Asante Samuel Jr. botched an easy interception during the third quarter of the Chargers’ 27-24 loss to Kansas City. Check out full details.
Asante Samuel, Jr. : Interception | Stats | Contract
Asante Samuel Jr. (born October 3, 1999) is an American football cornerback for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL).
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born: | October 3, 1999 Tallahassee, Florida |
| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight: | 180 lb (82 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) |
| College: | Florida State (2018–2020) |
| NFL Draft: | 2021 / Round: 2 / Pick: 47 |
He played college football at Florida State and was drafted by the Chargers in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He is the son of former NFL cornerback Asante Samuel.
As a sophomore in 2019, Samuel was named to the third-team All-ACC team after recording 48 tackles, one interception, and 14 pass breakups.[4][5] As a junior in 2020, he was named to the first-team All-ACC team.
Samuel was selected by the Los Angeles Chargers in the second round (47th overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft.
On May 12, 2021, Samuel signed with the Chargers on a deal worth just over $7 million.
Asante Samuel interception
Samuel Jr. botched an easy interception during the third quarter of the Chargers’ 27-24 loss to Kansas City.
The ball bounced off his hands and he was unable to corral it as he was going to the ground.
Officials initially called it an interception but determined upon review that the ground helped Samuel Jr. secure the ball.
Samuel Jr.’s father, former NFL cornerback Asante Samuel, did not take aim at the officiating crew. Instead, he trolled his son on Twitter for dropping the easy pick.
The elder Samuel then mentioned how he dropped several would-be interceptions during his second season. He said he worked with a Nerf ball during the offseason to fix the issue.
Of course, one of the most memorable plays of Samuel Sr.’s career was a dropped interception. After Samuel Jr. dropped the pick on Thursday, fans immediately brought up how his father had an interception go right through his hands in Super Bowl XLII. If Samuel Sr. secured the ball, the Patriots would have completed a perfect 19-0 season.
Stats
Samuel recorded his first career interception in week 2 against the Dallas Cowboys.
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||
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Samuel was selected by the Los Angeles Chargers in the second round (47th overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft.
On May 12, 2021, Samuel signed with the Chargers on a deal worth just over $7 million.
He was a four star recruit coming out of high school and committed to Florida State to play college football.
Contract
Asante Samuel Jr. signed a 4 year, $7,222,946 contract with the Los Angeles Chargers, including a $2,613,052 signing bonus, $3,601,368 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $1,805,737.
| Contract: | 4 yr(s) / $7,222,946 |
| Signing Bonus | $2,613,052 |
| Average Salary | $1,805,737 |
| Total Guarantees | $3,601,368 |
| Guaranteed at Signing | $3,601,368 |
| Free Agent: | 2025 / UFA |
The Chargers took Asante Samuel Jr. with the No. 47 overall pick of the second round. I thought Samuel Jr. would go earlier than that after a couple of cornerbacks were taken within the first 15 selections of the draft.
Samuel Jr. was thought to be the No. 4 cornerback in the draft, but team needs and his lack of height and length may have been the largest reason he slid to the Chargers at No. 47.