Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
The 2025 NFL Trade Deadline has officially come and gone, and it rolled through Minnesota Vikings facilities at TCO Performance Center on Tuesday without as much as a whimper. While other teams around the league were wheeling and dealing, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah sat on his hands and watched.
Afterward, the Vikings told reporters that they did not make any moves because they really don’t have any holes on the roster. Of course, we all know that isn’t true, which leaves us to ponder the real reasons behind Minnesota’s inaction at the deadline.
Some (me), for example, pointed to the $344+ million spent on the 2025 roster and questioned whether or not Kwesi might have found the bottom of what we believed to be a bottomless Wilf wallet. Is it possible Zygi and Mark told their third-year GM that they’re tired of having to overspend to fix his drafting deficiencies?
Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
As is the case with most things in life, the answer to why the Minnesota Vikings stayed silent at the deadline is not black and white. For example, the Vikings are already scheduled to be nearly $25 million over the salary cap in 2026.
That makes trading and signing free agents more complex than whether they fit in under the 2025 cap, where Adofo-Mensah and his front office still have over $16 million in space (per Spotrac). But no matter the reason for their silence yesterday, it doesn’t appear the GM has some financial wiggle room to work with.
Minnesota Vikings hosting star cornerback on free agent visit
Because there is no way they’d host top free agent cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. on a visit, if they didn’t have the financial backing to pay him should he choose to wear purple, right?
Well, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the (4-4) Vikings are doing just that at some point in the near future. On Wednesday, the 26-year-old former 2nd round pick is first visiting the Carolina Panthers. The division-rival Packers are also on the list of visits Samuel Jr reportedly has scheduled.
Sources: The #Packers and #Vikings are also scheduled to have visits with CB Asante Samuel Jr.
But #Panthers are first today, I’m told. 👇 https://t.co/WwREq9Zw0R pic.twitter.com/4mjEriHj83
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) November 5, 2025
Over the course of his four-year NFL career, Asante Samuel Jr. has compiled 50 games played, 47 starts, 6 interceptions, 37 passes defended, 148 tackles and 3 tackles for loss.
Why is Asante Samuel Jr. available and is he good?
Why is Samuel Jr. available during week 10 of the NFL season? It’s because the former Florida State Seminole suffered an injury last year that forced him to miss the final 13 games of LA’s 2024 season.
In April, he had spinal fusion surgery that he hopes has fixed what he essentially describes as a permanent stinger-type pain in both shoulders. This week, he was cleared to play by independent doctors, which is why he’s now planning free agent visits.
The former Florida State Seminole is still very young, at just 26. If his next team gets the lockdown CB Asante Samuel Jr. was from 2022-2023, then he’s nearly as good as what the Colts just paid two first rounders for, in Sauce Gardner.
GIVE ME ASANTE SAMUEL JR OR GIVE ME DEATH pic.twitter.com/vgtFsVGB2B
— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) November 5, 2025
But Samuel Jr’s 2024 season, in the four game she played prior to his injury, were not very good, according to Pro Football Focus. After earning a 72.6 and 73.9 grade in 2022 and 2023, respectively, Asante graded out as a 59.3 on defense in 2024, the worst grade he’s posted since his 2021 rookie season.
How much will Asante Samuel Jr. cost and can MN Vikings afford it?
The next question surrounds how much Samuel Jr. will cost. If he is visiting the Minnesota Vikings, then he is clearly open to a one-year deal, in order to prove he can play like his 2022-2023 self. If that is the case, then the Vikings have as much as they need, to get a deal done.
It’s important to remember, however, that NFL teams roll their cap savings from one year, into the next. So anyone they sign this year, whether it be Asante Samuel Jr. or someone else, will affect how much wiggle room they have in 2026… which is currently 24.6 million in the red.
Thus, we will see how much Samuel Jr wants, should he decide the MN Vikings are his best fit. Nonetheless, this is quite the development, given how quiet this organization was at the deadline on Tuesday.
Mentioned in this article: asante samuel jr. NFL Free Agency
More About: Minnesota Vikings
Add MinnesotaSportsFan as a preferred source on Google.