Another deal falls through: CB Eli Apple becomes latest free agent to have contract nixed
Another NFL free agency deal has been dissolved amid the ongoing coronavirus shutdown.
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Former New Orleans Saints cornerback Eli Apple’s contract with the Las Vegas Raiders fell through on Thursday, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Raiders and former Saints’ CB Eli Apple were unable to finalize a contract, per sources, and Apple remains a free agent. Another one added to the list.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 2, 2020
A former first-round pick with the New York Giants, Apple had been in agreement with the Raiders on a one-year deal. However, free agent contracts have become difficult to execute in a league working almost entirely from home due to coronavirus concerns.
Multiple NFL free agency deals have fallen through as league deals with coronavirus
Teams have been unable to meet with free agents in person, and bandwidth for player physicals has been severely limited. Due to that situation, deals have been slow to be officially announced, and some have been spiked entirely.
Apple is the fourth player in the league to have a deal fall apart so far, joining Michael Brockers’ deal with the Baltimore Ravens, Marqui Christian’s deal with the New York Jets and Darqueze Dennard’s deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Free agent deals have fallen through before, but not at this rate in a single offseason.
With Brockers in particular, it was reported that the Ravens got antsy about a high-ankle sprain flagged during a physical, and were unable to come to an agreement with Brockers.
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