Last offseason, the Seattle Seahawks signed former New York Giants safety Julian Love to a two-year, $12 million deal. After just one year in Seattle, the Seahawks saw enough to give him a pay raise. Per ESPN, the Seahawks have awarded Love a three-year extension worth up to $36 million.
The “up to $36 million” phrase does not give us a true value on Love’s contract in terms of AAV. But if he finds a way to live up to the contract’s full value, that $12 million AAV is tied for the ninth-largest for a safety. The market was actually reset in May by Antoine Winfield Jr. of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who signed a four-year extension worth $84.1 million ($21.025 million AAV).
In 2023, Love had a career year with 123 combined tackles, two forced fumbles, 10 passes defensed and four interceptions. It was good enough for his first Pro Bowl selection, and Love made his debut on the NFL’s top 100 players of 2024 list at No. 95.
Love was originally a fourth-round pick of the Giants out of Notre Dame in 2019. He’s recorded at least one interception in each of his five NFL seasons, with nine total, and has racked up 414 combined tackles in 81 career games played.
It’s an offseason of change in Seattle, as the Seahawks parted ways with two of their top safeties in Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs, and its longtime head coach in Pete Carroll. In steps former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, the new youngest head coach in the NFL whose 2023 defense led the NFL in points per game (16.5), sacks (60) and takeaways (31).
