When Jeremiyah Love signed his rookie contract on the morning of Friday, May 8, he officially became the highest-paid running back in NFL history.
By average annual value, six running backs currently have Love beat. But no rusher has ever been guaranteed $53.9 million, as Love now is. That’s a function of how veteran contracts typically work, with short terms and minimal guaranteed money, but also of Love’s status as the No. 3 overall pick.
It is, as Love acknowledged, a “life-changing” amount of cash. And yet, he doesn’t plan to spend any of it.
“I’m not gonna touch the money,” Love said, speaking after the Cardinals‘ first practice of rookie minicamp. “I’m probably just gonna put it all away and live normally like I’ve been doing now.”
Naturally, that earned a line of questioning from incredulous reporters. Really? You’re not going to buy anything?
“Nah,” Love said. “No. Honestly, my dad and my mom have set up a great team around me that have made sure that once I get paid, my financials are taken care of.”
It’s an approach that speaks to the maturity that attracted the Cardinals to Love (in addition, of course, to his tantalizing on-field skill set).
He reportedly made seven figures in name, image and likeness money at Notre Dame. And now, he’ll be able to tap into further sponsorship deals as a presumptive NFL star. That inflow, Love said, is more than enough to lead the life he wants, without spending a dime of his record salary.
“I really don’t need to touch that money as of right now, which I most definitely will not,” Love said. “… I’m gonna make sure I put that money away for my grandkids, my kids and stuff like that so they can have a better life financially than I did growing up.”
LaFleur laying groundwork for offensive system
In his introductory news conference three months ago, Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur stated a simple ambition: He wanted his offense to be among the best in the NFL before the snap. This, in LaFleur’s mind, is an understated but key difference between good and bad offenses.
“Everyone’s got good plays, everyone has good scheme,” LaFleur said at the time. “But it’s really leading up to that moment. How clean do we get out of that huddle? How do we operate? How fast do I get that call in there to allow these players to go do what they do best?”
Now, LaFleur is working to follow through on that goal. When veterans arrived last month for voluntary minicamp, the offense spent an entire week working on its pre-snap operation, before ever introducing a single play.
“You talk about the formations and the motions,” LaFleur said. “Our tempo, our urgency and all that — all the stuff that we’re gonna do before the snap. … You can see the teams that are crisp and tight and the teams that aren’t. It’s not that hard to see. And we’re working to be one of those.”
That would be a welcome change for the Cardinals, one year after they were near the top of the NFL in pre-snap penalties under Jonathan Gannon and Drew Petzing.
LaFleur mum on Brissett contract situation
Jacoby Brissett, the presumptive leader in the Cardinals’ quarterback competition, was not present at the first round of voluntary offseason workouts, as he seeks a pay raise.
Unsurprisingly, LaFleur did not offer many details on the status of those negotiations.
“Ongoing, so everything’s good from a dialogue standpoint,” LaFleur said. “But like we said, this is voluntary. So that’s where we’ll leave it.”
LaFleur was then asked whether the Cardinals are “behind the 8-ball” offensively, without their starting quarterback. He offered another stern and concise answer.
“He’s played a lot of football, so,” LaFleur said. “And we’re in communication. He knows what the expectation is.”
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Cardinals’ Jeremiyah Love reveals approach to NFL riches