Asante Samuel Jr.

Dolphins Interested In CB Asante Samuel Jr.; Rasul Douglas, James Bradberry On Radar

May 20th, 2025 at 1:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jalen Ramsey is still a member of the Dolphins, but a trade remains the expectation in that case. Moving on from the All-Pro will create a notable cornerback vacancy, and to no surprise a few free agent options are on the team’s radar.

The Dolphins have made contact with Asante Samuel Jr., Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports. He adds no formal visit is on the books at this point with no offer being made yet. Samuel is recovering from neck surgery, but the Dolphins are among the teams which will watch his situation closely over the coming weeks.

As Jackson confirms, Samuel is scheduled for a checkup in early July. Provided that goes well, the 25-year-old will likely not need to wait long to land a deal. He visited the Saints last week, and a Cardinals meeting also took place prior to the surgery. If a bidding war is to ensue, Miami will likely be involved (especially if Ramsey is on another team by that point).

Samuel is one of two corners to land among PFR’s top 50 free agents who remain unsigned. Rasul Douglas joins him, and the Dolphins had placed themselves in that market as well. Miami met with Douglas as well, extending an offer. No deal emerged, and Douglas then visited the Seahawks. The Dolphins, however, remain in touch with Douglas, Jackson adds.

James Bradberry also came up as a potential solution earlier this offseason, with Jackson indicating the Dolphins engaged in dialogue with the free agent. Bradberry will be unlikely to convince a team to spend much, as he is north of 30 (32 in August) and coming off a missed season. Prior to Bradberry’s summer Achilles tear, he had attempted to convert to safety. Eyeing a return to corner, Bradberry will attempt to recapture the form he displayed with the 2022 Eagles, as it catapulted him to a three-year, $38MM Philly deal in March 2023. The Bills also spoke with Bradberry, whom the Eagles designated a post-June 1 cut, this offseason.

These connections point both to a Ramsey separation coming to fruition — presumably after June 1 due to the extension the nine-year veteran signed last September — and the Dolphins being ready to supplement his unproven supporting cast. Miami has not seen much to indicate its second-round Cam Smith selection will pan out (153 career snaps), and the team did not draft a corner until Round 5 (Jason Marshall) this year. Former UDFAs Kader Kohou and Storm Duck remain in the mix. The Dolphins also signed former first-rounder Artie Burns as a depth piece, but if Ramsey is out of the picture, this looks like one of the more vulnerable position groups in the NFL.

Bradberry has made 124 starts during a nine-year career. Samuel has made 47, and while his injury-plagued 2024 has impacted his market, the second-generation NFL corner joins Douglas among the top free agents left. Douglas, 29, has made 80 career starts. Twenty-three of those came with the Bills since a 2023 deadline trade sent him to Buffalo, where the ex-Philadelphia draftee complemented Christian Benford for a Bills team that has continued to see its top corner unavailable in its biggest games. The Bills extended Benford, however, and used a first-round pick on Kentucky’s Maxwell Hairston to signal Douglas will need to find a new home.

The Dolphins released Kendall Fuller, but the CB market also houses Shaquill Griffin, Jack Jones, Cameron Sutton and Michael Davis as potential boundary options. Stephon Gilmore remains available as well, but the former Defensive Player of the Year is entering what would be his age-35 season. It is fairly clear Miami will make a move here, and it appears likely to happen before training camp.

Adam La Rose contributed to this post.

Asante Samuel Jr. Underwent Neck Surgery In April, Visited Saints

May 12th, 2025 at 10:06pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Free agent cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. underwent neck surgery in April after missing most of the 2024 season due to injury, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. He is planning to play this season, but is waiting until an early July check-up to sign with a new team.

Samuel started just four games for the Chargers last year before landing on injured reserve in October. At the end of the season, he said he was dealing with “stinger symptoms” in both shoulders as part of a lifelong health condition. It’s unclear if his neck surgery was related to that ailment. He played in 12 games as a rookie in 2021 and appeared in all 34 of the Chargers’ regular-season games in 2022 and 2023.

