Eli Apple is staying in Cincinnati.
The former Ohio State cornerback is returning to the Bengals on a one-year deal worth $4 million, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
CB Eli Apple is returning to Cincinnati on a one-year, $4 million deal, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 17, 2022
Apple originally joined the Bengals last March, when he signed a one-year deal with the team worth just $1.1 million. Although expectations were low when he signed with the team, Apple ended up starting the entire season for the Bengals as they won their first AFC championship in 33 years before falling to the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl.
He took plenty of heat after the Bengals’ Super Bowl loss, in which he gave up the game-winning touchdown to Rams receiver Cooper Kupp, largely because of his outspoken personality and trash-talk tweets throughout the team’s playoff run. Overall, though, Apple played well enough that the Bengals chose to bring him back for another season in their secondary, where he plays alongside fellow former Buckeye and close friend Vonn Bell.
Apple is the fourth former Buckeye to re-sign with his 2021 team after hitting the free-agent market this week, along with Dallas Cowboys safety Malik Hooker and long snapper Jake McQuaide and Indianapolis Colts defensive end Tyquan Lewis. Former Ohio State offensive lineman Jamarco Jones and Andrew Norwell have joined new teams, as Jones signed with the Tennessee Titans and Norwell signed with the Washington Commanders. Other former Ohio State players that hit free agency this week who have not yet signed deals include Johnathan Hankins, Jalyn Holmes, Billy Price and Nate Ebner.
