New England Patriots
The New England Patriots selected Samuel in the fourth round (120th overall) of the 2003 NFL draft. The Patriots orchestrated a trade with the Denver Broncos to ensure the acquisition of Samuel by agreeing to trade their fourth-(128th overall) and fifth-round (157th overall) picks in the 2003 NFL draft in return for the 2003 fourth-round pick (120th overall) from the Broncos. He was the 16th cornerback selected and the last of two cornerbacks drafted by the Patriots in 2003, following second-round pick (39th overall) Eugene Wilson .
On June 10, 2003, the Patriots signed Samuel to a four–year, $1.68 million rookie contract that included a signing bonus of $312,500.
Throughout training camp, he competed Tyrone Poole to earn the role as the No. 2 starting cornerback following the departure of Otis Smith. Head coach Bill Belichick named him a backup and listed him as the No. 3 cornerback on the depth chart to begin the season, behind starters Tyrone Poole and Ty Law.
On September 7, 2003, Samuel made his professional regular season debut in the New England Patriots' season-opener at the Buffalo Bills and made one tackle and one pass deflection as they lost 0–31. On September 21, 2003, Samuel recorded two solo tackles, set a season-high with two pass deflections, and returned his first career interception for a touchdown during a 23–16 win against the New York Jets. He intercepted a pass attempt by Vinny Testaverde thrown to wide receiver Wayne Chrebet and returned it 55–yards to score his first career touchdown. In Week 7, Samuel earned his first career start in place of Ty Law, who was inactive due to an ankle injury. He recorded one solo tackle and broke up one pass during a 19–13 overtime victory at the Miami Dolphins. On November 3, 2003, Samuel made one solo tackle, one pass deflection, and sealed the Patriots' 30–26 victory at the Denver Broncos by intercepting a pass by Danny Kanell to wide receiver Ashley Lelie with 19 seconds remaining in the game. In Week 13, he set a season-high with eight combined tackles (seven solo) during a 38–34 loss at the Indianapolis Colts. He appeared in all 16 games throughout his rookie season with one start and finished with a total of 34 combined tackles (29 solo), made five pass deflections, two interceptions, and one touchdown.
The New England Patriots finished the 2003 NFL season with a 14–2 record, earning a first-round bye. On January 10, 2004, Samuel appeared in his first career playoff game, but was limited to two solo tackles during a 17–14 win against the Tennessee Titans in the Divisional Round. On February 1, 2004, Samuel appeared in Super Bowl XXXVIII, as the Patriots defeated the Carolina Panthers 32–29, earning Samuel his first Super Bowl ring.
Throughout training camp, Samuel competed against Tyrone Poole to be the No. 2 starting cornerback under defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel. Head coach Bill Belichick named him the primary backup and listed him as the third cornerback on the depth chart to begin the season, behind returning starters Ty Law and Tyrone Poole.
In Week 6, starting cornerback Tyrone Poole injured his knee during a 30–20 victory against the Seattle Seahawks. Samuel was subsequently named as his replacement as the No. 2 starting cornerback entering Week 7. On October 31, 2004, the Patriots' No. 1 starting cornerback, Ty Law, exited in the first quarter of a 20–34 loss at the Pittsburgh Steelers after suffering a fracture to his foot. Samuel would start alongside rookie Randall Gay for the rest of the season, as Ty Law remained inactive for the last eight games (Weeks 10–17). On November 7, 2004, Samuel recorded one solo tackle before exiting in the first quarter of a 40–22 victory at the St. Louis Rams due to an injury to his arm. He subsequently remained inactive for the Patriots' 29–6 win against the Buffalo Bills in Week 10. He was sidelined for two games (Weeks 12–13) due to a shoulder injury, but returned before fully recovering. In Week 14, Samuel set a season-high with three pass deflections and had a pick-six after intercepting a pass by Carson Palmer to wide receiver T. J. Houshmandzadeh and returning it 34–yards for a touchdown during a 28–35 victory against the Cincinnati Bengals. The following week, he set a season-high with six combined tackles (five solo) and had one pass deflection during a 28–29 loss at the Miami Dolphins in Week 15. On December 17, 2004, the Patriots officially placed Poole on injured reserve due to his knee injury that required surgery and rendered him inactive. He finished the season with a total of 39 combined tackles (37 solo), made 12 pass deflections, three forced fumbles, one interception, and one touchdown in 13 games and eight starts.
