The New York Giants have made some questionable offseason decisions over the last couple of seasons.
While etting Saquon Barkley and Xavier McKinney hit the open market backfired on them immediately, there’s one other player who hasn’t been talked about as much—whose departure from the G-Men has also stung.
That player is safety Julian Love, who, after spending the first four seasons of his career in New York, has strung together a solid couple of seasons on his new team, the Seattle Seahawks.
With Love now thriving as a Seahawk, an article from CBS Sports further explains why general manager Joe Schoen and Co. can't be cheap when it comes to making offseason decisions.
Julian Love named NFL's most underrated player at his position
Jared Dubin of CBS Sports named Love as the league's most underrated safety heading into the 2025 season. Dubin's analysis is a painful reminder to Big Blue Nation of what could have been had they been a bit less frugal:
"Love has a ton of versatility, and since arriving in Seattle has taken his game to a new level from where it was in New York. He got Pro Bowl recognition in 2023 but might have been an even better player last season, and his play down the stretch was part of Seattle's defensive improvement," Dubin wrote.
"Love's ability to play in the box (222 snaps), the slot (122 snaps) or up high (699 snaps) makes him an extremely valuable asset for any defense, and especially one that calls for players to play a ton of different roles, like that of Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald."
When New York selected Love in the fourth round of the 2019 Draft, he seemed like a very sneaky draft selection. But playmaking throughout his four seasons in New York never really came to fruition. The now 27-year-old only had five interceptions, with his only multi-interception season coming in 2022 (his last season as a Giant).
While Love may not have impressed many during his tenure with the Giants, they seemingly let him walk after New York’s magical 2022 season, when the Seahawks signed him to a two-year, $12 million contract. That low-risk, high-reward deal by Seattle resulted in Love recording a combined seven interceptions over his first two seasons with the team.
He was given a three-year, $36 million contract extension for his efforts before the start of the 2024 season.
The unfortunate part is that Love and the Giants couldn't agree on fair compensation, ultimately leading to his departure. $6 million per season for a borderline Pro Bowl talent isn't all that expensive, and his ascension in Seattle is another reminder that being smart with the cap is always the best strategy, but being cheap rarely is.
Big Blue may have addressed their secondary needs this offseason by signing safety Jevon Holland and cornerback Paulson Adebo, but not even attempting to negotiate a deal to keep Love—who enjoyed his time with the Giants—has backfired once again.