Steelers Free Agent Analysis: Asante Samuel Jr.
Position: Cornerback
Experience: 5 Years (1 with Steelers)
Free Agent Status: Unrestricted
2025 Salary Cap Hit: $286,111
2025 Season Breakdown:
If healthy, Asante Samuel Jr. has the potential to be a long-term Steelers option at cornerback. Paired with Joey Porter Jr., they could have a young tandem that would last at least another half a decade. But with Samuel hitting free agency, there are a lot of variables at play, on both sides of the coin.
A starter for the Chargers, Asante Samuel suffered a season-ending neck injury in 2024. He had spinal-fusion surgery in the offseason and doctors only gave him medical clearance late in the process. He only signed with the Steelers in November, spending weeks on the practice squad.
Eventually, Samuel played in six games, starting three, logging 222 snaps on defense. He recorded 10 tackles and 1 interception with 1 pass defensed. At 5-10, 180 pounds, he is undersized for the outside but can hold his own in man coverage. If the Steelers view him as a slot option, however, he can do that, as well.
Last season, the Steelers needed Samuel on the outside amid injuries. James Pierre stepped up on the outside, but then he missed time last in the year. That gave the former second-round pick a chance to get some play on tape.
Free Agency Outlook:
But does Asante Samuel have enough recent tape to attract much interest in the free agency market? He has only played in 10 games over the past two seasons, going back to his injury with the Chargers. Samuel is still young at 26 years of age, and he showed that he hasn’t lost his athletic ability.
Still, he may now have a medical red flag for teams, as spinal-fusion surgery is serious business. And he has played fewer than 500 snaps over the past two years. If teams are looking at Asante Samuel as a starter, they may regret not having more to see. In theory, that should drive his price down, but does the Steelers’ new coaching staff see him any differently? Most of these coaches weren’t year with him last year, so it hardly seems to make a difference.
The Steelers havea long list of free agents this year, but not absolutely can’t-lose names, at least debatably. Aaron Rodgers is the presumptive exception, the team already going on record expressing the desire that he return. While the list includes significant players like Kenneth Gainwell and Isaac Seumalo, they are not overwhelmingly pressing priorities. The quarterback question supersedes all, and I don’t foresee another Mason Rudolph spring. There are some choice role players, but they wouldn’t fall apart if they lost the entire lot.
And with the Steelers introducing almost an entirely new coaching regime, the free agency direction is unclear. No doubt we will witness how things evolve in the time between February and March. It’s possible they make some significant moves, a surprising cut, work on a bold trade. After all, this is a new scheme into which they are now building.
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