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Former New Orleans Saints cornerback Eli Apple just inked a brand new, one-year, $3 million deal with the Carolina Panthers. After having his previous deal with the Las Vegas Raiders fall through earlier this offseason, this seems like a pretty good deal.
Now for the question that remains: is Apple heading to the Saints junior varsity team? Seemingly every player that New Orleans released or opted to not re-sign this offseason has somehow made their way to the Panthers.
The #Panthers signed veteran CB Eli Apple for a 1-year deal worth $3M, source said. That includes a $750K signing bonus. All things considered, a nice payday this late in the game for Apple, who appeared to have a deal with the #Raiders before it fell through during free agency.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 29, 2020
Those players include fan favorite quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, wide receiver Keith Kirkwood, and now Apple. It makes sense if we break it down. Carolina’s new offensive coordinator is wunderkind Joe Brady. Due to his time with both the Saints and LSU, many Louisiana fans are already familiar with him.
Brady was able to revamp LSU’s passing offense, and will have a similar role in Carolina’s offense. Bridgewater was brought in after Brady saw him succeed within the Saints offensive scheme last in quarterback Drew Brees’s absence. The Brady-Bridgewater partnership makes perfect sense when considering Bridgewater’s strengths and Brady’s philosophies.
The Panthers have also decided to surrounded Bridgewater with a familiar target: Keith Kirkwood. While the wideout never was able to have his breakthrough with New Orleans, he will be looking to get things on track with a change of scenery.
Finally, Apple has joined the fray as another former-Saint to join the Panthers this offseason. The Panthers have become a landing spot for those players that either did not make the cut in New Orleans, or were left without a seat at the table of the most talented roster in the NFL. So yes, Apple did indeed join the Saints junior varsity team.
What do you make of all the former-Saints in Carolina? Let us know in the comments. Make sure you follow Canal Street Chronicles on Twitter at @SaintsCSC, “Like” us on Facebook at Canal Street Chronicles, and make sure you’re subscribed to our new YouTube channel. As always, you can follow me on Twitter @KadeKistner.