Asante Samuel Jr., one of the top free agent corners on the market, is unlikely to sign with a team before July. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Samuel is coming off neck surgery in April.
Samuel visited the New Orleans Saints on Monday and has a check up in July. Once checked out, Samuel is likely to sign with an interested franchise.
The plan is to return to the field for 2025. Samuel was limited to just the first six weeks last season while with the Los Angeles Chargers due to a shoulder injury.
“At the end of the season, Samuel described the injury as a stinger in both shoulders but also a condition he has been dealing with since he was born,” Fowler wrote. “He declined to go into specifics but said he wasn’t concerned that it would affect his career moving forward.”
Over the course of four years, Samuel has 176 career tackles, six interceptions, 37 pass deflections and one fumble recovery. He logged two picks in each of his first three seasons before not grabbing one last season in four games.
A second round pick out of Florida State, Samuel Jr. is the son of Asante Samuel, one of the most feared corners of the early 2000s. His father played from 2003-13 with the New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons. Samuel Sr. had 51 career interceptions and holds the NFL record for four pick-sixes in a single postseason.
A fun fact about the father-son duo, they became the first to log multiple postseason interceptions back in January of 2023. Samuel Jr. had three interceptions in his first postseason experience with the Chargers.
Samuel Jr. played three seasons at Florida State (2018-20) and logged four interceptions in his career, including three in his final season. He had 96 total tackles and 29 pass deflections, to go along with two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.
As a member of the Class of 2018, Samuel Jr. was a four-star recruit out of Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 10 overall prospect in the state, the No. 9 cornerback in the class and the No. 45 overall prospect in the class.
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