If Samuel’s health checks out, he should have multiple suitors as teams put together their training camp rosters. The Saints will likely be one of them; Samuel visited New Orleans on Monday, per Fowler. (He also visited the Cardinals in March, though that was before his surgery.)

New Orleans makes sense as a destination after parting ways with their two most experienced cornerbacks in the last year. 2024 starters Kool-Aid McKinstry and Alontae Taylor are set to reprise their roles this season, but Samuel would be an upgrade over re-signed slot corner Ugo Amadi. Samuel could take over at nickel or play on the boundary with Taylor in the slot.

Samuel is also familiar with the Saints’ new coaching staff. He played under defensive coordinator Brandon Staley when he was the Chargers’ head coach from 2021 to 2023. Samuel also knows Saints head coach Kellen Moore from his season as the Chargers’ offensive coordinator in 2023.

Cardinals Meet With Asante Samuel Jr.

March 13th, 2025 at 5:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

One of the top defenders still available, Asante Samuel Jr. will take the visit route to enhance his market. The four-year Chargers regular met with the Cardinals on Thursday, ESPN.com’s Field Yates reports.

Samuel is coming off a season in which a stinger-like injury limited him to four games. But the second-generation NFL corner is going into an age-26 season and worked as a primary Chargers starter during his rookie contract. The Bolts have signed Donte Jackson and Benjamin St-Juste this week, signaling Samuel might need to find a second contract elsewhere.

Operating primarily as a boundary corner, Samuel delivered a splashy wild-card performance by intercepting Trevor Lawrence three times as the Chargers built a 27-point lead. While that margin famously unraveled, Samuel maintained a regular Chargers role until going down last season. Samuel helped save the Chargers – to a degree, as their HC and GM were still fired – after their major J.C. Jackson miscalculation in 2023 and was a 2024 starter early in Jesse Minter‘s first DC season.

After winning the slot job during the Bolts’ 2023 training camp, Samuel shifted back outside – where he played almost exclusively from 2021-22 – after the team ended the Jackson experiment. Pro Football Focus graded the 5-10 cover man as a top-30 corner in 2022 and ’23, though he gave up seven touchdowns as the closest defender during the ’22 season. Also showing some ball-hawking ability, Samuel intercepted six passes from 2021-23 (nine if the Lawrence thefts are included) and posted 35 passes defensed in that span.

While we ranked Samuel 32nd among free agents this year, the cornerback rush did not include he or Rasul Douglas (No. 42). The more experienced batch of CBs — D.J. Reed, Byron Murphy, Carlton Davis, Charvarius Ward — each scored deals averaging at least $16MM per year, while Paulson Adebo and Nate Hobbs did well on the market. Samuel needing to take a visit does not signal he generated immense interest at free agency’s outset.

Letting Murphy and Patrick Peterson walk in free agency earlier this decade, the Cardinals are still in search of cornerstones here. They saw promise from slot defender Garrett Williams last season and used a second-round pick on Max Melton as well. Weeks prior to that, Arizona signed Sean Murphy-Bunting. Starling Thomas maintained a regular role for Arizona last season as well. While the Cardinals have more options than usual at this point, the Samuel visit confirms the team is still on the hunt for starter-level help at the position.

AFC West Notes: Raiders, Bolts, Broncos, Nix

February 4th, 2025 at 6:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

The brain drain in Denver continues. Losing high-ranking exec Darren Mougey to the Jets, the Broncos have also seen two Sean Payton staffers (John Morton, Declan Doyle) become OCs elsewhere — Detroit, Chicago. They will now see one of their front office staffers join a division rival. The Raiders hired Mark Thewes as their senior VP of football operations Tuesday. Thewes, 48, will reunite with John Spytek, his coworker in Denver during part of the 2010s. Coming to the Broncos back when Josh McDaniels was hired as HC, Thewes lasted through several regimes, joining Mougey in that regard. Despite McDaniels’ quick dismissal, the Broncos retained his former high school teammate. McDaniels’ quick Las Vegas ouster notwithstanding, he will join Spytek, Tom Brady and Pete Carroll among the Raiders’ bigwigs.

