Eli Apple is back on the free-agent market. According to ESPN, the Las Vegas Raiders and Apple were unable to finalize a contract after reports surfaced that a one-year deal was agreed upon between the two parties on March 18. The 24-year-old cornerback even posted on Instagram that he was “excited to start a new …
Eli Apple is back on the free-agent market.
According to ESPN, the Las Vegas Raiders and Apple were unable to finalize a contract after reports surfaced that a one-year deal was agreed upon between the two parties on March 18. The 24-year-old cornerback even posted on Instagram that he was “excited to start a new journey as a Raider.”
The Raiders reached an agreement with safety Damarious Randall shortly after failing to come to terms with Apple, per ESPN.
Apple, who was traded to New Orleans in 2018 after three seasons with the Giants, became a free agent this offseason after the Saints declined the fifth-year option on his contract.
The Giants’ former No. 10-overall pick in 2016 was a solid fit in New Orleans but had a tumultuous ride in New York.
Things began to go downhill in his second season in 2017, starting when he was first benched in the Giants’ Week 5 loss to the Chargers for disciplinary reasons before being a healthy scratch from Weeks 11 to 14 due to his performance.
Apple was also disciplined after posting on Twitter while on the sidelines of the Giants’ Week 14 loss to the Cowboys. He wasn’t well-received in the locker room, especially after posting a comment after the Cowboys’ loss that said his former Ohio State teammate and then-Cowboys’ fullback Rod Smith “iced the New York Giants.”
Tensions between Apple and the rest of his Giants teammates were widely reported during 2017, with then-Giants safety Landon Collins calling Apple a “cancer” and stating that he shouldn’t be on the team in 2018. Apple was suspended for the 2017 season finale after reportedly getting into an argument with the coaching staff after he was asking to practice with the scout team.
Apple jumped right into a starting role for the Saints and started in all 15 games he appeared in, recording 53 solo tackles, four passes defended and one forced fumble for the 13-3 NFC South squad.
Now, he will be looking for a new free-agent deal.
