Leonard Williams and Julian Love of the Seattle Seahawks once felt there was no light at the end of the tunnel during their time with the New York Giants.
That perspective made their moment together at Levi’s Stadium even more meaningful after Seattle’s Week 18 win over the San Francisco 49ers, as they walked off the field reflecting on being part of one of the NFL’s top defenses and the NFC’s No. 1 overall seed entering the postseason.
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“We embraced and just said, ‘Man, thank goodness we got here,” Love said Wednesday.
Love and Williams were teammates on Giants squads that reached the playoffs only once from 2019-22, posting records of 4-12, 6-10 and 4-13 before going 9-7-1 in 2022, when New York won a wild-card game and then lost in the divisional round.
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After that season, Love signed with Seattle in free agency, and midway through the 2023 season the Seahawks acquired Williams in a trade with the Giants.
“I think one of the only guys on the team that really knows the journey I've been on is Julian,” Williams said. “And we both embraced each other after the game and just talked about our path. And I've just been so thankful to be here and so thankful for this season and just the way everything's been playing out. It's just really incredible to be having this type of season towards the end of my career.”
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