Jeremiyah Love is set to play for the Arizona Cardinals after signing a four-year, fully guaranteed rookie contract worth $53.9 million — but he doesn’t plan on touching the money because he says NIL already put him in a strong financial position.
A Man With A Plan
The former Notre Dame running back is set to become the seventh-highest-paid running back in the NFL after being selected No. 3 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft. Still, Love says the payday has not changed his mindset, especially after making six figures through NIL deals during college.
“I live in an era of NIL, so I’ve been pretty well off already,” Love told reporters in Arizona last week. “So I really don’t need to touch that money as of right now, so I most definitely will not. I’ll make sure to put away that money for my grandkids, my kids, so they can have a better life, financially, than I did growing up. That’s the plan.”
During his time at Notre Dame from 2023 to 2025, Love secured NIL deals with Samsung, Celsius, New Balance, and Icy Hot.
He was also among the top 10 athletes in the On3 NIL 100, with a reported NIL valuation of $599,000 — just shy of $600,000.
Bleacher Report stated he was already a millionaire during his Notre Dame days, making from last season alone $1.5 million from NIL deals.
Love said he plans to use his NFL earnings to build long-term, generational wealth rather than spend it immediately, with future children and grandchildren in mind.
“I’m going to make sure I put that money away for my kids, grandkids, stuff like that, so they can have a better life, financially, than I did growing up. That’s the plan,” Love added. “Plans can change, sometimes, but that’s the plan.”
He added, “Draft experience was great. I love meeting the different coaches. I love just going to different places. But at the end of the day, I just want to work and I got the chance to do that after the draft, so that felt really good. Felt like a relief.”
