PFF Asks Vikings to Sign You Know Who
A lingering rumor, free-agent cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. has once again been connected to the Minnesota Vikings.
The Vikings should sign cornerback Asante Samuel Jr., says Pro Football Focus.
Free agency kicked off on March 10th, and Samuel Jr. has oddly signed with no team after two months, raising questions about his long-term health.
But according to Pro Football Focus, the Vikings should sign Samuel Jr. and call it good, claiming the club still has a roster need at cornerback.
PFF on the Vikings’ Need for a CB
PFF’s Mason Cameron identified an offseason move that each NFC team should make after the draft, and for Minnesota, he settled on Samuel Jr.
Cameron opined, “Add depth at cornerback. The Vikings were active in free agency to replenish their secondary, re-signing Byron Murphy Jr. and bringing in Isaiah Rodgers. Mekhi Blackmon will be tabbed to play an increased role, but the Vikings don’t have much proven depth behind him.”
“Asante Samuel Jr. is just 25 years old and, despite struggles due to injury in 2024, still maintains a solid grading profile in coverage. Across 2022 and 2023, Samuel posted an 82.0 PFF coverage grade at outside cornerback.”
Longstanding Offseason Connection to the Rumor Mill
Cameron’s recommendation assuredly isn’t bold. Samuel Jr. has been a mainstay of the purple rumor mill since March. The folks at SKOR North created the rumor after an anonymous tipper emailed the network, claiming somebody’s neighbor saw Samuel Jr. at a Miami nightclub wearing a Vikings hat.
From that game of telephone, onlookers took the bait, wanting to believe the Samuel Jr. rumors and hoping that SKOR North‘s so-called “reckless speculation” segment could talk it into existence.
But then the draft came and went, and the franchise has not signed Samuel Jr., bringing the rumor mill back to square one.
Asante Samuel Jr.’s Health Concerns
Why hasn’t Samuel Jr. been signed? He hasn’t entered his career’s prime and played rather well, at times, in Los Angeles for the Chargers.
Well, the reasoning is straightforward. Reputable insiders have hinted that Samuel Jr.’s neck and shoulder issue may be dicey long-term. And those theories just have to be true, because otherwise, he’d have a new NFL team by now.
Samuel Jr.’s father, Asante Samuel Sr., played in the pros for 11 seasons and won two Super Bowls with the New England Patriots.
The Vikings’ Cornerbacks As-Is
Minnesota’s need for a cornerback is debatable at the moment. Some trust the current group. Others want a Samuel Jr. type, or perhaps Mike Hilton or Jack Jones from free agency.
Here’s the cornerback room as-is:
- Byron Murphy Jr.
- Isaiah Rodgers
- Mekhi Blackmon
- Jeff Okudah
- Dwight McGlothern
- Tavierre Thomas
- Reddy Steward
- Ambry Thomas
- Kahlef Hailassie
- Keenan Garber
- Zemaiah Vaughn
NFL.com Recommends Samuel Jr. for 49ers
Despite health concerns, NFL pundits aren’t shy about connecting Samuel Jr. to new teams.
NFL.com’s Jeffri Chadiha chose the San Francisco 49ers as a landing spot last week and explained: “San Francisco makes sense for Samuel for two reasons. One is that he’s likely to be available at a very affordable price now that the draft has passed. The other is that the 49ers are thin at cornerback — they lost Charvarius Ward, Rock Ya-Sin and Isaac Yiadom from last year’s team — and play a zone-heavy system that could allow Samuel to flourish.”
“The big knocks on Samuel after his four seasons with the Chargers were his tackling and lack of consistency in press coverage. He also dealt with a lingering neck/shoulder injury that limited him to four games last season (and continued to dog him earlier this offseason). If the 49ers could land Samuel on a one-year, prove-it deal, he might flourish under defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and create a chance for a massive long-term deal.”
It’s also worth noting that Samuel Jr.’s next contract will be affordable and probably a one-year “prove it” deal from some organization.
Chadiha added, “Samuel is only 25 and one of the best remaining free agents on the market. This could be a win-win for both sides.”
Samuel Jr. produced a sweet 73.9 PFF grade the last time he played a full season — 2023.
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