THE SAN FRANCISCO 49ers have cut a former CFP national champion and first-round pick just over a week after he signed a contract with the team.
Cornerback Eli Apple was released on Thursday to make way for defensive tackle Michael Dwumfour.
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Cornerback Eli Apple has been brutally cut just over a week after signing for the San Francisco 49ersCredit: Getty
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Apple is a nine-year veteran of the NFL, but has a habit of getting into hot water with his outspoken attitudeCredit: Getty
A nine-year NFL veteran, Apple only signed his contract with the organisation on July 28th, spending just over a week in total in San Francisco.
Wide receiver Quintez Cephus was released to make room for Apple, making his release just the latest stop on the 49ers’ revolving door of roster changes.
The fan reaction was just as brutal as the cut itself, with multiple X users making jokes at the 30-year-old’s expense in response to the news.
One user said: “He got cut just as fast as he watches WR’s pass him by.”
Another seemed surprised to see his name pop up at all in the modern NFL, posting: “He was still in the league?”
These reactions are markers of how far Apple has fallen since bursting onto the NFL scene the better part of a decade ago.
The New Jersey native spent his college career with NCAA giants Ohio State.
He spent three seasons with the Buckeyes, winning a CFP National Championship in 2015.
He forewent his final year of college to declare for the 2016 draft, and impressed in the NFL combine with the tenth fastest 40-yard dash time of the event.
He was picked up in the first round by the New York Giants with the tenth pick of the draft.
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Apple has built up quite the repertoire of teams over the term of his nine-year career thus farCredit: Getty
Apple’s three-year stint with the Giants would be marred in controversy and conflict, with the young prospect regularly clashing with teammates and team staff.
The most explosive of these conflicts came in 2017, when Apple’s poor conduct saw him demoted from the first team.
His outspoken comments on social media prompted his teammate Landon Collins to lambast him on the radio, branding him ‘a cancer’ and suggesting he ‘grow up.’
Apple would finally be suspended in December of that year for his conflicts with staff.
The maverick received one more chance with the organisation at the beginning of 2018, but injury concerns made it difficult for him to find form.
NFL WEEK 1 SCHEDULE
(All times ET)
Thur 4 Sept
8.20 pm – Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles
Fri 5 Sept
8pm – Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers
Sun 7 Sept
1pm – Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons
1pm – Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns
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1pm – Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans Saints
1pm – Pittsburgh Steelers at New York Jets
1pm – New York Giants at Washington Commanders
1pm – Carolina Panthers at Jacksonville Jaguars
4.05 pm – Tennessee Titans at Denver Broncos
4.05 pm – San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks
4.25 pm – Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers
4.25 pm – Houston Texans at Los Angeles Rams
8.20 pm – Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills
Mon 8 Sept
8.15 pm – Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears
He was traded to the New Orleans Saints in October, where he would spend the rest of the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
He would spend an injury-ridden few months with the Carolina Panthers for the start of the 2020 season, but was once again let go in October.
He would have more chance to make a name for himself in the 2021 season when he joined the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Bengals made the Super Bowl that year against the Los Angeles Rams, but rather than glory, Apple would find more trouble, as he lost Cooper Kupp in the end zone for the game-winning touchdown.
The mistake looked particularly bad considering the trash talk that Apple had been giving throughout the season, with players like Mecole Hardman Jr and Lamar Jackson taking jabs at him after the game.
The embarrassment sealed his status as a journeyman in the twilight of his career.
He would spend one more year with the Bengals before uneventful spells with the Miami Dolphins and the Chargers in 2023 and 2024.
With another organisation under his name and another year behind him, Apple’s future in the NFL looks more uncertain than ever.