Curtis Samuel Bio
Curtis Samuel is an American professional football wide receiver and kickoff returner for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). Born on August 11, 1996, in Brooklyn, New York, he first rose to national attention as a versatile playmaker at Ohio State, where he helped the Buckeyes win the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship and earned first-team All-American honors in 2016. Selected by the Carolina Panthers in the second round of the 2017 NFL draft, Samuel has spent his professional career transitioning between running back and wide receiver roles across three franchises.
Early Life and Background
Curtis Samuel grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and attended Erasmus Hall High School, where he played for the Dutchmen football team. As a junior, he averaged 11.5 yards per carry while rushing for 1,047 yards and 13 touchdowns, a performance that earned him the New York Daily News City Player of the Year award in 2012. He also competed in track and field, winning the 55 meters at the New York State championships with a time of 6.44 seconds, an indicator of the speed that would later define his professional career.
In his senior season, Samuel averaged 15.8 yards per rush, finishing with 1,461 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns. He added three receiving touchdowns and two punt return touchdowns to his stat line. That year, he was named the 2013 New York Gatorade Player of the Year and was invited to the All-American Bowl, cementing his status as one of the top high school prospects in the country.
Path to American Football
Coming out of Erasmus Hall, Samuel was rated as a four-star running back recruit and committed to play college football at Ohio State under head coach Urban Meyer. His role with the Buckeyes expanded quickly across his three seasons in Columbus, where the coaching staff used him as a runner, receiver, and returner. The versatility he showed during his high school years in Brooklyn translated directly into his usage at the collegiate level.
As a freshman in 2014, Samuel contributed 58 carries for 383 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns, along with 11 receptions for 95 receiving yards. His senior season in 2016 represented his most complete year, when he tallied 97 carries for 771 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns to go along with 74 receptions for 865 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns. That season, he became the only player in Ohio State history to gain over 1,000 career yards in both rushing and receiving, an accomplishment that helped him secure first-team All-Big Ten and All-American honors.
Curtis Samuel Career
Early Career (2017–2019)
Curtis Samuel entered the NFL after switching to wide receiver during the pre-draft process, and the Carolina Panthers selected him in the second round, 40th overall, of the 2017 NFL draft. He signed a four-year, $6.45 million rookie contract with $4.05 million guaranteed. His first career receptions came in Week 2 of the 2017 season against the Buffalo Bills, but his rookie year was cut short in Week 10 when he suffered a left ankle injury on Monday Night Football against the Miami Dolphins, requiring surgery and ending his season on injured reserve.
In 2018, Samuel scored his first career touchdown against the New York Giants and finished the year with 39 receptions for 494 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns. His role continued to expand in 2019, when he posted 54 receptions for 627 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns, while also adding 130 rushing yards on 19 carries. That third season showed that he had recovered from his early injury troubles and established himself as a regular contributor in the Panthers offense.
Carolina Panthers Final Season (2020)
In his final year with the Panthers in 2020, Curtis Samuel delivered his most productive season to that point, recording 77 receptions for 851 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns, along with 41 carries for 200 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. A season-high 118 receiving yards came in Week 17 against the New Orleans Saints. That production paved the way for his departure from Carolina in free agency the following offseason.
Washington Football Team / Commanders (2021–2023)
Curtis Samuel signed a three-year, $34.5 million contract with the Washington Football Team on March 18, 2021, reuniting him with his former Ohio State roommate, wide receiver Terry McLaurin. His first year in Washington was disrupted by a groin injury that sent him to injured reserve, limiting him before he could find a rhythm. He returned to action in October 2021 but never fully regained his form during that opening campaign.
Samuel bounced back in 2022, finishing the 17-game season with 64 receptions for 646 yards and four receiving touchdowns, along with 38 rushing attempts for 187 yards and one rushing touchdown. He changed his uniform number to 4 entering the 2023 season and played the entirety of the year, recording 62 receptions for 613 yards and four touchdowns, including a 100-yard game in Week 12 against the Dallas Cowboys.
Buffalo Bills Era (2024–Present)
On March 14, 2024, Curtis Samuel signed a three-year, $24 million contract with the Buffalo Bills, marking the beginning of his third NFL franchise. In the 2024 regular season, he recorded 31 receptions for 253 yards and one touchdown, which came in Week 11 against the Kansas City Chiefs. He then made his postseason debut in the Wild Card round against the Denver Broncos, catching a 55-yard touchdown pass from Josh Allen in the fourth quarter of a 31–7 victory, his first career postseason score.
Samuel added another postseason touchdown in the AFC Championship game against the Chiefs before Buffalo’s season came to an end. Entering the 2025 season, he operated as a backup wide receiver and had posted seven receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown across six appearances before being placed on injured reserve on November 28, 2025, due to an elbow injury.
Notable Events and Milestones
Curtis Samuel’s most notable milestones include his 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship win at Ohio State, his status as the only Buckeye to surpass 1,000 career rushing yards and 1,000 career receiving yards, and his 2016 first-team All-American and All-Big Ten selections. In the NFL, his 55-yard postseason touchdown catch against the Denver Broncos and his 118-yard regular-season performance against the New Orleans Saints stand out as defining plays.
Curtis Samuel Career Wins
Curtis Samuel’s professional resume is built on consistent receiving production and versatile use as a runner, rather than a long list of individual awards. His college and professional careers show a player capable of contributing as a receiver, runner, and returner across multiple systems.
NFL Highlights
Across his Carolina Panthers tenure from 2017 to 2020, Samuel steadily built his production, peaking with 77 receptions for 851 receiving yards in his final season. In Washington, he surpassed 600 receiving yards in both 2022 and 2023 while also contributing on the ground. With the Bills, his first career postseason touchdown against the Broncos and his Week 11 score against the Chiefs highlight his impact in his first year in Buffalo.
College and Other Performances
At Ohio State, Samuel won the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship and was a first-team All-American and All-Big Ten selection in 2016. In high school, he earned the New York Daily News City Player of the Year award in 2012 and the New York Gatorade Player of the Year award in 2013, in addition to his All-American Bowl invitation.
Curtis Samuel Family
Personal Life
Curtis Samuel maintains an active presence on social media and is represented by his verified accounts on X and Instagram. Public details about his immediate family, marital status, and personal residence have not been confirmed in available sources, so those areas are not addressed here.
2025 Season Performance
Curtis Samuel entered the 2025 NFL season with the Buffalo Bills in a backup wide receiver role behind the team’s top pass-catchers. Through six appearances, he had recorded seven receptions for 81 yards and one touchdown, a steady but limited contribution as he worked to expand his role in the offense.
His 2025 campaign was interrupted on November 28, when he was placed on injured reserve because of an elbow injury, halting his momentum on the field. With multiple years remaining on his contract, his recovery and return will shape how the Bills deploy him down the stretch of the season and into the postseason.