Why Rookie RB Jeremiyah Love Plans to Never 'Touch' His $53M NFL Salary
The 2026 NFL Draft rookies have finally started signing contracts with their respective teams, and Jeremiyah Love has landed a historic one with the Arizona Cardinals. In fact, Love's rookie deal is the richest ever signed by a running back in NFL history.
Love was widely regarded as the top running back prospect in the 2026 draft class and was selected third overall by Arizona, making him the highest-drafted running back since the New York Giants selected Saquon Barkley second overall in 2018.
That No. 3 selection came with a massive payday. The Notre Dame product has signed a fully guaranteed four-year, $53.9 million contract, featuring the most guaranteed money ever awarded to a rookie running back in NFL history. His annual average salary of $13.25 million also ranks seventh among current NFL running backs.
Love admitted the contract was "very life-changing," but revealed he has no intention of splurging.
"I'm not going to touch the money," he said, via ESPN. "I'm probably going to put it all away and live normally like I've been doing now."
Love added that he plans to help his parents financially and save money for future generations of his family, so his children and grandchildren can have a "better life financially than I did growing up."
"I'm from the NIL (era), I'm pretty well off. I really don't need to touch that money as of right now, which I most definitely will not."
Cardinals first-round pick Jeremiyah Love signed his four-year, fully-guaranteed deal worth $53.9 million. pic.twitter.com/b0W97mV7r7
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 8, 2026
Love certainly benefited from NIL opportunities during college. He was consistently ranked among the Top 10 athletes in the On3 NIL 100, with his most recent valuation at $599,000. He is also expected to earn additional income through endorsement partnerships with New Balance, PayPal, and Celsius.
Rather than spending his rookie contract money, Love said he plans to live off his endorsement earnings while investing his NFL salary.
More importantly for Arizona, the young running back appears grounded despite receiving generational wealth at 21.
"I guess you could say, Spider-Man said this, with great power comes great responsibility," Love said. "In this instance, with a lot of money becomes a lot of trust, a lot of responsibility... I'm going to make sure that I do right by them and do right by myself because, at the end of the day, I want to do the best that I can."
Love starred at Notre Dame over the past two seasons, recording an FBS-leading 40 touchdowns along with 3,014 scrimmage yards while averaging 7.2 yards per touch. Now, he heads to the NFL looking ready to translate that production onto football's biggest stage, carrying a level of maturity rarely seen in a rookie.
Related: New Arizona Cardinals RB Jeremiyah Love Reads His Own Scouting Report
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This story was originally published May 9, 2026 at 5:15 AM.