Thewes follows David Shaw out of Denver’s front office; Shaw is returning to coaching, being set to join Morton in Detroit. Here is the latest from the AFC West:

The Raiders are retaining DC Patrick Graham and D-line coach Rob Leonard, but offensive staffers are departing. Running backs coach Cadillac Williams, wide receivers coach Edgar Bennett and assistant QBs coach Fred Walker are out, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets. Additionally, linebackers coach Mike Caldwell and cornerbacks coach Ricky Manning Jr. will not be back. This comes a year after the Jaguars fired Caldwell as DC. Williams joined the Raiders’ staff last year, while Bennett’s tenure stretched back to Jon Gruden‘s 2018 return. Formerly the Packers’ OC, the ex-NFL running back coached Raiders receivers under Gruden, McDaniels and Antonio Pierce. He has been an NFL staffer since 2005. Caldwell was part of the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl-winning staff, overlapping with Brady and Spytek, making it a bit more interesting he will not be asked back.
Las Vegas had a name in mind to replace Bennett, but a division rival will not allow it. The Chargers blocked a Raiders request to meet with Sanjay Lal, Fowler adds. Jim Harbaugh hired Lal as his WRs coach last year, and the team is intent on keeping the veteran position coach. Lal was on Carroll’s staff as an offensive assistant in 2020; because he is still under contract with the Bolts, they can block any lateral move.
Elsewhere on the Chargers’ staff, they will lose safeties coach Chris O’Leary to the college ranks. Western Michigan is hiring O’Leary as its DC, ESPN.com’s Pete Thamel reports. O’Leary had been safeties coach at Notre Dame from 2021-23.
Bo Nix passed on a Pro Bowl Games invite, as an alternate, due to a cleanup procedure, 9News’ Mike Klis notes. It is not known what issue this operation will address, but it does not appear Nix is in much danger of missing the Broncos‘ offseason program. Nix played through a transverse process fracture in his back during the season. Any type of back surgery would certainly be notable for the impressive rookie QB, so it will be interesting to learn what exactly will be addressed via this cleanup.
Asante Samuel Jr. missed 13 games this season, slowing his momentum in a contract year. Samuel said he dealt with “stinger symptoms,” via The Athletic’s Daniel Popper (subscription required). The second-generation NFL corner said he has dealt with these symptoms throughout his career, and a flareup occurred during a practice before Week 1. Another issue cropped up before Week 6, leading to the shutdown. Samuel said he should be fine for offseason work, though it is not certain where that work will be. Playing outside and in the slot for Los Angeles, Samuel said he wants to re-sign. The 47-game Chargers starter joins Kristian Fulton in being a free agent-to-be at CB from this secondary.

Chargers Place RB Gus Edwards, CB Asante Samuel Jr. On IR, Activate LB Nick Niemann

October 12th, 2024 at 7:52pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Chargers made a number of IR-related moves ahead of their Week 6 contest. The team placed running back Gus Edwards and cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. on injured reserve while activating linebacker Nick Niemann.

As a result, both Edwards and Samuel will be shut down for at least four games. The former has been dealing with an ankle injury which kept him out of practice coming out of Los Angeles’ bye week. His absence will leave a vacancy in the Bolts’ backfield, one which has a Ravens background given the presence of J.K. Dobbins along with offensive coordinator Greg Roman.

Roman – not to mention head coach Jim Harbaugh – has a reputation for leaning heavily on the ground game, so expectations pointed to a heavy workload for Edwards when he signed in free agency this spring. The former UDFA spent each of his first six years in the league with Baltimore, proving to be effective when healthy. Edwards missed the 2021 campaign due to an ACL tear, but upon return he remained efficient the following year. Last season, the 29-year-old set career highs in rushing yards (810) and touchdowns (13). His absence will lead to a larger workload for Dobbins moving forward.

