The last week has been a difficult one to stomach if you're Tyler Allgeier. Allgeier left the Atlanta Falcons for the Arizona Cardinals in free agency because he coveted a larger role, and was well on his way to receiving one until Arizona drafted Jeremiyah Love with the third pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Like what the Falcons did with him when they drafted Bijan Robinson, the Allgeier signing did not deter the Cardinals from drafting an elite running back prospect. So while the 25-year-old is a talented back who deserves a bigger role, playing behind an elite RB does not offer that opportunity.
And for that reason, ESPN's Adam Schefter sees him as one of the biggest losers of the 2026 NFL Draft. Schefter revealed on his self-named podcast with Field Yates and Mel Kiper Jr. that Allgeier "thought he was going to be the lead back" in Arizona and "did not expect" them to select Love at 3.
My draft loser would be the Cardinals running back Tyler Allgeier," Schefter said. "Allgeier was in Atlanta and wanted a larger role, and left Atlanta in free agency to go to Arizona, which paid him $7 million a season. He thought he was going to be the lead back there in Arizona, or at least get more work than he got in Atlanta. And he goes to Arizona, which he did not expect at the time, would be the team to pick Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love at No. 3, which is what happened on the first night of the draft."
Tyler Allgeier learned the hard way that the grass wasn't greener in Arizona
Schefter noted that even though the Cardinals are paying Allgeier $12.25 million across the next two seasons, it never changed their stance on Love. Mike LaFleur and his coaching staff fell in love with him. So did GM Monti Ossenfort and owner Michael Bidwill. And in their attempts to sell tickets and set the foundation for a 2027 QB, so despite the bewilderment of Allgeier, they took the best player.
"They went ahead and took him, much to the surprise and disappointment of Tyler Allgeier, who chose that spot because he thought he would have a bigger opportunity, that of course will now be shrinking, much as it did in Atlanta behind Bijan Robinson."
Drafting a running back in the top 10 is a massive luxury. The reigning Doak Walker Award winner is set to make the most guaranteed money at the position in NFL history, but for as talented as the 20-year-old is, it's truly insane that Allgeier has lost his job to top-10 RBs not once, but twice since 2023.
Afterward, Kiper made an interesting point about the Love pick and how it relates to Allgeier: part of the beauty of drafting a guy like Love is the luxury of utilizing him many ways. They can use him everywhere and line him up at receiver so he and the BYU product won't eat into each other's workloads and share the field like Allgeier and Bijan Robinson did at times with the Falcons.
We know Allgeier would've had a nice and comfy role as the change-of-pace back behind Bijan in Atlanta, where his role would have been clear after an eight-touchdown year. So Schefter's words make it clear that if he was offered a contract to stay with the Dirty Birds, he should've taken it.
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