Although a high-ranking New England official said late Thursday night that the team has "no indication right now" that Asante Samuel is about to end his holdout, a source close to the franchise cornerback said the four-year pro is seriously considering reporting to training camp next week so that he can be ready for the start of the regular season.
But the source close to Samuel said the standout cornerback, who tied for the league lead in interceptions in 2006 with 10, has not made up his mind yet on how to proceed. And in an interview with the Boston Herald, agent Alonzo Shavers stopped short of conceding a resolution to the contract standoff is imminent. "Well, the season is about to start," Alonzo Shavers told the paper. "Of course we're getting closer. But I couldn't tell you one way or the other. It's really up to him at this point when he decides to come in. There's really no rush. What's the rush? "I'm sure he'll definitely be around in the near future," Shavers said. "I just don't want to speculate because he hasn't given me an inkling one way or another. I'm sure when he's ready, he'll tell me. He has not given me the green light, so I can't confirm or deny anything." New England opens the regular season at the New York Jets on Sept. 9. The NFL Network on Thursday evening reported that Samuel is expected to sign the one-year tender for a franchise-designated cornerback, set at $7.79 million, and to report to the Patriots sometime before the team's final preseason game. The consensus around the league has been that Samuel, who earned only minimum base salaries the first three years of his NFL career, would find it difficult to ignore a one-year deal for nearly $8 million. Earlier in the spring, Samuel suggested he would hold out for the first 10 weeks of the year before reporting and earning an accrued season that might make him eligible for unrestricted free agency next spring if the Patriots opted not to use the franchise marker again. If Samuel does sign the one-year qualifying offer, it will be interesting to see if the Patriots agree to a stipulation that they will not use the franchise tag on him for a second year. New England officials have been reluctant to do so. In late July, franchise linebacker Lance Briggs of Chicago was able to elicit such a deal from the Bears and signed his one-year tender for $7.2 million, with $1 million of that coming in the form of a salary advance. The Patriots may be reluctant to grant such impending freedom to a player at a premium position. Samuel, 26, is the last of the league's seven franchise players this year who has yet to come to a contract agreement. Three of the players -- Indianapolis defensive end Dwight Freeney (six years, $72 million), New Orleans defensive end Charles Grant (seven years, $63 million) and Detroit defensive tackle Cory Redding (seven years, $49 million) -- signed long-term contracts. In addition to Briggs, Cincinnati defensive end Justin Smith ($8.64 million) and Seattle kicker Josh Brown ($2.078 million) signed their one-year tenders. Neither Brown nor Smith elicited from his team a stipulation precluding use of the franchise tag again in 2008. A fourth-round pick in the 2003 draft, Samuel has appeared in 59 games and started in 39 of them, including 15 starts in each of the past two seasons. The former Central Florida star has 188 tackles, 16 interceptions, 43 passes defensed and three forced fumbles. He emerged as one of the NFL's top cornerbacks in 2006 but still is not viewed in the same class as some of the highest-paid coverage defenders in the league. Samuel has spent much of the offseason in Florida working out. If he does report to the Patriots next week, he will face an arduous program in an effort to get ready for the start of the season and will have to pass coach Bill Belichick's conditioning test before he is able to begin practicing. Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.Source: ESPN.com
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