Samuel is dealing with a shoulder injury. He managed to practice on two occasions this week, but that was not the case yesterday and this IR stint will give him a long runway to recover in full. The former second-rounder has been a full-time starter throughout his career, which began in 2021. Samuel was limited to 12 games as a rookie, but he played a full season each of the following two years. Missed time as a pending free agent is of course an unwanted circumstance for team and player.

The Florida State product won out a training camp competition for the slot corner job last year, but he wound up primarily playing on the outside. That has been the case throughout Samuel’s tenure, and in both the 2022 and ’23 campaigns he earned a top-30 PFF grade amongst qualifying corners. His performance this year has not been viewed as highly, but overall the Chargers rank ninth against the pass. Remaining strong in that category will require compensating for Samuel’s absence.

Niemann, like many other players around the league, was designated for return from IR ahead of the cutdown deadline in August. That allowed the Chargers to avoid naming him to their initial 53-man roster, though it did use one of the team’s eight IR activations. After missing the requisite four games, Niemann – a key special teams presence in his first three Los Angeles campaigns – will be able to make his season debut tomorrow.

Chargers Make J.C. Jackson Healthy Scratch

September 24th, 2023 at 10:48am CST by Sam Robinson

J.C. Jackson represented a central part of Brandon Staley‘s 2022 defensive overhaul, coming over from New England as one of last year’s top free agents. The ex-Patriots standout, however, has not displayed the same form with the Chargers.

Returning from a ruptured patellar tendon, Jackson has not enjoyed a full-time role to start his second Bolts season. The team has now taken the surprising step to make Jackson a healthy scratch for Week 3. The former UDFA signed a five-year, $82.5MM deal with the Chargers. That contract included $40MM fully guaranteed.

The sixth-year corner has lined up on 64% of the Chargers’ defensive plays in two games. Pro-Football-Reference’s coverage metrics, albeit in a small sample size, chart Jackson as performing better than he did in his first Bolts season. Jackson has allowed just a 46.2% completion rate as the closest defender and a 72.0 passer rating. Those numbers are well down from a disappointing 2022, when Jackson yielded a 66.7% completion rate and a ghastly 149.3 passer rating. Pro Football Focus, however, ranks Jackson 85th among cornerbacks to start this season.

While Jackson did make his return from knee surgery and was not on Los Angeles’ injury report this week, Staley said recently (via The Athletic’s Daniel Popper) the well-paid corner is still ramping up to full usage. While a deactivation without an injury designation is certainly notable, it will be interesting to hear if Staley views this as a long-term move or if it relates to his recovery. The Bolts deactivating their highest-paid corner in what looms as a potential must-win game — after an 0-2 start and as the team prepares to face arguably the game’s top wideout (Justin Jefferson) — points to issues with Jackson’s performance.

The Chargers have Michael Davis and Asante Samuel Jr. as their other top cornerback investments. Samuel, a 2021 second-round pick, has played both inside and outside for the Bolts. He won the competition to be the team’s slot cornerback in training camp, but Staley has confirmed Ja’Sir Taylor — said competition’s initial loser — will be playing there for the foreseeable future. On the outside, Staley said Davis, Samuel and Jackson will compete for playing time. With Jackson out, however, Davis and Samuel should be expected to be the Chargers’ outside CBs today.

L.A.’s secondary has struggled this season, allowing Tua Tagovailoa to go off for 466 yards in Week 1 and Ryan Tannehill to deliver a bounce-back effort — complete with 70- and 49-yard completions — in Week 2. The temperature on Staley’s seat will increase with a loss in Minnesota, and the third-year HC is shaking up his CB corps. Deane Leonard, a 2022 seventh-round pick, is the only other corner on the Bolts’ active roster.

AFC West Notes: Broncos, Raiders, Samuel

August 16th, 2023 at 11:19am CST by Sam Robinson

Although their interest in Dalvin Cook appeared to cool early in the long-running sweepstakes, the Broncos did keep tabs on the high-profile free agent. The team continued to look into Cook, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com said during a Rich Eisen Show appearance (video link). Cook has since signed a one-year, $7MM Jets deal. While Pelissero adds the Broncos may look to add another back to a group headlined by Javonte Williams and Samaje Perine, the team is sorting through some options behind the veterans. Second-year back Tyler Badie, rookie UDFA Jaleel McLaughlin and ex-Sean Payton Saints charge Tony Jones Jr. are vying for Denver’s RB3 job presently.

