The San Francisco 49ers brought in veteran cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. for a workout on Monday, as confirmed by the NFL transaction wire. The scheduled tryout was first reported last week.
Samuel, who has drawn interest from multiple teams, is on a busy workout schedule. Last week, he visited the Carolina Panthers, Green Bay Packers, and Minnesota Vikings. Following his trip to Santa Clara, he's expected to meet with the Chicago Bears on Tuesday and the Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday.
The 26-year-old cornerback has been cleared to return to action after undergoing spinal fusion surgery during the offseason.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke to reporters via a conference call on Monday and said he hadn't had a chance to meet with Samuel, nor was he part of the workout. However, he noted, "I haven't got a chance to talk to anyone about it yet, but I'm sure just to check him out, see where he's at. We know he's been a hell of a player, so it's probably just to see where he's at right now."
Selected by the Los Angeles Chargers in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Florida State, Samuel appeared in just four games last season before being placed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury.
In 2023—his last full NFL season—Samuel set career highs with 63 tackles (one for loss), two interceptions, and 13 passes defended over 17 games, per Pro Football Reference.
Through four NFL seasons, Samuel has totaled 176 tackles (three for loss), six interceptions, 37 passes defended, and one fumble recovery in 50 career games (47 starts).
The 49ers are coming off a 42-26 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, which dropped their record to 6-4 heading into Week 11.