SAN JOSE, Calif. — He did not know if he would end his NFL career where he began it, with the Giants.
It is difficult for any professional athlete to see that finish line.
But Julian Love did believe something about his future following the 2022 season.
“I thought I’d at least be there a few years longer,’’ Love said this week during a media session for Super Bowl 2026, an event that shows how far — geographically and professionally — Love has advanced from his time with the Giants.
Love is a vital part of a “Dark Side’’ defense that carried the Seahawks this far, a starting safety who brings extreme leadership and smarts to the field on a weekly basis.
Love’s assignment Sunday will be varied, and his intent will be to make life unbearable for second-year Patriots quarterback Drake Maye.
Moving from the East Coast to the Pacific Northwest was not a trip Love envisioned he would take.
As it turns out, this relocation perfectly matched a player and a team, with outstanding results.
“Everyone has a chip on their shoulder,’’ Love said. “I carry a big one. I’m very level-headed, kind of cool, collected. People thought I wasn’t a certain type of player. A decade of my life, I’ve played really good ball and when you watch me play, I put a good product on the field. I’m a if-you-know-you-know type of player and I don’t care if you don’t.’’
There have been many, many text messages saluting Love from various Giants players and people in the building who remain fond of him.
That is a long list.
Players often come and go without leaving an indelible impression; he was an exception.
Love arrived in 2019 as a fourth-round pick from Notre Dame and did not establish a full-time role in his first three seasons.
He played some safety, some nickel corner.
In 2022, defensive coordinator Wink Martindale appreciated Love’s versatility and made him a regular starter for the first time in his career.
The Giants made the playoffs, and it felt as if Love and Xavier McKinney would be their safety tandem for several more years.
At the bye week in 2022, the Giants offered Love a three-year, $22.5 million extension, with $10 million in guaranteed money.
Love was thinking more along the lines of $10 million a year and declined the offer.
It was unfortunate for him that the safety market went in the tank that year.
After the season, the best he could find was a two-year, $12 million deal from the Seahawks with $6 million in guaranteed money — far below the Giants’ bye week offer.
Love’s representation took the Seattle offer back to the Giants to see if they would match it.
By then, the Giants had moved on, as they were still under the impression Love was seeking $10 million per year.
“At one point, there were extension talks, the values did not align,’’ Love said. “I saw myself in a tier slightly above where they had me. It was kind of just a betting-on-yourself type of thing. I have a lot of love for people in that organization, Mr. [John] Mara … so a lot of love and appreciation. But I love where I’m at.’’
Why not?
Love and wife Julia welcomed a son, Noah, during their time in Seattle, and they are expecting their second child.
Love grew up outside of Chicago and still thinks of himself as an East Coast guy.
“We love New York, my wife and I, and we love New Jersey,’’ he said. “We loved it, the people, the food, it had a little bit of a grit to it that we got a little accustomed to, like Chicago. In terms of life, everything, going out to Seattle aligned for us. Seattle is beautiful, it’s slower, and the fans are so good.’’
Love, 27, endured an injury-filled 2025 season, starting only eight games because of a hamstring issue.
He came back for the final four regular-season games and both playoff games.
Love said he speaks often with defensive lineman Leonard Williams about their shared time and losing with the Giants and now their shared success with the Seahawks.
They have been together for the past seven years.
In their first three seasons together, the Giants went 4-12, 6-10 and 4-13.
Love finally experienced some winning in 2022 when the Giants went 9-7-1 and won a playoff game.
Love with the Seahawks went 9-8 in 2023, then 10-7 in 2024 with first-year head coach Mike Macdonald and soared to 14-3 in 2025, with two more playoff victories to catapult them into the Super Bowl.
The Giants went 7-27 the past two seasons, leading to the firing of Brian Daboll and the hiring of John Harbaugh.
“It’s been the tale of two cities, for sure, for me,’’ Love said. “I don’t know, it’s tough. I think that’s the appreciation that me and Leo kind of have is that we know what it’s been like. It’s tough, it affects your mentality, it affects maybe your personal life outside the game, losing, especially if you’re a competitor. Yeah, I’m grateful.’’
