Asante Samuel Asante T . Samuel ( born January 6 , 1981 ) is an American football cornerback who is currently a free agent . He played college football for the University of Central Florida ( UCF ) , and was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft . An All - Pro and Pro Bowl selection in 2007 and Pro Bowl selections in 2008 , 2009 and 2010 , Samuel won two Super Bowl ring s with the New England Patriots and has reached the postseason eight of his first nine seasons in the NFL . He also played for the Philadelphia Eagles for four seasons and the Atlanta Falcons for two seasons . Early years . Samuel was born in South Florida attended Boyd H . Anderson High School in Lauderdale Lakes , Florida . As a junior quarterback , he threw for 1 , 800 yards , and rushed for 500 yards . As a senior , Samuel concentrated on defense , and earned All - State honors , and finished his senior year with 4 interceptions and 75 tackles . Samuel also handled kicking and punting duties . Ten minutes before kickoff of Samuel ' s final high school game , he replaced his team ' s injured starting quarterback . He threw two touchdown passes , intercepted two more , rushed for 80 yards , and even worked on special teams returning kicks and punts . Samuel ' s top receiver in high school , Todd Devoe , later played for the Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos , and was a friend & teammate of future NFL defensive back Benny Sapp . Samuel decreased his 40 yard dash time from 5 . 4 seconds during his sophomore year of high school to 4 . 49 seconds entering the NFL . College career . Samuel attended the University of Central Florida , majored in business , and played for the UCF Knights football team . He finished his college career with 127 tackles ( 102 solo , 25 assisted ) , 8 interception s , and a school - record 38 passes deflected ( the previous record was 34 deflections ) . Samuel also returned 63 punt s for 673 yard s , for an average of 10 . 7 yards per return . Professional career . New England Patriots . In the fourth round of the 2003 NFL draft , with the 120th overall pick , Samuel was drafted by the Patriots along with Ty Warren , Bethel Johnson , Eugene Wilson , and Dan Koppen . At the start of the 2004 season , the Patriots ' starting corners were Tyrone Poole and Ty Law . After both were sidelined by injuries , Samuel became a starter , and actually started for the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX . He would start at corner the following season , as he maintained that position for the rest of his tenure with the Patriots . In 2006 , the Patriots began the season with Samuel and Ellis Hobbs at cornerback . By the end of the regular season , Samuel had intercepted a career - high 10 passes , which put him in a tie for first in the 2006 season ( with Champ Bailey of the Broncos ) ; the mark is the second - best ever for a Patriot ( in 1964 Ron Hall had 11 ) . Samuel tied the Patriots ' mark for most interceptions in a game when he picked off three passes in a week 12 game against the Chicago Bears . He intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown twice in the 2006 NFL Playoffs : first against the New York Jets to clinch their 1st round victory and then in the AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts to extend the lead to 21 – 3 . On February 16 , 2007 , the Patriots placed the franchise tag on him . After holding out for most of the preseason , Samuel signed the one - year $ 7 . 79 million tender on August 27 , 2007 to fulfill his obligation under the franchise tag . He was eligible for free agency again at the end of the 2007 season . According to the Boston Globe , if Samuel participated in 60 % of the defensive snaps or the Patriots win 12 games , his contract stipulated that the team would not place the franchise tag on him for the following season . Samuel finished the 2007 regular season with six interceptions , returning one for a touchdown . During his franchised season , he was named to the 2008 Pro Bowl and helped lead the Patriots to Super Bowl XLII . Philadelphia Eagles . 2008 season . Samuel was thought to be one of the most sought - after free agents of the 2008 NFL offseason . Within minutes of the start of free agency on February 29 , 2008 , Samuel was reportedly already setting up a meeting with the Philadelphia Eagles . Later that day , he signed a six - year , $ 56 million contract with the Eagles . Upon being signed , Samuel was quoted as saying , “ I just want to be able to win and get back to the Super Bowl . ” On August 22 , 2008 he made his return to New England during the third week of the preseason . Asante Samuel made his regular season Eagles debut on September 7 , 2008 against the St . Louis Rams . He was a Pro Bowl Reserve for his stellar play with 4 interceptions and one touchdown . It was Samuel ' s 2nd appearance in the Pro Bowl , his 1st with the Philadelphia Eagles . On January 4 , 2009 , Samuel returned an interception for a 44 yard touchdown , his fourth interception returned for a touchdown in the postseason which set a NFL record . The following week , Samuel picked off Eli Manning , returning the ball to the Giants ' two - yard line . This marked his seventh career postseason interception , which after Rodney Harrison ' s retirement is the most career postseason interceptions among active players . Samuel and Harrison are now tied at fifth in NFL history for career postseason interceptions . 2009 season . On December 20 , 2009 against the San Francisco 49ers , Samuel made his eighth interception of the year to break Troy Vincent ' s record of seven interceptions in a season under head coach Andy Reid . Vincent set the record during the 1999 season . With nine interceptions in 2009 , Samuel tied for second in Eagles history for interceptions in a season , with Don Burroughs ( 1960 ) and Ed " Bibbles " Bawel ( 1955 ) . Samuel was selected to the 2010 Pro Bowl as a starter . Atlanta Falcons . The Atlanta Falcons acquired Samuel from the Eagles on April 25 , 2012 , in exchange for a seventh - round draft pick in 2012 . < / ref > Personal . Samuel has a tattoo on his left arm that says " Get Rich To This . " It was widely reported during Samuel ' s post - 2006 season contract situation that the tattoo said " Get Paid " . Samuel ' s tattoo is the name of a Goodie Mob song that Samuel liked in college .