Steelers Could Bring Back Key Free Agent For Cheap Thanks To Rest Of The NFL

The Pittsburgh Steelers are only a few days away from the legal tampering period, and they still have a bunch of pending free agents that they are looking to negotiate with. If they don't get these re-signings done quickly, they could end up losing a bunch of players that they would like to bring back. For some of them, they may be banking on the fact that those specific players won't get what they are looking for on the open market and will return on a cheaper contract than expected. 

In his most recent column on The Athletic, insider Mike DeFabo brought up one player that could end up coming back to Pittsburgh for cheap due to fears about him swirling around the NFL as a whole.

"Not every team is going to medically clear [Asante Jr.] Samuel, which will suppress his market value," DeFabo said. "The Steelers could benefit from this to bring back a young player who was once promising before a spinal fusion surgery."

Cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. missed most of the 2025 season as he was recovering from the aforementioned spinal surgery. Once he was medically cleared to play football, many teams brought him in for a tryout, but he ultimately chose Pittsburgh as his preferred destination. He did well in limited snaps, and a return would make sense, whether he has competition for the CB2 spot or not. 

Back injuries are very concerning in general, even though Samuel seems to have healed well from his surgery. That could make certain teams extra cautious about signing him. All it takes is one team saying he failed his physical or refusing to medically clear him, and nearly every team will avoid signing him. If that does happen, Pittsburgh would get him for a very cheap price and a one-year deal. 

Samuel is somewhere in the middle of a splash play merchant and lockdown cornerback. In his three healthy seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers, he had two interceptions and 11+ passes defended in each year. His highest completion percentage allowed during that time was his rookie year at 63.2%. He was a little bit prone to getting burned, but he definitely was not the worst in that category. 

If he gets signed to the one-year, $5.5 million contract that he's projected to get via The Athletic, that will most likely end up being a steal for Pittsburgh. A full workload in the offseason with his new teammates should help him get back to being the quality cornerback that the Chargers drafted in the first place. If he does well in his first full season with the Steelers, he could earn a very nice long-term deal in 2027.

Steelers Have Benefited From Failed Physicals Before

In the 2022 offseason, the Chicago Bears agreed to terms with defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi, but his contract was voided after failing his physical. The Steelers later signed him to a one-year deal, where he played very well despite not creating a ton of splash plays. He had 48 tackles, seven tackles for loss, 11 quarterback hits, and 1.5 sacks in his first year in Pittsburgh. It was a huge success for a team that needed defensive line help. 

Ogunjobi signed a three-year deal with the Steelers after that successful season, where he continued to make a lot of noise in run defense. He did have some regression after the 2024 season, which led to him being released in an attempt to get younger in that area. For what it's worth, they got what they wanted out of him, and that would not have happened had the Bears not seen something possibly wrong.

What do you think about the Steelers possibly getting Samuel back for cheap due to medical scares? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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