A little more than two weeks after it was reported that Eli Apple was signing with the Raiders, it turns out the two parties were unable to agree to terms, leaving Apple still an unrestricted free agent.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Apple had agreed to a one-year contract with the Raiders on March 18, and Apple himself posted the agreement on Instagram, saying he was "excited to start a new journey as a Raider." The post has since been deleted, and on Thursday, Schefter reported the deal had fallen through. He did not provide a reason.
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Apple, 24, has shown promise in his four NFL seasons with three interceptions and 33 passes defensed, but he has also struggled to play without getting flagged. He led the Saints with 11 called penalties in 2019 and 10 called penalties in 2018 after joining the team in Week 8, ESPN noted.
Apple was set to join a Raiders defense that had already signed former Bears linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski, former Rams linebacker Cory Littleton, former Cowboys defensive tackle Maliek Collins, former Cowboys safety Jeff Heath and former Buccaneers defensive end Carl Nassib. Now, he'll have to go back to the drawing board and find another new team.