The offseason odyssey of Eli Apple might have finally reached the finish line on Thursday.
Apple, the 24-year-old cornerback and former first-round pick, agreed to terms with the Carolina Panthers, the team announced.
A first-round pick out of Ohio State, Apple reached a contract agreement in principle with the Las Vegas Raiders in March. But that deal fell through, and Apple was back on the market two weeks after his one-year, $6 million deal with the Raiders was first reported.
Coincidentally, the Panthers are scheduled to open the season against the Raiders at home in Sept. 13.
A first-round selection of the New York Giants in 2016, Apple was traded to the Saints in 2018 and has played a total of 55 games with 48 starts. He has three career interceptions but had none last year, when he broke up four passes in 15 games.
The Panthers have invested heavily in defense — including all seven draft picks in April — since head coach Matt Rhule arrived. Carolina lost cornerback James Bradberry to the Giants in free agency but drafted cornerbacks Troy Pride Jr. and Stantley Thomas-Oliver III.
