Giants’ Julian Love wants to stay, but has ‘to do the best thing for me’

Julian Love put aside his normally humble demeanor for some real talk about his value to the Giants.

“I think I had a huge impact on this team this year, not just with play but with who I am as a person,” Love said. “I was the level-headed person this locker room needed at times. … Everyone put their ego to the side — some guys had the ego — but it all meshed together in a cohesive way.”

If Love has it his way, Saturday’s loss to the Eagles won’t be his final game as a safety and special teams co-captain of the Giants. But he is a free agent looking to secure his first big payday after his first season upgraded from utility role to full-time starter. He produced a team-high 124 tackles, two interceptions, a fumble return and a fumble recovery.

“I don’t think I played better. I think I just played more,” Love said. “I think I’ve been pretty consistent and pretty productive in whatever capacity I’ve been in.”

Love, who logged a team-high 1,226 snaps when all three phases are combined, was the glue that held the Giants’ secondary together when safety Xavier McKinney and cornerback Adoree’ Jackson missed a combined 15 games during their overlapping injury absences in November and December.

“This year, having to hold down the fort — it felt like at times — and be the guy for us, I feel like I did a solid job,” Love said. “There’s always a lot to improve on, but I was leaving a lot of games this year knowing that my best effort was out there. I think it was a successful season for myself, and now I know what the bar is. Going forward, I know what a full year as a starter is for me, and it was pretty damn good, so now I have to keep stepping it up.”

Love made $3.2 million over four years as a rare productive mid-round draft pick of the last 15 years.

“There was some movement,” when he and the Giants talked about an extension during the season and “we left off in a better position at the end of the bye week.”

“I love this place,” Love said. “The staff has been the best. That’s the stuff you want to come back to, but football is not forever. I put my body on the line every game. When I say, ‘I have to do the best thing for me,’ it’s short-term thinking. You have to do the best to secure generational wealth for your family.”

The Giants also can negotiate an extension with McKinney for the first time this season. Love could re-sign before free agency, but it might be a smarter strategy to leave the door open while gauging his value elsewhere.

“I hope it doesn’t get that far, but you never know,” Love said. “We’re in a better position than we were when I got here, which I think was always my goal.”

The Giants’ representative for the NFL Players Association, Love actively discussed his future with general manager Joe Schoen rather than leaving it all to agent Drew Rosenhaus.

“I always try to look at it from their perspective and, ‘What would I do in their shoes?” Love said. “With that little understanding, something is going to get done, for sure. I want it to be at a [financial] spot. I’m sure they want it to be at a spot. But the respect of all the people involved is at an all-time high.”