Seahawks solidify Love connection

Schefter: Seahawks extending S Julian Love for 3 more years

The Seattle Seahawks are signing safety Julian Love to a three-year contract extension worth up to $36 million, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

If the contract terms indeed settle in at $12 million per season, Love will be tied with Grant Delpit and Jalen Thompson as the ninth-highest paid safeties in the NFL by average salary.

Love was entering the final season of the two-year, $12 million deal that he signed with the Seahawks in 2023, and the sixth-year safety took full advantage of his best career opportunity by recording 123 tackles, four interceptions, two forced fumbles, to go with 10 passes broken up, making his first Pro Bowl. Love will no longer have to give “maximum effort at minimum wage”.

I’m a little ashamed of myself for not seeing this sooner because a year ago I was pounding the table that Seattle would reward Uchenna Nwosu with a three-year extension after the season he had in 2022 based on their history; sure enough that’s what the team did on the day before training camp. The Seahawks typically like to give two-year “prove-it” contracts, which is basically where Rayshawn Jenkins stands right now if he has a solid 2024 season with Mike Macdonald.

Love’s extension makes me wonder how likely it is that the Seahawks would do something similar for Jarran Reed, another player who signed a two-year deal as a free agent in 2023 and outplayed his contract in year one. I don’t expect it to happen because Reed will be 33 next year, but maybe Seattle wouldn’t want this to be a contract year for him? After re-signing Leonard Williams and drafting Byron Murphy though, it does seem a little unlikely.

Should the Seahawks extend Jarran Reed through 2025 at least?

Only months after freeing themselves from being the team that was spending way more cap space on the safety position than any other franchise, the Seahawks go back to their comfort zone by giving a raise to Julian Love.

However, this time the safety is only 26, he costs $12 million instead of $20 million, and he might have his best career seasons in the future, not the past.