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Vikings Free Agent Target Signs Elsewhere
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- Vikings Free Agent Target Signs Elsewhere
Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
The Minnesota Vikings are now 4-5 and on the verge of their season falling apart. If they cannot get a win this weekend, at home, against the division rival Chicago Bears , making the playoffs would require nothing short of seven-straight victories to finish the season.
On defense, with the line playing better of late and the linebacker group now healthy, Brian Flores' main areas of concern surround the secondary, where they were short on experienced talent coming into the season, and now Jeff Okudah is going on his third-straight week recovering from the second concussion of 2025.
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But recently, a glimmer of possible hope touched down at MSP Airport, in the form of cornerback Asante Samuel Jr . Minnesota was one of a handful of teams that got a chance to work Samuel Jr out to see if he is medically ready to get back on the field, after missing over a year out with a scary spine/neck injury.
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Asante Samuel Jr gives Vikings the cold shoulder
Prior to his season ending four games into 2024 , Asante Samuel Jr. was one of the top up-and-coming cornerbacks in the NFL. The timing was unfortunate too, being 2024 was the final year on his rookie-scale contract. Now, Asante has to prove with another team that he can still be that guy.
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Unfortunately, that will not happen in a Minnesota Vikings uniform. This afternoon, news broke that the 26-year-old defensive back is signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers , as a member of their practice squad.
Free-agent cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. is signing with the Steelers practice squad, per source.
A top-25 free agent in March, Samuel recovered from spinal-fusion surgery in time to sign for the season's second half. Now, he gets a new start with Pittsburgh. pic.twitter.com/pK5QfhfEy0— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) November 11, 2025
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Asante Samuel Jr lands in Pittsburgh with four seasons and 50 NFL games under his belt (47 starts). He's totalled 6 interceptions and 37 passes defended in those appearances, to go along with 176 total tackles.
It's not like there was a bidding war for Samuel's services, being he is signing with the Steelers practice squad. Obviously, this was a decision based on fit.
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Whether or not the former Florida State Seminole is capable of making a major impact, at this point in his recovery from spine surgery has yet to be seen. In other words, the jury is still out on whether or not this was a missed opportunity for Minnesota.
Minnesota Vikings' issues are on offense anyway…
While there are definitely warts that could use fixing on the defensive side of the football, it's far the Vikings' biggest problem. From what we have seen throughout the first nine games, those issues reside on offense.
Whether the quarterback has been JJ McCarthy or Carson Wentz , the results have oftentimes been the same. Minnesota remains bottom of the league in just about every important offensive category.
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And at the end of the day, those questions need answered much more quickly than anything on defense, where the Minnesota Vikings have been much better than the offense.
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