Here is the latest from the AFC West:

The Raiders took a few fliers at cornerback in free agency, signing Duke Shelley and David Long and reuniting with Brandon Facyson. None of the trio looks likely to start. Instead, fourth-round pick Jakorian Bennett looks to have leapfrogged them. Shelley and Long have fallen out of the mix to start, per The Athletic’s Vic Tafur and Tashaun Reed, who project Bennett to start alongside Marcus Peters and Nate Hobbs (subscription required). Both Long and Facyson have missed time due to injury in camp. The Raiders chose Bennett 104th overall, which would make a Week 1 starting assignment notable. But the Silver and Black, who let Rock Ya-Sin walk (to replace Peters in Baltimore), came into the offseason with major questions at corner.
Despite a three-interception wild-card performance, third-year Chargers corner Asante Samuel Jr. faced the prospect of being a backup to start this season. Ja’Sir Taylor, a sixth-round 2022 draftee, has competed with the multiyear starter for the slot job. But Samuel looks to have surged ahead, per The Athletic’s Daniel Popper. If J.C. Jackson completes his recovery from a torn patellar tendon in time, the Chargers are preparing to roll out a Jackson-Samuel-Michael Davis cornerback look. If Jackson needs more time, the Bolts would likely go with a Davis-Samuel-Taylor trio.
The Bolts are fairly set at receiver, with Quentin Johnston and Derius Davis‘ Fort Worth-to-Los Angeles treks giving the team five locks at the position. In addition to the TCU alums, Josh Palmer has made strides in his third training camp. This looked to put Jalen Guyton and John Hightower to a battle for the final spot, Popper adds. But both players are dealing with injuries. After a strong start to camp, Hightower — a 2020 Eagles draftee who has not caught a pass since his rookie year — suffered an injury and has not practiced in a week. Guyton, who suffered an ACL tear in Week 3 of last season, remains on the Bolts’ active/PUP list. Stashing the deep threat on the reserve/PUP list to start the season is looking likely, per Popper.
K’Waun Williams is expected to be the Broncos‘ slot corner for a second season, but an ankle injury has sidelined him for over a week. The veteran slot defender sought a second opinion on the injury recently, per 9News’ Mike Klis, who notes surgery is not on the docket at this point. A rest-and-rehab operation will be utilized to have Williams ready for Week 1, though this becomes a situation to monitor for a Broncos team that remains without third-round corner Riley Moss. Essang Bassey filled in for Williams as the top nickel in Denver’s preseason opener.
Davis Webb resides in the strange position of being a 28-year-old quarterbacks coach tasked with helping a decorated 34-year-old passer bounce back. But Russell Wilson‘s position coach has been on the coaching radar for a bit now, despite only retiring this year. After the Bills wanted him to be their QBs coach last year, Sean McDermott, Brian Daboll and Eli Manning endorsed Webb to Payton, Jori Epstein of Yahoo.com notes. Webb “blew away” Broncos brass in his interview, per GM George Paton. His final season — as a Giants third-stringer — involved scouting and coaching, Epstein adds, making this an easier transition than it would appear.

DB Rumors: Elam, Panthers, Bolts, Bucs

August 2nd, 2023 at 10:28am CST by Sam Robinson

The Bills have hoped to plug Kaiir Elam into their starting lineup opposite Tre’Davious White, but the 2022 first-rounder remains in a position battle. Elam is battling 2022 sixth-rounder Christian Benford and veteran Dane Jackson for the boundary job opposite White, Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic notes (subscription required). Elam played 477 defensive snaps as a rookie, but even as White did not debut until Thanksgiving, the younger Buffalo Round 1 corner only started six games. Benford started five of the nine he played, while Jackson led Bills corners with 14 first-string appearances in 2022. The Bills would clearly prefer Elam seize the role, but for now, the Washington product has not distinguished himself as a surefire starter.

