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Vikings News: Asante Samuel Jr Visit is Not What You Think…
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- Vikings News: Asante Samuel Jr Visit is Not What You Think…
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When general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah stood pat at the NFL Trade Deadline on Tuesday, Minnesota Vikings fans were understandably disappointed.
But that frustration turned to hope on Wednesday, when it was reported that free agent cornerback Asante Samuel Jr . is scheduled to visit the Vikings in Eagan on Friday.
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His stop at TCO Performance Center tomorrow is slotted between five other visits lined up around the league (Carolina, Pittsburgh , Green Bay , San Francisco and Chicago ) over the coming days.
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Samuel Jr., a 26-year-old former 2nd round pick , was cleared medically by independent doctors earlier this week to play football again, following a neck/spine injury that cost him most of 2024 and resulted in a rather controversial spinal fusion procedure over the offseason.
It'll be a busy couple weeks for Asante Samuel Jr. He's visiting the #Panthers today. After that, it's: #Packers (Thursday), #Vikings (Friday), #49ers (Monday), #Bears (Tuesday) and #Steelers (Wednesday). A thorough, methodical process. https://t.co/RZCbaBKHUd
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 5, 2025
Prior to his health scare/injury, Asante Samuel Jr. was one of the top young cornerbacks in the NFL, piling up 6 interceptions and 37 passes defended during his four-year care
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So when news of Samuel Jr's visits first broke, there was a sense of optimism around Vikings Territory. Why not? If healthy, the Florida State alum would essentially fix just about every defensive issue they currently have. Of course, the injury caveat there is very important.
Asante Samuel Jr. visit is for medical, not contract purposes
And on Thursday morning, we found out just how crucial it is to the Samuel Jr conversation. While on with the Power Trip Morning Show on KFAN Radio this morning, Tom Pelissero (NFL Network) reported that Asante Samuel Jr.'s visits are not what we originally thought they were.
According to the top league insider and Edina native , all of Samuel Jr's visits are for medical purposes only. He is working out for team doctors and trainers, who will then decide if he is indeed healthy enough to warrant a possible signing.
"Asante Samuel Jr, the reason a player like that has a five or six team tour setup is 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.
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."
Last week in Detroit , the Minnesota Vikings' got interior pressure on QB Jared Goff that we had not yet seen during the Kevin O'Connell era.
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It was that incessant pass rush vs the Lions which allowed a previously underwhelming Vikings secondary cover long enough for DT Javon Hargrave and the boys get home for five total sacks and 11 QB hits.
Minnesota Vikings coaches, execs won't meet with Samuel Jr
But going forward, the Minnesota Vikings' defensive backs will continue to be a problem, if they can't find more help. If you are hoping that help will come in the form of Asante Samuel Jr., however, then you are banking an a process that still has a long way to go, even after this first round of medical visits.
According to Pelissero's interview on KFAN , this six team medical tour will not include any meetings with head coaches or high-ranking executives. Again, teams just want to figure out if he is healthy enough to play football, before they even think about what it will take to sign him.
"[Asante Samuel Jr.] probably would have been probably the corner to get paid, along with the guys like Carlton Davis in this past free agency class, if he were healthy. The fact that it's November and we're talking about him taking a medical tour just shows you how significant this is.
It doesn't mean the Vikings or someone else won't sign him. I would just say that this isn't him coming in and meeting the coaching staff and deciding where to go. This is these teams wanting to put him through a battery of tests and make their own determinations.
There's 32 team doctors with 32 degrees of risk tolerance. Everybody is going to make their own judgement on this because it is something pretty significant."
Minnesota Vikings could use Asante Samuel Jr this weekend
The Minnesota Vikings are preparing to suit up for a week 10 – NFC vs AFC battle on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium against the Baltimore Ravens and arguably the best quarterback in the NFL, Lamar Jackson , who returned from injury last week to throw for 204 yards and 4 touchdowns in an easy 28-6 win over the dysfunctional Dolphins.
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Jackson was forced to sit out for three games, due to the hamstring injury he suffered week 4 against the Kansas City Chiefs . In the five games he has started, the 28-year-old 2X NFL MVP has completed 72.9% of his passes for 1,073 yards, 14 touchdowns and just 1 interception. Oh, and he has rushed for 180 yards and 1 TD too.
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And on Sunday, Jackson will matchup against a MN Vikings defense that played its best game of the season last week in Detroit, a 27-23 upset victory against the division rival Lion, a high-powered offense that Brian Flores & Co. held to they held to just 116 yards passing, the Lions' lowest air total on the season.
If they can maintain that going forward, there would be no need to sign an Asante Samuel Jr. But no matter what the Vikings tell us, they need help in the secondary and they know it. Unfortunately, we will have to wait patiently to find out if Samuel can help fix it. Then, we'll talk about whether or not he actually will.
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