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Big-Name Chargers Defender Leaves for Lowly Team in New Offseason Prediction

By Isaiah De Los Santos

Dec 1, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh on the sidelines during the game against the Atlanta Falcons during the first half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
Dec 1, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh on the sidelines during the game against the Atlanta Falcons during the first half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
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The Los Angeles Chargers are currently in the thick of a hotly contested race for the playoffs as the regular season comes to a close.

L.A.'s massive win on Thursday Night Football over the Denver Broncos has granted the Chargers the tiebreaker over their division rivals, giving Jim Harbaugh's team a chance to control its own destiny and line up their preferred Wild Card Round opponent down the stretch.

However, the fast-approach playoffs also means the offseason is right around the corner, as just one less in the postseason will send Harbaugh and co. packing. Thus, Los Angeles' key decision-makers already need to have a legitimate plan in place to help improve this team in 2025.

The Chargers will need to decide on the fate of several big-name defenders this offseason as they look to make another jump next campaign, and that likely means some departures are looming. In one new prediction from Bleacher Report, L.A. experiences just that.

B/R's scouting department lists current Chargers cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. as a massive flight risk, with a pair of teams (the Arizona Cardinals and New York Jets) both listed as potential landing spots for the ballhawk. The thought process for Samuel landing with either squad is similar, as both are in need of a playmaker in the secondary and could take a chance on the CB in hopes of there being untapped possibilities.

There's also the fact that Samuel may be on the outs in Los Angeles. While he logged at least two interceptions and 11 passes defended in each of his first three campaigns, the front office and coaching staff that drafted him was ousted last year, which significantly weakened his ties to the Chargers.

Samuel's first season playing for Harbaugh hasn't gone as hoped at all either, with the cornerback hitting injured reserve in early October. The fact L.A.'s defense has remained one of the league's best all without the CB doesn't exactly reflect highly on his impact.

With Samuel looking to cash in on his first major NFL payday, too, that adds another factor that makes his return this offseason even more unlikely.

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