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Former Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Asante Samuel Jr., who took a visit with the Green Bay Packers recently, has signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers’ practice squad on Tuesday. Often, a practice squad signing for a veteran player just allows the player to practice with the team for an extra week before he’s eventually called up to their 53-man roster, which is believed to be the case here.
Samuel, who was considered to be one of the better free agents available in the 2025 free agency class from a talent perspective, had his spine fused this offseason. As we reported last week, Samuel set up several visits with teams in an effort to improve his on-field standing leading up to the 2026 free agency period, where he’s hoping to make the majority of his career earnings.
“Based on sources I’ve talked to, here’s the scenario. The Packers wanted to have Samuel on a visit, prior to him being cleared for action, in an effort to recruit him. Samuel’s camp told Green Bay that any visit would have to wait until after the trade deadline, as Samuel is hoping to land with a team where he can start immediately, so that he can build back his on-field reputation in time for the 2026 free agent market. Remember, Samuel is coming off his rookie contract, so his career earnings are $7.2 million at the moment. His next multi-year deal will likely be where he receives the most money in his NFL career, if all goes well in 2025.”
What is interesting is that mid-way through tour around the NFL, Samuel’s visits turned into workouts, which seem semantic but are actually very different. Visits are basically just medical checks and meet-ups with the coaching staff and front office. Workouts mean that the player actually did on-field drills with teams.
Initially, it was reported that the Steelers were going to have Samuel in on Wednesday, but apparently, they got their hands on him quicker than expected. Pittsburgh was the sixth and final visit that was scheduled for Samuel’s tour. Prior to the Steelers, he had been seen by the Carolina Panthers, Packers, Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers. He had a visit set up with the Chicago Bears for today, but it’s unclear whether he made that trip or not based on the timing of this signing.
In either case, Samuel won’t be a Packer. Currently, Green Bay has four healthy cornerbacks on the 53-man roster in Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine, Bo Melton and Kamal Hadden. It’s questionable how much Melton is even practicing on defense right now, considering that he just played 24 snaps of offense for the Packers in Week 10. Neither Melton nor Hadden has ever played a regular-season snap on defense in the NFL.
