One of the top defenders still available, Asante Samuel Jr. will take the visit route to enhance his market. The four-year Chargers regular met with the Cardinals on Thursday, ESPN.com’s Field Yates reports.
Samuel is coming off a season in which a stinger-like injury limited him to four games. But the second-generation NFL corner is going into an age-26 season and worked as a primary Chargers starter during his rookie contract. The Bolts have signed Donte Jackson and Benjamin St-Juste this week, signaling Samuel might need to find a second contract elsewhere.
Operating primarily as a boundary corner, Samuel delivered a splashy wild-card performance by intercepting Trevor Lawrence three times as the Chargers built a 27-point lead. While that margin famously unraveled, Samuel maintained a regular Chargers role until going down last season. Samuel helped save the Chargers – to a degree, as their HC and GM were still fired – after their major J.C. Jackson miscalculation in 2023 and was a 2024 starter early in Jesse Minter‘s first DC season.
After winning the slot job during the Bolts’ 2023 training camp, Samuel shifted back outside – where he played almost exclusively from 2021-22 – after the team ended the Jackson experiment. Pro Football Focus graded the 5-10 cover man as a top-30 corner in 2022 and ’23, though he gave up seven touchdowns as the closest defender during the ’22 season. Also showing some ball-hawking ability, Samuel intercepted six passes from 2021-23 (nine if the Lawrence thefts are included) and posted 35 passes defensed in that span.
While we ranked Samuel 32nd among free agents this year, the cornerback rush did not include he or Rasul Douglas (No. 42). The more experienced batch of CBs — D.J. Reed, Byron Murphy, Carlton Davis, Charvarius Ward — each scored deals averaging at least $16MM per year, while Paulson Adebo and Nate Hobbs did well on the market. Samuel needing to take a visit does not signal he generated immense interest at free agency’s outset.
Letting Murphy and Patrick Peterson walk in free agency earlier this decade, the Cardinals are still in search of cornerstones here. They saw promise from slot defender Garrett Williams last season and used a second-round pick on Max Melton as well. Weeks prior to that, Arizona signed Sean Murphy-Bunting. Starling Thomas maintained a regular role for Arizona last season as well. While the Cardinals have more options than usual at this point, the Samuel visit confirms the team is still on the hunt for starter-level help at the position.