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We were so close to the New Orleans Saints reversing a decades-long trend when it comes to compensatory draft picks. Usually too active in adding free agents to qualify, the Saints finally lost more than they gained in the 2020 offseason following the departures of quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, linebacker A.J. Klein, safety Vonn Bell, and cornerback Eli Apple.
When matched against the addition of wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, that left the Saints with a +3 value in Over The Cap’s cancellation chart, projecting them to receive three compensatory picks in the 2021 draft. That would mean an extra selection in the third round (for Bridgewater) and a pair of sixth-round picks (for Bell and Apple, having lost another one by signing Sanders).
But Apple’s verbal agreement with the Las Vegas Raiders fell apart before he could put pen to paper, and he’s still a free agent. That cost the Saints a possible sixth-round pick in next year’s draft, and if he doesn’t sign with a new team at a comparable salary before the NFL’s deadline, they won’t get anything back for him.
The new collective bargaining agreement stipulates that veteran free agents may only qualify for the compensatory draft pick formula until 4 p.m. ET on the Monday following the draft; that puts this year’s deadline on April 27. With the first round of the draft set to begin on Thursday night, odds are slim that Apple will land with a new team before the deadline.
That means the Saints swapped a 2019 fourth-round pick and their seventh rounder in 2020 for just 27 games with Apple (including the playoffs). He was just as inconsistent in New Orleans as he was with the New York Giants, the team that drafted him, but Apple’s brightest moments far surpassed those with his first team.
So where does he go next? He might face a more active market after the draft, once teams around the league will have had an opportunity to address their needs at the position. If they weren’t able to do so, Apple should receive more interest as one of the few starting-quality options available.
But if he doesn’t get any offers to his liking, could a reunion with the Saints be in the cards? Stranger things have happened. Apple has said before that he enjoyed his experience in New Orleans, playing with old Ohio State teammates like Marshon Lattimore, and he would offer great depth behind Lattimore and Janoris Jenkins (who he also played with in New York).
But Apple’s best shot at a big NFL payday might come after he proves he can turn in 16 strong games as a starter, and he shouldn’t expect that sort of opportunity with the Saints this year.
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