The New England Patriots finished the 2004 NFL season first in the AFC East with a 14–2 record. On January 16, 2005, Samuel earned a start in a playoff game for the first time in his career during a 20–3 victory against the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Divisional Round. On February 6, 2005, Samuel started in Super Bowl XXXIX and recorded four combined tackles (three solo) and led his team with four pass deflections as the Patriots defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 24–21.
The New England Patriots promoted Eric Mangini to defensive coordinator after Romeo Crennel accepted the head coach position with the Cleveland Browns. He entered training camp as a candidate to become the No. 1 starting cornerback following the departure of Ty Law. He competed for the role against Tyrone Poole, Randall Gay, Duane Starks, and Chad Scott. He began the season as the No. 1 starting cornerback, alongside Tyrone Poole. In Week 1, Tyrone Poole injured his ankle and was replaced by Randall Gay as he remained inactive for the rest of the season.
In Week 8, he set a season-high with seven solo tackles, made two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass by Kelly Holcomb to wide receiver Eric Moulds as the Patriots defeated the Buffalo Bills 21–16. The following week, Samuels set a season-high with eight combined tackles (six solo) and made two pass deflections during a 21–40 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 9. He was inactive as the Patriots lost 26–28 against the Miami Dolphins in Week 17. He finished with a title of 54 combined tackles (44 solo), 13 pass deflections, and three interceptions in 15 games and 15 starts.
The New England Patriots finished second in the AFC East with a 10–6 record to clinch a Wildcard berth. On January 7, 2006, Samuels made four solo tackles, three pass deflections, and returned an interception thrown by Byron Leftwich to wide receiver Reggie Williams for a 73–yard touchdown during a 28–3 victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Wild-Card Game. On January 14, 2006, Samuels started in the AFC Divisional Round and recorded three solo tackles, made three pass deflections, and intercepted a pass by Jake Plummer to wide receiver Ashley Lelie as the Patriots lost 13–27 at the Denver Broncos.
The New England Patriots promoted linebackers coach Dean Pees to defensive coordinator following the departure of Eric Mangini, who became the head coach of the New York Jets. Samuel entered training camp slated as the de facto No. 1 starting cornerback following the departures of Tyrone Poole and Duane Starks. Head coach Bill Belichick named Samuel and Ellis Hobbs the starting cornerbacks to begin the season.
On October 8, 2006, Samuel made six solo tackles, two pass deflections, and had two interceptions on passes thrown by Joey Harrington as the Patriots defeated the Miami Dolphins 20–10. This was his first career performance with multiple interceptions. He was sidelined for the Patriots' 35–0 victory at the Green Bay Packers in Week 11 due to a knee injury. In Week 12, he set a season-high with eight solo tackles, made three pass deflections, and set a career-high with three interceptions off passes thrown by Rex Grossman during a 17–13 victory against the Chicago Bears. His three interceptions tied the Patriots' single game interception record. The following week, he recorded one solo tackle, set a season-high with four pass deflections, and intercepted a pass by Jon Kitna to wide receiver Corey Bradford as the Patriots defeated the Detroit Lions 28–21. On December 31, 2006, Samuel made two solo tackles, tied his season-high of four pass deflections, and picked off two pass attempts by Vince Young during a 40–23 victory at the Tennessee Titans. He had one of the best seasons in his career in 2006, setting career-highs with 64 combined tackles (59 solo), 24 pass deflections, and 10 interceptions, while appearing in 15 games with 15 starts. His 10 interceptions tied Broncos' cornerback Champ Bailey for the most interceptions in 2006. His 10 interceptions is the second most in the Patriots' franchise history for a single season, only behind Ron Hall, who had 11 interceptions (1964).
