Arizona Cardinals sign RB Jeremiyah Love

The Arizona Cardinals' signing of Jeremiyah Love earns a C+ Contract Value Index (CVI)—a fair but unremarkable deal that reflects cautious optimism rather than conviction. Love enters the league as a prospect generating legitimate buzz at the position, with early-season fantasy and award narratives positioning him as a potential impact rookie; however, a four-year, $53.0M commitment ($13.3M AAV) for an unproven back is inherently speculative at a position where early career production is wildly variable. The deal skews conservative by design—the Cardinals are essentially betting that Love will develop into a franchise-caliber contributor in Year 1 or 2, but the contract structure suggests they're not fully mortgaging the salary cap to the belief. For a 3-14 team deep in a rebuild window, this type of measured investment makes sense: it provides runway to evaluate talent without the dead-cap penalty of a blockbuster extension if the prospect underperforms. The real value test arrives in 2026 and 2027; if Love produces at the elite rookie-year level some scouts project, CVI will have undervalued the deal, but if he settles into a mid-tier backup or complements role, the Cardinals will have allocated substantial resources to a secondary asset. This signing reflects prudent cap discipline during a down cycle—neither a steal nor an overpay, but a transaction that lives or dies entirely on Love's on-field maturation over the next two seasons.