After missing the first few months of the season while recovering from spinal fusion surgery, free agent cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. has officially signed a contract for the 2025 NFL season, joining the Pittsburgh Steelers' practice squad ahead of their Week 11 showdown against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Taking to social media to announce the move, ESPN Senior NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler explained the move, revealing a new start for the second-generation cornerback.
“Free-agent cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. is signing with the Steelers practice squad, per source,” Fowler wrote. “A top-25 free agent in March, Samuel recovered from spinal fusion surgery in time to sign for the season’s second half. Now, he gets a new start with Pittsburgh.”
Originally drafted in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, Samuel Jr. played all four of his professional seasons so far with the Los Angeles Chargers, performing at a very high level in 2023 before injuries held him to just four games last fall.
While teams were wary to hand Samuel a big-money, long-term contract back in March, April, or even May, the Steelers are getting a chance to bring a 26-year-old cornerback into their system on a bargain bin contract, with an ability to call him up for action when he's ready and able to contribute. And the best part? Aaron Rodgers now gets to play with Samuel Jr. after spending years going against his father when he was playing cornerback with the Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons. Now, how many players can say that?
