The NFL continues to prioritize defense with each passing season. This offseason, in particular, has been wildly beneficial for players on the defensive side of the football, with names like Maxx Crosby, Myles Garrett, and T.J. Watt signing deals that made them the highest-paid non-quarterbacks in NFL history. However, a proven playmaker in the secondary remains a viable candidate for many playoff contenders to add his talents.
The fact that he is a second-generation star should only add to the potential he could exploit in the coming years. While injuries have played a part in his remaining a free agent this deep into the summer, one analyst believes several teams, including the Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, and the Green Bay Packers, could target him as a final piece to the puzzle type of addition.
Teams That Could Target Asante Samuel Jr.
As a second-round pick in 2021, Samuel quickly established a niche on the new-look Los Angeles Chargers. Taking over the starting job in short order, he became a valuable player in the secondary, providing meaningful contributions day in and day out.
However, in the final year of his rookie-scale deal, catastrophe struck in the form of a shoulder injury, limiting him to just four total games played on the year. As he continues to recover, the son of the legendary Asante Samuel has yet to find a new home in the league.
PFSN, compiling a list of potential destinations for the remaining premier free agents, spoke highly about the value Samuel could still provide to multiple organizations.
“Still just 25 years old, Asante Samuel Jr. underwent neck surgery in April after missing all but four games of 2024 due to a shoulder injury. The medicals will have to clear out for him, but he’s proven to be a reliable starting cornerback with 26 pass deflections between 2021 and 2023.”
Among the teams in consideration, their first choice was a reunion with the Chargers as they continue to build a defensive identity around head coach Jim Harbaugh.
But, beyond Los Angeles, PFSN also argued, “Teams like the Dolphins, Vikings, and Packers are all playoff contenders in need of proven starting cornerbacks. They would be wise to do their homework on Samuel.”
Reminder that a healthy Asante Samuel Jr won Rookie of the Month over guys like Micah Parsons and Pat Surtain II
ASJ is going to terrorize opposing offenses in year 2 pic.twitter.com/GDpK2myj9u
— DotsNCuts (@DotsNCuts) June 20, 2022
With a plethora of options to choose from, here is the case for each of the franchises PFSN mentioned as potential landing spots for the talented young corner.
Los Angeles Chargers
The logic with the Chargers is pretty straightforward. The league’s number one scoring defense could continue adding pieces for Harbaugh to maintain its standard. However, as PFSN made clear, the only caveat is their budding group in the secondary.
“They saw good play last year from young corners Cam Hart and Tarheeb Still.” With those two potentially taking a bigger jump next season, it would make the addition of Samuel relatively worthless, opening the door for him to change his jersey for the first time in his career.
Miami Dolphins
Last year, the defense saw some major improvement, finishing 11th on PFSN’s Defense+ metric. However, this offseason, the team lost one of its most reliable weapons, Jalen Ramsey, in a trade to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
That has opened up a clear spot at the cornerback position. At this point, the Dolphins could do much worse than Samuel, who, given his injury risks, could be a cheap pickup for Miami to stabilize the pass defense at worst.
Minnesota Vikings
Thanks to their elite blitz and quarterback pressure rates, the Vikings’ defense turned a corner last season, ranking as a top-three unit on Defense+. However, their secondary is still far from perfect, with the cornerback position still lacking.
With teams focusing on the passing game, Minnesota could be exposed unless it finds some talent to add to the unit. In that scenario, a name like Samuel could go a long way in fixing one of the only glaring holes the Vikings have in Year 1 of J.J. McCarthy as the starting quarterback.
Green Bay Packers
The cost of Jaire Alexander was a little too much for the Green Bay Packers to bear once again. Thanks to repetitive injury concerns, Green Bay thought it better to move on from the talented ball-hawk, instead choosing to invest in other areas of the roster.
However, Alexander’s loss does leave a gaping hole in the secondary, with the cornerback position ripe for the picking. As a result, Samuel might be a smart player for the young organization to take a flyer on, both in the short term and potentially in the long term as well.
