Julian Love Offers Update on Contract Status
With New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones under contract and running back Saquon Barkley on the franchise tag, the team's focus has shifted to defensive back Julian Love, who is set to hit the free agent market on Monday when teams may engage in talks with unrestricted free agents from other clubs.
Love, speaking with Bruce Murray and Mark Dominick of SiriusXM NFL Radio Friday, said that the Giants, who opened contract talks with him over the bye, have continued to express an interest in having him back,
"They've constantly expressed interest to us," Love said. "Since the end of the season, they've reiterated the interest to bring me back. I reiterated that I want to be back. Hopefully, we can meet on the price."
Love, a fourth-round draft pick by the Giants in the 2019 draft (No. 108 overall), added that he and his agent were "cautiously optimistic" about things.
"This is a time when anything can happen, so I'm just trying to sit back and let my agent (Drew Rosenhaus) do his job," Love said.
According to Spotrac, Love has a projected market value of just under $8 million per year. It's unknown what the Giants offered him during the bye, but it obviously wasn't enough for the two sides to reach a new agreement.
At the combine, Giants general manager Joe Schoen confirmed that he had additional conversations with Rosenhaus, presumably for the first time since the bye week, starting at the Senior Bowl and that more talks were planned.
“We’re going to circle back here, so he’s on my schedule late in the week," Schoen said. "So we’ll see."
Schoen also noted that if things don't work out with Love, other options may exist.
"I think I saw a couple of safeties may be released, so we’ll see what that market looks like, and if there’s going to be a surplus or not, and where his value falls,” he said.
Love's contract took something of a back seat while the Giants worked to get a resolution with Jones and Barkley, something he said he understood.
And while the defensive back would like to receive his worth in terms of financial compensation, he also admitted that the thought of potentially having to go elsewhere was something he's been thinking about a lot.
"It is really weird. I have grown into my process of understanding that you can get attached to things. Like when I went to Notre Dame, I was very attached to Notre Dame. It was tough for me to leave early after my junior season because I just loved the place," he said.
"Spending four years with the Giants, the staff is just amazing, from the equipment people, the training staff--it's the top tier organization. And so part of that, yeah, you want to really finish the job.
"But at the same time, you just can't settle," he added. "You know, a football career is so short that you have to get what you feel is fair while the time you're in it."
Love indicated that money wouldn't be the sole factor that determines where he plays next season.
"For me, yes, I'm human. Money is a huge part of the equation. But it is not the end-all, be-all. It's a huge point, but if you don't believe in the organization and its ability to grow going forward, that just says it all. And so there's that balance that is on my mind."
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