After spending his first four seasons with the New York Giants, safety Julian Love is moving to Seattle.
Love signed with the Seahawks in March and, apparently, it was an easy choice for him. Minutes after speaking with coach Pete Carroll, Love knew he wanted to be a part of Seattle's organization.
"After I met coach Carroll and everybody in the building, it just felt comfortable," Love said via the team's website. "I think that is the biggest stressor of free agency, the unknown. I don't know the people in the organization for the most part, but meeting them and getting to know them, it was clear cut, I knew I was supposed to be there."
The 25-year-old signed a two-year, $12 million contract with the Seahawks. The deal includes a $4.82 million signing bonus and $5.98 million guaranteed.
"A great opportunity to join a good team that's led by a great head coach who just gets it," is how Love described his decision. "That's what I was looking for, I was looking for a nice fit. The culture's great, and I think that fits my style, my brand of football. So yeah, I think Seattle was the perfect fit for me."
Once he was a free agent, it was time to see what was next, and the most important thing to Love was the environment he will be in as he aims to improve his skillset.
"I am always looking for the ability to grow," Love said. "I feel like this past year I was just scratching the surface of the player I can be in this league and so throughout free agency, I just wanted an opportunity to be at a place where that was possible. We started with the casual conversation about family, background, and all of that stuff, but (Carroll) couldn't help but talk ball with me. He was kind of going in and out of talking ball and I love that. That's the kind of the player and learner that I am, so before you knew it, within five minutes of being in his office, we were at the computer going over tape. That's what it was. I was just watching tape with him, picking his brain, and him picking my brain. That is where the reassurance came from."
During the 2022 season, Love played in 16 games and recorded two interceptions and a forced fumble. He also recorded six tackles for loss and one quarterback hit.
Seattle is adding Love to a defense that has grown with talent this offseason. Just recently, the Seahawks signed linebacker Bobby Wagner back to the squad. Not only has Seattle regained its once-shining star, but top safeties Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams will also be flanking Love each week.
"I think they were excited about having the ability to put three safeties on the field, and I think they saw me as a good addition to who they have in their room right now," Love said. "So that's what I wanted. I fortunately have the opportunity to grow with two savvy vets. I'm a vet myself now, but I'm still 25 years old, so I'm still learning the game, still trying to improve. So that's how they see me fit, continuing to improve and grow in your system."
Now the young safety is preparing to dive into the playbook, learning the Seahawks system inside and out as he prepares for the 2023 season.
