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Report: Asante Samuel Jr. schedules visits with multiple NFL teams after being cleared

Barkley-Truaxby: Barkley Truax9 hours agoBarkleyTruax
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(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Asante Samuel Jr. is looking for a new NFL home — and it appears he has his pick of the litter. According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, Samuel is currently visiting the Carolina Panthers but don’t expect him to sign right away.

That’s because Carolina won’t be the only visit for the free agent cornerback. He’ll have visits with franchises over the next week. On Thursday, he’ll visit the Packers, the Vikings on Friday, the 49ers on Monday, the Bears on Tuesday and Steelers on Wednesday.

Samuel is coming off a spinal fusion procedure this offseason and had not been cleared to compete until recently. His agent, Trevon Smith, presented a letter to NFL teams notifying them on Samuel’s return to action.

Notably, his surgery was performed by Dr. David Okonkwo, who is the neurosurgeon for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Samuel will be in Pittsburgh on Wednesday.

2025 will be Samuel’s fifth season in the NFL. Over the course of the previous 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. All four of those seasons were spent as a member of the Los Angeles Chargers.

A second round pick out of Florida State, Samuel Jr. is the son of Asante Samuel, one of the most revered 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.

With Samuel set to visit several more teams, it’s likely the former Seminoles star won’t be on the field for anybody this coming week. At the earliest, he’d be able to make a return until Week 11 at the earliest. That gives him enough time to settle in to his role before his team’s playoff push, or whatever position the team he signs with will be in.

For now, we’ll have to wait and see where he lands. If one thing’s for sure, many teams appear interested in adding his services to their defense.