One of the most talked-about rumors during the 2025 offseason for the Minnesota Vikings involved the team potentially adding free agent Asante Samuel Jr. to their cornerback room.
To the surprise of some, a deal was never made between the Vikings and Samuel, but now, some new information has the potential to result in the free-agent corner actually landing with Minnesota.
On Monday, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler shared that Samuel has reportedly been cleared to return to the field after recovering from a spine injury, and he's already been in talks with multiple teams. Could the Vikings be one of those teams?
Signing Asante Samuel Jr. is a better option for the Minnesota Vikings than trading for a CB
Minnesota's cornerback group was a big question mark heading into the 2025 season, and through eight games, it's proven to be one of the weaker positional groups on the team's entire roster.
Byron Murphy Jr. and Isaiah Rodgers are at the top of the Vikings' corner depth chart, and both have been solid (not amazing) this year. But after these two, things really begin to get murky for Minnesota's current group of cornerbacks.
The Vikings were hoping Jeff Okudah could do what he didn't do at any of his previous three stops and actually live up to the expectations that came with being the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. But that hasn't even come close to happening, and it's resulted in Minnesota having to rely on guys like Fabian Moreau (currently on the practice squad) and Dwight McGlothern (undrafted rookie in 2024).
Selected by the Los Angeles Chargers in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, Samuel would at least provide the Vikings with some upside to go along with his starting experience.
He missed 13 games last season, but in 2023, he started in 16 matchups for the Chargers and finished with the 23rd-best PFF pass coverage grade in the NFL among 128 qualifying cornerbacks.
Samuel is still only 26-years-old and with there still being some uncertainty with his health, he's probably not going to cost much to sign.
Instead of giving up some future draft assets to acquire a corner from another team before Tuesday's trade deadline, signing Samuel is something that would be a much better path for Minnesota to take.