Do the Steelers have so much depth in the secondary that an asset like Asante Samuel Jr. might become expendable? That’s a point that beat writer Mark Kaboly recently brought up on his Kaboly + Mack podcast. After re-signing this offseason on a one-year, $4 million contract, it’s unclear where Samuel fits in the secondary, beyond depth.
The Steelers had two notable cornerbacks hitting free agency last year. They re-signed Samuel, letting James Pierre leave for more money. But shortly after re-signing Samuel, they signed veteran Jamel Dean to a significant three-year contract. Given that deal, there was no ambiguity about who would start.
And Joey Porter Jr. is the other starter, with Jalen Ramsey also an every-down player. So where, exactly, does that leave Asante Samuel—especially after the Steelers drafted Daylen Everette? While Everette might not be for this season, the secondary still has depth otherwise. That includes Brandin Echols, in his second year with the team and already a favorite of the new defensive coordinator.
“I would think Asante Samuel seems like the odd man out right now, especially with the salary he makes”, Kaboly said on his podcast. For context, he fielded a question about recent hype surrounding Everette, then proceeded to speculate about where secondary pieces might fit.
Asked why the Steelers re-signed Samuel if they weren’t committed to keeping him, Kaboly responded, “Because they didn’t know what they had at the time”. He noted, “You didn’t know you were getting Dean at the time. Dean, Porter, Echols, Ramsey, Everette. Do you want Samuel in there”?
Asante Samuel is a former second-round draft pick and once a regular starter for the Chargers. A career-threatening injury in 2024 necessitated spinal-fusion surgery. He signed with the Steelers’ practice squad in-season, later playing 222 snaps in six games. In all, Samuel recorded 10 tackles with 1 interception and 1 pass defensed. Amid injuries late in the year, he started three games. In returning to the Steelers, he hopes to regain his position as an NFL starter.
But do the Steelers have enough depth in the secondary without Samuel, and how much do they need $4 million? Well, the latter question is moot, because nearly three-quarters of his one-year contract is a signing bonus. Kaboly erroneously asserted that they could save that money when the reality is they could only claw back the $1,215,000 that is his base salary. And at least most of that would be displaced by whoever took over his roster spot, if not all of it.
“They’ll save $4 million or whatever if they cut Asante Samuel. I’m not saying they will; I’m saying that’s an option”, Kaboly said. He added, “I’m not gonna sit here and rip on the guy. I’m just saying he could be expendable because of his salary”.
This is, of course, one of the dangers of thinking aloud in a live setting. Because most of Asante Samuel’s contract is guaranteed, cutting him wouldn’t be much of a salary cap gain, if at all. That doesn’t make it impossible that he doesn’t make the team, and if the Steelers manage to trade him, they could recoup some other resource. I should note that in trades, the acquiring team does not inherit previously accounted guaranteed money.
But such a scenario would probably hinge on near-ideal scenarios transpiring elsewhere in the secondary. You would have Joey Porter Jr., Jamel Dean, Brandin Echols, Daylen Everette, Jalen Ramsey, Jaquan Brisker, DeShon Elliott, and one other safety at a minimum, which would give you eight. It could be rookie Robert Spears-Jennings, Sebastian Castro, or Darnell Savage—possibly all three. Outside of Asante Samuel, there is still Donte Kent, and maybe even D’Shawn Jamison. Still, it’s hard to conceive of a plausible scenario, barring a particularly tempting trade offer, in which Samuel isn’t here.
