Cardinals coming out of the 2026 NFL Draft, a highlight of the first round was when the team selected Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love with the third overall pick. As fans were wondering when an official contract announcement would be made with the Cardinals and Love, Friday is the day that it happened.
Arizona would post on its official X, formerly Twitter, account that Love is “officially” part of the team as it's worth $53.9 million fully guaranteed, via Darren Urban of the team's website. Love would even say how “surreal” it is to sign the contract.
[Arizona Cardinals] sign first-round pick Jeremiyah Love to a 4-year contract with a 5th-year team option. The deal is worth $53 million guaranteed,” Urban wrote on X.
“My goal my whole life has been to get to this point,” Love said. “Pen to paper, it’s surreal.”
Officially an AZ Cardinal ✍️ pic.twitter.com/v6ZBue1o2w
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) May 8, 2026
Cardinals' Mike LaFleur on Jeremiyah Love's fit with the offense
Article Continues Below
There's no denying that Love was an absolute elite running back when with the Fighting Irish, as looking at last season, he rushed for 1,372 yards to go along with 18 touchdowns, averaging 6.9 yards per carry. He would also record 27 catches for 280 yards and three scores through the air as head coach Mike LaFleur spoke on how Love fits in Arizona's offense.
“What's unique about him, in my opinion, is all in three phases. And what I mean by all three phases is the run game, the pass game, and protection. He has the ability to mix it in all those,” LaFleur said after the pick, via 247 Sports.
“You guys see all the explosive stuff, that's all there, but he didn't have that weakness in my opinion in any of those phases, so you can put him in those situations,” LaFleur continued. “He's gotta learn this game, he's gotta learn the NFL, he's gotta learn the speed of it. There's a lot still that needs to be learned…but he definitely has the tools to get there.”
With pen to paper, Love will focus on being a high-impact player with Arizona after being selected with the third overall pick.
With the Arizona Cardinals coming out of the 2026 NFL Draft, a highlight of the first round was when the team selected Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love with the third overall pick. As fans were wondering when an official contract announcement would be made with the Cardinals and Love, Friday is the day that it happened.