Jeremiyah Love just signed a $53.9 million fully guaranteed rookie deal with Arizona. Let that sink in. A running back—a position that's supposed to be devalued in the modern NFL—got paid like a franchise cornerstone. This isn't about Love specifically; it's about what the market just told every team shopping at the position.
The Cardinals clearly view Love as a centerpiece of their offense, not a complementary piece. That kind of capital—fully guaranteed money for a rookie—signals confidence in both the player and the scheme fit. Arizona's betting that Love is durable, productive, and essential to their plan. For running backs, that's a rarity in 2026.
The Patriots should pay attention. Vrabel and Eliot Wolf have options in the backfield with TreVeyon Henderson, Rhamondre Stevenson, and Deneric Prince all on the roster. None of them command that kind of investment, but that's partly because the league has collectively devalued the position. Love's deal is a counterargument—a statement that if you find the right back in the right system, it's worth committing real resources.
The question for New England isn't whether to chase Love-level talent at the position; that ship sailed in the draft. It's whether the backfield group they have can execute at a high enough level within Vrabel's scheme. That's a more practical calculation. But Love's deal does remind us that running back talent, when it's elite and scheme-specific, still moves the needle.
Watch how the Cardinals deploy Love. That tape will tell you everything you need to know about whether Arizona overpaid or identified a rare commodity.
Based on reporting from ESPN NFL.