The Asante Samuel Jr. sweepstakes have reached a fever pitch for the Minnesota Vikings ahead of a pivotal rematch with the Chicago Bears this week.
Samuel has visited the Vikings and three other teams, but his potential comeback tour continues with a visit to the Bears on Tuesday, November 11. Samuel also visited the Green Bay Packers last week.
The Packers fell to third in the division standings following a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night. Meanwhile, Chicago is currently tied atop the division with the Detroit Lions.
If Samuel is eyeing one of the three NFC North teams he’s visited, his decision could hinge on the winner between the Vikings and Bears this Sunday — and this isn’t the same Bears team the Vikings dispatched in Chicago Week 1.
The Bears (6-3) have won six of their last seven games and are +14 in turnover ratio, the highest rating in the NFL behind a top-five running attack.
Meanwhile, the Vikings (4-5) offense is facing an identity crisis with questions facing Kevin O’Connell as play caller and J.J. McCarthy under center.
Why Hasn’t Asante Samuel Jr. Signed With a Team Yet?
A former second-round pick, Samuel should have trouble finding a new home in the NFL. A playmaker at his position, Samuel is an aggressive corner who has six interceptions and 37 passes defensed in 47 career starts before suffering a neck injury last season.
Samuel must check the medicals for teams before he even begins discussing team fits.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Samuel’s meetings have been purely medical. The former Los Angeles Chargers cornerback is returning from a “very serious” spinal surgery that had put his playing career in jeopardy — but many coaches revealed they did not even get a chance to speak with Samuel during his visits.
“Asante Samuel Jr, the reason a player like that has a five or six-team tour setup is because medical. He needs to go in and get physicals in different places. Without getting too deep into the weeds on the nature of the injury, it is something very serious and very scary that he is coming back from,” Pelissero said on “The Power Trip” morning show.
“He had a surgery, and this is not an injury that a lot of doctors thought a surgery was going to be able to fully fix. So it’s not just a matter of his doctors clearing him, it’s a team medical staff clearing him. And when you’re talking about a neck issue, a spine issue, those are really sensitive kinds of topics.”
Vikings Signing Samuel Not Off the Table after Jeff Okudah IR Designation
As Samuel’s future in the NFL remains unclear, the Vikings are navigating a depleted cornerback room after former first-round pick Jeff Okudah landed on injured reserve with a concussion.
It’s Okudah’s second time in concussion protocol, and per the league’s injured reserve rules, he is eligible to return by Week 14 at the earliest.
In the meantime, it’s been veteran cornerback Fabian Moreau in Okudah’s stead — albeit in a limited role. Moreau played just 14 snaps when the Vikings needed three corners on the field.
Safeties Harrison Smith and Josh Metellus took snaps in the slot along with Byron Murphy Jr.
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