Eli Apple Signs With NFC Team After Barely Playing in 2024

Veteran defender Eli Apple has a new home for the 2025 NFL season.

Eli Apple’s 2024 season was one to forget. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Veteran cornerback Eli Apple has officially found his new home for the 2025 NFL season. According to a social media post from his representation at Universal Sports Management, Apple is heading to the San Francisco 49ers on a one-year deal for the upcoming campaign.

Apple’s career has been far from a straight line. He was drafted by the New York Giants in 2016 with the 10th pick, and while he had a solid rookie year, Apple soon found himself embroiled in some locker room drama that would ultimately end in him getting traded to the Saints in 2018.

Since then, Apple has also spent time with the Panthers, Bengals, Dolphins, Chargers and now 49ers. In his most recent 2024 season with the Chargers, he recorded just two tackles in four games with Los Angeles, as his time on the field was limited due to a hamstring injury.

While it’s been a long and winding NFL journey for Apple thus far, he’s a proven veteran presence and after joining one of the most consistently great defensive teams in the league, should be set for potential success if he’s up to it.

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