Here is the latest from NFL secondaries:

Asante Samuel Jr. resides in a similar boat, needing to fend off a lower-profile challenger. Thus far, it appears Samuel has fallen behind Ja’Sir Taylor for the Chargers‘ slot cornerback role. As it appeared in June, Taylor looks to be the favorite to open the season as the Bolts’ slot player, Daniel Popper of The Athletic notes. Samuel’s shaky run defense has concerned the Bolts, per Popper, with Taylor — a 2022 sixth-round pick — seeing time ahead of the second-generation pro as an outside corner last year due to tackling ability. With primary 2022 slot defender Bryce Callahan unsigned, Taylor and Samuel are battling for the position. Despite Samuel’s experience (27 starts) and draft pedigree (Round 2), he may well open the season as the top backup behind a Taylor-J.C. Jackson–Michael Davis trio. Having Samuel as a depth piece would certainly benefit the Chargers, with Jackson attempting to come back from a ruptured patellar tendon.
The Panthers have played without first-round pick Jaycee Horn for extended stretches, and the 2021 top-10 pick spent time rehabbing another injury this offseason. Horn did not say how he injured his foot this spring, but he is 100% early in Panthers camp. Ditto Donte Jackson, who missed eight games last season due to an Achilles tear. Both starting corners have received full clearance, GM Scott Fitterer said recently.
Although the Buccaneers have re-signed Carlton Davis and Jamel Dean in free agency over the past two years, they let Sean Murphy-Bunting leave in March. Murphy-Bunting, who had spent time in the slot in Tampa Bay, left for Tennessee. The Bucs are holding an expansive slot competition in training camp. Zyon McCollum, Dee Delaney, Josh Hayes, Christian Izien and Anthony Chesley are all vying for the gig, Todd Bowles said (via Buccaneers.com’s Brianna Dix and Scott Smith). Delaney and Chesley have both bounced around the league, while Hayes and Izien are rookies. Some of these players will not end up on the Bucs’ 53-man roster, but it is interesting to see a five-man competition for this role. A 2022 fifth-round pick who played 277 defensive snaps last year, McCollum may have the lead here. Bowles expects the second-year cover man to play a big role in the nickel spot, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets.

Latest On Chargers’ CB Room

June 27th, 2023 at 5:23pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Chargers’ secondary was a relatively strong unit in 2022, but it faces questions heading into training camp. The starting configuration at the cornerback spot in particular is yet to be determined.

Ja’Sir Taylor lined up in the slot during OTAs and minicamp, as detailed by Daniel Popper of The Athletic (subscription required). That position could remain his into the start of the regular season, but the team’s situation on the boundary will change when veteran J.C. Jackson makes his return to the field. That is expected to take place in time for training camp, which could leave Taylor competing for a first-team role.

Jackson and former UDFA Michael Davis would likely operate on the perimeter, Popper writes, which would leave 2021 second-rounder Asante Samuel Jr. eyeing the starting slot spot. The latter has started all but two of his 30 regular and postseason appearances to date, recording a pair of interceptions and 11 pass breakups in each of his first two campaigns. Issues in run defense could open the door to Taylor eating into Samuel’s playing time, however.

A sixth-round selection last year, Taylor was used primarily on special teams as a rookie. His strength against the run compared to Samuel could earn him a sizable jump in playing time, though. While DBs’ performance against aerial attacks obviously plays a bigger role in how teams divvy out playing time, it would certainly be interesting if the Chargers went with Taylor and kept Samuel as a top backup.

Jackson’s patellar tendon rupture cleared out one of the two boundary roles for Samuel last season, and Pro Football Focus viewed the Florida State alum as making progress in Year 2. Samuel, however, also has slot experience. PFF graded Samuel as a top-25 cornerback last season. The advanced metrics site ranked Samuel as a top-15 cover corner, masking the run-defense issue to some degree. Samuel accomplished this while playing 1,045 defensive snaps. Davis graded as PFF’s No. 19 overall corner, putting Brandon Staley‘s unit in a good place — so long as Jackson can bounce back from a rough 2022 on the performance and injury front.

