As the NFL calendar flips to July, most of the league’s high-profile free agent moves are over. That applies to the New York Jets as much as any club, although training camp typically sees a few veterans find homes for the ensuing season.
One remaining free agent, in particular, could pique the interest of those in New Jersey. Cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. remains on the open market following the completion of his rookie deal. In fact, the former Los Angeles Chargers standout was dubbed a “bargain-bin” target in an article by Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report.
Samuel is a projected bargain for a reason, though.
“A previous neck injury and subsequent surgery will scare off plenty of suitors, particularly for a cornerback with a slender frame,” Sobleski wrote on July 2. “Still, Samuel has every intention of playing this season, according to [ESPN’s Jeremy] Fowler.”
Asante Samuel’s Injury Situation Must Get Sorted Out Before Signing
As Sobleski mentioned, Samuel is recovering from neck surgery. The No. 47 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft played in just four games for Los Angeles a season ago – Weeks 1-4 of the regular season – before missing the remainder of the 2024-25 campaign. That timeline, paired with a procedure deep into the offseason, isn’t perfect. A May 12 post from Fowler on X provided some additional context.
Asante Samuel Jr., one of the top free agent corners in this year’s class, is waiting to sign with a new team after undergoing neck surgery in April, per sources.
Samuel, who visited the Saints today, has a check-up in early July, after which he will reconvene with several
“Samuel, who visited the Saints today, has a check-up in early July, after which he will reconvene with several interested teams,” Fowler said. “Samuel plans to return to the field for the 2025 season.”
If everything falls into place as planned, Samuel’s aforementioned check-up should be on the horizon. In turn, cornerback-needy teams could then shift their focus back to him. At that point, it’s reasonable to expect that additional information about his rehab progress and outlook for both the preseason and regular season will be made available.
Should Jets Kick the Tires & Add Samuel to CB Room?
As things currently stand, the Jets’ cornerback room is a double-edged sword. At the top, Sauce Gardner is one of football’s premier cover corners. He’s due for a hefty payday at some point as a franchise cornerstone. With D.J. Reed no longer on the team, however, there’s a lot being asked of players like veteran Brandon Stephens, former Canadian Football League star Qwan’tez Stiggers or even rookie third-round pick Azareye’h Thomas.
Having a more established presence in the secondary wouldn’t be the worst thing. Is Samuel that player? Given the brief nature of his fourth season, taking a look at his 2023-24 production may be wiser.
There’s a case to be made that Samuel’s junior season in the NFL was his most effective. He posted career-best marks in passer rating surrendered (87.4), passes broken up (13) and tackles (63) while playing in all 17 games. Advanced metrics also back up the sentiment, as Pro Football Focus awarded Samuel a career-high 73.9 overall defense grade and a healthy 75.6 mark in coverage. Missed tackles were an issue, but the Florida State product was an above-average player pretty easily.
Assuming his medicals come back clean in due time – which is no guarantee – Samuel does make some sense for New York. As someone with ample boundary experience (2,853 career outside snaps compared to just 40 in the slot, per PFF), he’d pair nicely with Gardner. He’s still just 25 years old, too, adding intrigue to the picture.
A team could do worse than a one-year, “prove-it” contract for a young, fun secondary weapon. Samuel’s name is one to monitor for the Jets if they get linked to him.
