{"id":253356,"date":"2025-11-03T19:57:25","date_gmt":"2025-11-04T00:57:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=253356"},"modified":"2025-11-03T19:57:25","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T00:57:25","slug":"breaking-asante-samuel-free-agent-healthy-cleared-to-sign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/11\/03\/breaking-asante-samuel-free-agent-healthy-cleared-to-sign\/","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING: “Fascinating” Free Agent Healthy, Cleared to Sign With Contender"},"content":{"rendered":"

Asante Samuel is easily the best cornerback remaining on the free agent market when healthy, but he hasn’t been healthy in over a year. Selected in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft<\/a>, the Florida State product entered the final year of his rookie contract with the opportunity to earn a big payday under then-first-year head coach Jim Harbaugh. Unfortunately, he suffered a neck injury that limited him to just four games in 2024 and kept him from signing with a team in 2025.<\/p>\n

Fortunately for Asante Samuel, he should be back on the field before long. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport<\/a>, the cornerback was “fully cleared to return” following a successful spinal fusion procedure.<\/p>\n

Top 5 Asante Samuel Free Agent Fits, Ranked<\/h2>\n

Asante Samuel won’t make anyone forget about 2009 Darelle Revis<\/a>, and nobody knows how he’ll look after so much time off the field. However, when healthy and at his best, the former second-round pick is an above-average starter and should draw considerable interest on the free agent market. While any contender could sign him, the following five teams are the best landing spots.<\/p>\n

Main Photo: Jim Dedmon – Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

5. Pittsburgh Steelers<\/h3>\n

While he isn’t playing at his previous MVP level, quarterback Aaron Rodgers<\/a> has given the Pittsburgh Steelers their best offense since the Ben Roethlisberger days. Thanks to his ability to move the ball downfield, the team is 5-3 and boasts a two-game lead in the division. Unfortunately, this improved offense seemingly came at the expense of the defense, as the overall body of work leaves a lot to be desired.<\/p>\n

The secondary isn’t the biggest weakness on the roster, but you can never have too many good cornerbacks, especially when the pass rush isn’t holding up its end of the bargain. Asante Samuel will probably be rusty, and having Jalen Ramsey and Joey Porter on the roster means the former Charger can ease his way back into action and reach full speed for the playoffs.<\/p>\n

\"pittsburgh
Nov 17, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (24) celebrates a missed field goal against the Baltimore Ravens during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

4. Baltimore Ravens<\/h3>\n

The Baltimore Ravens looked like their old selves over the past two weeks, but they have some ground to make up after their 1-5 start to the season. While Lamar Jackson’s health<\/a> will ultimately determine the fate of the organization, it wouldn’t hurt to add a few bodies in the secondary. Considered a position of strength entering the season, Baltimore’s cornerbacks have not played up to their talent.<\/p>\n

While Chidobe Awuzie has been as advertised, Nate Wiggins hasn’t looked like anything special<\/a>, and Marlon Humphrey has struggled throughout the season. Any hope of Jaire Alexander recapturing his old form died when the Ravens traded him to the Philadelphia Eagles, so why not roll the dice on Asante Samuel? At the very least, he should be the third-best cornerback on the roster.<\/p>\n

\"ravens
Sep 28, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco (10) is tackled by Baltimore Ravens cornerback Nate Wiggins (2) during the fourth quarter at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

3. Minnesota Vikings<\/h3>\n

Defensive coordinator Brian Flores<\/a> operates one of the most complex defenses in football, and his scheme alone is enough to slow down subpar quarterbacks. However, Minnesota runs into trouble when high-level passers diagnose the coverage before the snap. Cornerback is arguably the most important position in a Brian Flores defense, and the current crew hasn’t been getting the job done.<\/p>\n

Isaiah Rodgers is a fine starter, but Byron Murphy has been a disaster following his strong 2024. The Vikings offense looked legit with J.J. McCarthy back on the field, and at 4-4, their season is far from over. Assuming Asante Samuel has something left in his tank, he could help this team make the playoffs.<\/p>\n

\"New
Oct 6, 2024; London, United Kingdom; Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores watches from the sidelines against the New York Jets in the second half at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

2. Buffalo Bills<\/h3>\n

The Buffalo Bills defense slowed down Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs last week, but that was primarily due to the pass rush. While Joey Bosa looks like a new man, the same cannot be said of Buffalo’s aging cornerbacks. First-round pick Maxwell Hairston<\/a> looked phenomenal now that he’s healthy, but Taron Johnson, Tre’Davious White, and Christian Benford are all having bad years.<\/p>\n

Benford might turn it around as the season progresses, but the other two are far past their prime. This team needs more secondary help to emerge from a crowded AFC, and Asante Samuel could be the perfect man for the job. He should play in three-CB sets from the get-go and could win a full-time starting job before the end of the season.<\/p>\n

\"Bills
Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White jokes with teammates at the start of practice.
Jg 080621 Bills White 1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

1. San Francisco 49ers<\/h3>\n

The San Francisco 49ers cannot stay healthy and have lost just about every key contributor at some point in the season. The latest blow came in last week’s loss when first-round pick Mykel Williams<\/a> tore his ACL. Williams is a defensive lineman, so this doesn’t directly affect the 49ers secondary, but it could lead to an Asante Samuel signing.<\/p>\n

Even before the injury, San Francisco needed to do something to improve their pass rush. Now that Williams and superstar Nick Bosa<\/a> are down, the 49ers must accept their defensive line will be a weakness. Rather than trying to put a Band-Aid over a gaping wound, they could try to improve the secondary with Asante Samuel. Signing the former Charger means opposing quarterbacks will have to hold on to the ball longer, which gives the 49ers pass rush more time to get home. It’s an unorthodox strategy, but it might be the best move this team can make.<\/p>\n

\"San
Sep 7, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch, right, talks with head coach Kyle Shanahan during pregame warmups against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Free agent cornerback Asante Samuel is officially cleared to play football and could sign with a contender in the coming days.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2376,"featured_media":253362,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6431,10,3,18,26,9,31],"tags":[6557,7642,7638],"class_list":["post-253356","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl-teams","category-ravens","category-bills","category-chargers","category-vikings","category-steelers","category-49ers","tag-asante-samuel","tag-chargers-featured","tag-ravens-featured"],"modified_by":"David Latham, Managing Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253356","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2376"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=253356"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253356\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":253363,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253356\/revisions\/253363"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/253362"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=253356"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=253356"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=253356"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}