Even though the Bolts have not re-signed veteran Bryce Callahan — their primary slot defender last season — Staley figures to have options. Callahan, 32, remains a free agent. Should Jackson be ready for Week 1 as he expects, L.A. will boast one of the league’s more interesting cornerback groups. Samuel’s role, in particular, will be worth monitoring.

AFC West Notes: Mahomes, Bolts, Broncos

August 20th, 2022 at 4:39pm CST by Sam Robinson

Given a deal that was $10MM north of the previous NFL AAV record two summers ago, Patrick Mahomes has seen his $45MM-per-year pact fall to fourth. This offseason saw Aaron Rodgers surpass $50MM per year and Deshaun Watson‘s fully guaranteed $46MM-per-year pact lead to Kyler Murray signing for $46.1MM on average. Mahomes received the $45MM salary because he agreed to a 10-year extension, and the superstar Chiefs quarterback has said he is unconcerned about where is contract currently stands among QBs. But a source informed Pro Football Focus’ Doug Kyed the Chiefs could adjust his deal “sooner than later.” Mahomes, 26, has never been expected to play out his through-2031 contract. It will be passed many times between now and its expiration date. Lamar Jackson is almost certainly gunning for a deal north of that $45MM figure. It does not look like the Chiefs will be addressing the contract this year, but in addition to Jackson, Russell Wilson should be expected to pass Mahomes’ pact by 2023. Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert will also be extension-eligible in January.

A team agreeing to redo a player’s deal with so many years left on it stands to be an interesting contract chapter — one that may not be too far in the future — but Mahomes is rather important to this franchise’s prospects. Here is the latest from the AFC West:

From one previous contractual record to a current position’s standard, the Chargers‘ Derwin James re-up looks quite good for the player. James’ $19MM-per-year extension tops safeties in AAV; it also compares favorably to Minkah Fitzpatrick and Jamal Adams‘ deals in terms of its three-year payout ($58.5MM) and fully guaranteed money ($38.6MM), OverTheCap’s Jason Fitzgerald tweets. Given James’ injury history, the Bolts’ $42MM in total guarantees matters as well. His 2023 base salary is fully guaranteed, and $3.4MM of his 2024 base becomes fully guaranteed in March 2023, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes. Two 90-man roster bonuses worth $3MM are due in 2025 and ’26, respectively, though those base salaries are nonguaranteed. James will count less than $10MM against the Chargers’ cap in 2022 and 2023, but those numbers go way up by the mid-2020s: $19.9MM (2024), $23.9MM (2025), $24.6MM (2026).
Asante Samuel Jr.‘s path back to the Chargers’ starting lineup appears to be narrowing. While Samuel entered camp as the outside cornerback starter opposite J.C. Jackson, Michael Davis has taken over in recent days. Brandon Staley said the competition remains open, but The Athletic’s Daniel Popper notes Davis has played in front of Samuel for several days. A former UDFA the Bolts re-signed on a three-year deal worth $25.2MM in 2021, Davis appears to be distancing himself in this battle, per Popper (subscription required). Davis, 27, has been a Chargers starter for the past three years. Samuel also has slot experience, something that could come into play considering Bryce Callahan‘s injury past. The mid-offseason addition, however, has been manning the slot with the Bolts’ first unit.
The Broncos, who have lost starting wideout Tim Patrick for the season and likely linebacker starter Jonas Griffith for several weeks, are starting to see injuries pile up. Netane Muti, who has been battling Quinn Meinerz for the starting right guard gig, is out due to an arthroscopic knee surgery. Muti will miss between three and four weeks, per Mike Klis of 9News (Twitter links). This effectively walls off the third-year blocker’s path to a starting role, for the time being. The Broncos have Meinerz and Dalton Risner as their expected guard starters, though Graham Glasgow is still in the mix after returning from a season-ending 2021 setback.

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