Asante Samuel Jr. has not played for the LA Chargers since Week 4 against the Kansas City Chiefs. Samuel was placed on the IR on Saturday, October 12 after being a full participant in practice the entire week. According to head coach Jim Harbaugh, Samuel suffered a shoulder injury outside of practice.
Harbaugh threw cold water on a potential Samuel return last week. Harbaugh confirmed Samuel was not going to play in Week 13 and refused to commit to the fourth-year corner returning at any point in 2024.
As if that didn't raise enough eyebrows, Harbaugh's ominous Samuel non-update on Wednesday muddied the waters even further. Harbaugh refused to give any kind of Samuel update and shared that the organization itself only wants the head coach to provide updates when absolutley necessary.
Jim Harbaugh has no update on CB Asante Samuel Jr. Says he has been told by the organization to only provide updates when needed.
— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) December 4, 2024
Asante Samuel Jr's future on the Chargers is bleak at best
There has to be more to the story that Chargers fans have not been let in on. Samuel suffering a non-practice-related injury a day before a game was already questionable. Every comment from Harbaugh since then has only raised more questions.
If the organization itself is getting involved in telling Harbaugh when and how he can communicate about Samuel then there must be something bigger going on. Whatever it is, it is hard to imagine Samuel having a future with the Chargers.
Samuel is an unrestricted free agent after the 2024 season and the Bolts have not really missed him this season. Rookies Cam Hart and Tarheeb Still have stepped up while Kristian Fulton has elevated his play in Los Angeles.
The former second-round pick might not even have a starting job when he gets back. The Chargers have no reason to rush him back to action, and based on the limited intel fans have, it appears the team has no interest in bringing him back anytime soon.
It is disappointing if this is the end of Samuel in Los Angeles. There were high expectations for him when he fell to the Chargers in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft. After a promising rookie year, it looked like the Chargers had someone with true franchise corner potential.
Samuel never quite reached that level in Brandon Staley's defense and had a real chance to do so under Jesse Minter. Unfortunately, he suffered this mystery shoulder injury and has only been lapped by his teammates since.