Cardinals' Jeremiyah Love already under pressure to deliver

Jeremiyah Love was one of the gems in the 2026 NFL draft. It was a huge deal when the Arizona Cardinals took him on, and for a franchise that's obviously hurting, Love brings a ray of hope.

Love could be this team's running back and star. At Notre Dame, in 12 games, Love rushed for 1,372 yards and 21 touchdowns. He also finished third in Heisman Trophy voting.

So, it's all good vibes on bringing Love onto the team. But, now, there's pressure, because the Cardinals are paying him a lot.

Jeremiyah Love is being called the NFL's most overpaid running back

Garrett Podell of CBS Sports says that Love is the most overpaid running back in the NFL. In a piece out on Wednesday, the NFL analyst says that Love's four-year, $53.02 million, fully guaranteed deal is a bit too much.

"While his collegiate accomplishments of leading college football in rushing touchdowns (35) and scrimmage touchdowns (40) across his final two seasons at Notre Dame are great, that's not enough to earn more guaranteed money than some of the NFL's best," he notes in the piece.

It's true that doing well in college football doesn't always translate into the pros, so it's a gamble. Now, Love has more guaranteed money on his rookie contract than every other running back in the NFL, including guys like Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs and Jonathan Taylor. That's a tough pill to swallow for a guy who hasn't played a regular-season game yet.

"He needs to be a generational running back in order to live up to his lofty draft status and the money that comes with it," Podell says.