4 grossly underpaid Seattle Seahawks players in 2024
By Lee Vowell
Julian Love - Seahawks safety
2024 salary-cap hit: $8,090,000
Love is entering the final year of his current deal with Seattle. He unexpectedly made the Pro Bowl in his first year with the Seahawks, which likely surprised former DC Hurtt and former head coach Pete Carroll. Hurtt chose not to play Love much in many games in 2023, preferring instead to go with Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs, likely with the approval of Carroll. In Weeks 6, 9, 10, and 13, Love played fewer than half of the defensive snaps.
In all of those games except one, Seattle allowed at least 26 points. When Love played fewer than 50 percent of snaps, Seattle allowed 30 points a game. When the safety got more snaps, Seattle allowed an average of 22 points a game. This was reason enough for Hurtt to lose his job.
Love's cap hit in 2024 is the 14th-highest among safeties, even though he appears to be ascending to a top-ten safety if he is not already one. While he has played five years in the league already, he is only 26 years old, so he should have a lot of years left to play at a high level. His versatility is going to work well in Macdonald's system, too.
General manager John Schneider does not like to enter into extension talks with players proactively. DK Metcalf was a rare exception in 2022, and that makes complete sense. Metcalf is one of the best receivers in the NFL. Love could turn out to be one of the best safeties in the league in 2024, so extending him before he hits free agency might be wise.