Seahawks Star Defender Opens Pivotal Season With Monster Performance

2026 is a very important year for Julian Love, and on a night when the Seattle Seahawks absolutely needed him, he was one of the best players on the field.

Seattle Seahawks safety Julian Love (20) walks off field prior to a game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. | Talia Sprague-Imagn Images

Maybe it’s just because he missed almost half the season last year, but I feel like Julian Love has been somewhat forgotten. When people discuss the key players on the Seattle Seahawk’s vaunted defense, they get to Leonard Williams, Byron Murphy, Devon Witherspoon, Ernest Jones, and even DeMarcus Lawrence before Love. And I’m not so sure they should.

The Secret Weapon

This is Love’s fourth year as a Seahawk, and while he’s never been considered the best safety in football, he did make a Pro Bowl in 2023. When he did play in 2025, he was excellent, posting a PFF grade of 82.2, and posted up a momentum-altering interception in the super bowl. If health is in his corner in 2026, this could be a career-defining season.

Seattle Seahawks safety Julian Love (20) reacts after a tackling Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride (85) in the second quarter. | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

And also a wallet-defining season. Love has two years left on his current contract, and the 2027 season includes a $15.2 million cap hit with $4.2 million dead. It’s not so crippling that the Seahawks would be unwilling to let it ride on that hit, but the stage is clearly set for an extension or release. It all comes down to what he does this season.

Week One Dominance

Julian Love was probably the best player for the Seahawks on defense last night. He may have even been the best player overall. Six tackles, including two for loss (both stuffs in the run game), and a game-changing interception on the one time all night he was targeted in coverage. PFF graded him at 90, one of the best games of his career.

Seattle Seahawks safety Julian Love (20) leaves the field after defeating the New England Patriots at Lumen Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

He did miss one tackle and was (according to PFF) ineffectual as a pass rusher on his three reps as one, but it was a very strong indicator of what he can be. That Drake Maye was unable to complete a single downfield throw all game was also evidence of his great play. Hard to imagine this team winning last night without such high-level safety performance.

Another Gear To Crank

Some people got really caught up in the Seahawks losing Coby Bryant this offseason, thinking the team would take a step back at safety this year because of it. This evaluation was surely ignoring that they played half the season last year without Julian Love (clearly a better player than Bryant) and Ty Okada was more or less as effective as Bryant was last season.

Seattle Seahawks safety Julian Love (20) makes an interception against New England Patriots wide receiver Demario Douglas (3). | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The safety room might be better this year just by virtue of Love’s health. Keep in mind that last night was played without Ty Okada or Nick Emmanwori, making Love the only starting-caliber safety who actually played last night. And with how good he performed, he may as well have been all three safeties combined. That payday is waiting for him if he keeps it up.

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