The New England Patriots finished atop the AFC East with a 12–4 record during the 2006 NFL season, to clinch a playoff berth. On January 7, 2007, Samuel recorded three solo tackles, made three pass deflections, and had a pick-six after picking off a pass by Chad Pennington to wide receiver Justin McCareins and returned it 36–yards for a touchdown during a 37–16 win against the New York Jets in the AFC Wild-Card Game.
On January 21, 2007, Samuel started in the AFC Championship Game and made two solo tackles, three pass deflections, and returned an interception thrown by Peyton Manning to wide receiver Marvin Harrison and returned it 39–yards for a touchdown as the Patriots lost 34–38 at the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts eliminated the Patriots from the playoffs and advanced to the Super Bowl as they defeated the Chicago Bears 29–17 to win Super Bowl XLI.
On February 16, 2007, the New England Patriots opted to assign the franchise tag on Samuel. On August 27, 2007, Samuel signed his franchise tag, for one–year, $7.79 million tender after he held out for the entire training camp and the majority of the preseason, as he was seeking a long-term contract offer. It was reported by The Boston Globe, that his agreement with the Patriots included a contract stipulation that stated the Patriots would not be able to place the franchise tag on Samuel for the second consecutive season if he played 60% of the snaps on defense at the conclusion of the 2007 NFL season.
Due to his absence during training camp, the Patriots held a competition between Randall Gay and Chad Scott to name his replacement. Head coach Bill Belichick named Randall Gay and Ellis Hobbs as the starting cornerbacks to begin the season. On September 8, 2007, the Patriots officially activated Samuel and added him to their active roster. He began the season as the primary backup cornerback.
On October 1, 2007, Samuel set a season-high with four solo tackles, made two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass thrown by Carson Palmer to wide receiver Chad Ochocinco during a 34–13 victory at the Cincinnati Bengals. The following week, he recorded two solo tackles, broke up two pass attempts, and intercepted a pass by Derek Anderson to wide receiver Joe Jurevicius as the Patriots defeated the Cleveland Browns 34–17 in Week 5. This marked his third consecutive game with an interception. In Week 12, Samuel made three solo tackles, three pass deflections, set a season-high with two interceptions, and returned one for a touchdown during a 31–28 win against the Philadelphia Eagles. On the opening drive, Samuel had a pick-six, intercepting a pass by A. J. Feeley to running back Brian Westbrook and returned it 40–yards for a touchdown. He helped secure their victory by intercepting a pass by A. J. Feeley to wide receiver Kevin Curtis with 3:58 remaining in the fourth quarter. In Week 14, he set a season-high with five combined tackles (three solo) and had one pass deflection during a 34–13 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He finished the season with a total of 46 combined tackles (43 solo), 18 pass deflections, six interceptions, and one touchdown in 16 games and 14 starts. He was voted to the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career.
The New England Patriots were undefeated in 2007, finishing with a record of 16–0. On January 20, 2008, Samuel started in the AFC Championship Game and recorded three solo tackles, made two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass by Philip Rivers to wide receiver Chris Chambers during a 21–12 victory against the San Diego Chargers. On February 3, 2008, Samuel started in Super Bowl XLII and recorded two combined tackles (one solo) and made one pass deflection. Late in the fourth quarter, with 1:20 remaining and the Patriots leading 14–10, Samuel dropped a crucial interception on a pass attempt thrown by Eli Manning to wide receiver David Tyree that would have sealed the Patriots victory. On the following play, Manning completed a 32-yard pass to Tyree, which became famously known as the Helmet Catch. The New York Giants would have a last-minute comeback victory, defeating the New England Patriots 17–14 to win Super Bowl XLII and ended the Patriots 18 game undefeated streak.
